Money expert Rachel Cruze’s #1 tip when it comes to money

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If you’re trying to become better at managing money, you’ve probably heard of Rachel Cruze. Rachel Cruze is a certified financial coach who hosts The Rachel Cruze Show on YouTube and co-hosts the Smart Money Happy Hour podcast. Both programs aim to help people get out of debt and become successful with money. She also works with her famous wealth guru father Dave Ramsey to educate the public about financial literacy through Ramsey Solutions.

She recently posted a video on her YouTube channel titled “7 Valuable Life Lessons I Swear By” in which she shared her best tips for various life topics. Read on to find out what Cruze thinks is her most valuable tax advice.

Rachel Cruze’s #1 money tip

Cruze began the video with a fishbowl from which she said she would highlight topics and give her top tip for each. Fittingly, the first subject she drew was money. “My number one tip when it comes to money,” Cruze began, “is that you have to be intentional about it. You have to do things with intention.”

What exactly does that mean? Cruze explained that while you may have good intentions and goals when it comes to managing your money, without action it can be hollow. If you want to make the biggest impact, you need to take action, whether through careful budgeting or setting aside money for retirement.

“The biggest mistake people make with their money is they just don’t do things with purpose,” Cruze said. “They just go through the whole month and the whole year and haven’t done anything intentionally with their money. So you have to make a plan.”

Cruze refers to people who have a vague goal of becoming better with money and saving, but don’t take steps toward that goal. Every step toward becoming more comfortable with finances starts with a plan.

“Remember who you are”

That’s not all Cruze had to offer her viewers about money. After giving her top tips on marriage, parenting, friendship, faith, and health at the end of the video, Cruze came back and gave some more bonus money advice.

This second tip was more of a holistic piece of advice. Cruze said it’s important to separate personal identity from financial situation. “Who you are and your identity and your foundation cannot be tied to things that can be taken away on this earth,” Cruze advised.

She further explained that if you place a lot of value on material things like houses and cars, it’s very easy to break down if those things are taken away. That’s why she said that in order to be and remain truly secure in oneself, one must achieve self-realization through things outside of possessions and money. At the end of her video, Cruze concluded: “Your wealth is not your self-esteem. Always remember that.”