Hello Reader,
With all the advice floating around like: save 20%, follow 50/30/20, max your Roth IRA .etc, it’s easy to feel like you’re behind if you’re not doing things by the book. (If you find this book please email me the title to read it)
But here’s the thing: the “book” wasn’t written with your exact life in mind. Maybe your income is unpredictable. Maybe you're caring for kids, parents, or both. Maybe you're rebuilding after burnout or a rough financial season. Whatever your story is, understand that it matters. And it deserves a money plan that fits you.
The truth is, there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to finances. Trying to force yourself into a mold that doesn’t work just creates shame, frustration, and avoidance. That’s not what we’re about here.
Your financial plan should reflect your real life, what is currently going on and not an idealized version someone posted on Instagram. Their story is not your story. Let’s talk about what it means to customize your plan with your values, your capacity, and your goals in mind.
💬 Rant:
Personal finance gets treated like a formula: follow these steps, and boom you have financial freedom. Also for real what is financial freedom? Did you know it looks different for everyone?
But most advice out there assumes a few things:
✔️ You have a steady, predictable income
✔️ You can afford to prioritize retirement before today’s needs
✔️ You have no caregiving costs or medical curveballs
That’s not real life for most people. Especially if you're navigating inconsistent pay, childcare, disability, debt, or recovery from financial trauma. And if you are not, congrats because it is a nice place to be.
You might feel like something’s wrong with you if the typical advice doesn’t work. But it’s not you. It’s the advice that wasn’t built for your life.
When we stop trying to make our lives fit into a financial “ideal,” we can actually start building something sustainable and empowering.
👀 Reflection:
There was a time when I felt ashamed for not hitting all the financial “shoulds.” And yeah, I get how odd that sounds coming from a financial coach. But when you scroll through social media or binge personal finance videos, it can feel like everyone has a list of dollar amounts or percentages you're supposed to hit by a certain age. The problem? No one agrees. And instead of feeling inspired, I just felt behind. It is a part of why I decided to work on my own money stuff. Reflected on why I felt behind, why I felt like I had to compare myself to someone else. No where did I find someone who had the exact same story as I had.
Right now, we’re in a season of financial turbulence. Our savings took a hit, and despite what we had in place, we weren’t as prepared as we thought. For a moment, when I ran the numbers and saw we’d come up short, I thought, “We messed up.” I didn’t expect to go unpaid for two months. I didn’t budget for new waves of medical costs, with medical testing that’s still ongoing. But you know what? We weren’t messing up. We were prioritizing what mattered: my family since we were having a baby, my health, my ability to show up for my kids, my future capacity to work and contribute.
This current season reminded me that financial planning isn’t about sticking rigidly to some ideal formula, it’s flexible scaffolding. Sometimes the focus is on saving. Sometimes it's on staying steady. Sometimes it's about rest and recovery.
What matters is that your plan reflects your real life and not someone else’s idea of “right.” Because who are they to know all the nuance of your current situation?
🔗 Resource:
Download the Flexible Framework—a one-page guide to help you pause, realign, and rebuild your money plan based on your current reality.
👉 Flexible Framework
📝 Try This Today:
At the end of your week, ask yourself:
- What changed this week that I didn’t anticipate?
- Did my spending align with my priorities?
- What’s one thing I can adjust without guilt?
🧠 Reframe to Remember:
Your plan isn’t broken—your life just shifted. Financial flexibility is a strength, not a setback.
P.S. Feeling like your money system just doesn’t fit your life anymore? Let’s explore that together. Book a free Q/A call to see if my coaching is the right next step for you:
👉 Schedule your free Q/A call here
In pride and progress,
Coach Becca
📩 Unmuted Money | Debt Tale
📆 Free Q/A Call | 📽️ Watch on YouTube