Are you feeling overwhelmed by your financial situation? Do you find that the business of life has created a permanent white noise that seems to always distract you? If you are feeling this way or similar, you are not alone.

Many people feel bogged down by the demands of life: family, friends, work, bills, finances. These distractions (wonderful though they can be) have the tendency to make us swerve from thinking about our own emotional well being. One of the best ways to take care of yourself this year is to undergo the process of decluttering.

Making financial “check-in’s” part of your regularly scheduled programming can be a colossal benefit for your financial life right now, and it can set you up for success in the future. When I talk to people about their financial habits, I hear a recurring theme:

You’ve tried the latest budgeting app. You’ve done weekly “allowances” for you and your spouse. You’ve made a lot of strides in a few short months - only to fall off the wagon again.

You’ve gone through the recommended next-steps - and you’re tired of seeing your day-to-day money habits continue to backslide.

When you’re in a committed relationship, you’re going to experience disagreements. When those disagreements are about finances, it can be especially uncomfortable because we all have emotional hang ups when it comes to money. Whether one of you is a spender and the other is a saver, or you disagree about where your “extra” money from bonuses or unexpected cash windfalls should go, financial disagreements can lead to tension in your relationship. Luckily, you can move through these difficult conversations with relative ease by following a few simple steps.

Relationships run through our lives every day. From family members to friends and coworkers, our daily habits rely on the relationships we cultivate. It seems natural for us to put work into maintaining the relationships we have with other people, but we also have relationships with objects-- tangible things that affect our lives sometimes as deeply as humans do. One of those objects we often forget we are in a relationship with is money.

Money and personal finance makes up a large part of our livelihood and influences our daily habits and decisions. Like any other relationship, our relationship with money can turn toxic if we don’t pay attention.

Talking about money in the workplace can be uncomfortable. Because personal finance tends to be the last taboo topic in our modern world, many people cringe at the thought of bringing up their salary and benefits with their coworkers - or even their boss. However, discussing money at work with your HR department or your boss, and understanding your worth, can be key for employees looking to “level up” in their career.

Many women run their households, have built successful careers, tackle a side hustle, and are actively involved with their family, friends, and local community. It’s not a secret that women are essentially superheroes without capes! So why is it that so many women struggle to discuss their finances? According to a recent survey, 61% of women would rather discuss the details of their death than their own money. That’s a daunting statistic, especially because many women will be solely responsible for their own finances, and potentially their family’s estate, at some point during their lives.