Today, we’re going to continue our exploration of financial literacy with a fairly straightforward conversation about our consumption habits and how they can, over time, derail our ability to save for the future and establish the financial security that so many of us desire…

Speaking of habits, the monthly review of your financial records should be a habit you adopt and never break. Yes, this habit should be reviewed periodically with an eye toward making the review more efficient, but it should be something you do every month for the rest of your life.

Financial success is dependent on making better decisions with our money. Making better money decisions depends on our ability to appropriately assign value to the things we buy. Turning off our mental autopilot tendencies and thinking more consciously about value is a prerequisite to improving our financial position.