3 Easy Hacks To Achieve Money Goals Without Heavy Planning
Written by
Sarah Horvath
Edited by
Molly Sullivan
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Most people want to save more and grow their wealth but don’t want to analyze their budgets on a penny-to-penny basis or spend hours researching the right investments. What many don’t know is that you can achieve your financial goals with minimal planning.
Three easy hacks can make your financial goals a reality.
Automate Your Savings With Reverse Budgeting
If you have a hard time sticking to a traditional budget, try out “reverse budgeting.” Set up automatic transfers so a fixed percentage of your paycheck (10% to 20% is normal) goes straight to savings or your retirement account. This way, you’re contributing toward future financial goals effortlessly — and you get to spend whatever’s left guilt-free.
Reverse budgeting works because it helps you avoid the psychological impulse to spend before saving. Spending feels good in the moment because it gives you an instant dopamine rush. Compared to investing, which can take years to show results, it’s easy to see why even someone who really wants to save could fall to the temptation of online shopping or a DoorDash delivery.
With the reverse budgeting method, you don’t need to track every purchase. You just need to stay within your budget. This method may not be best if you have credit cards and struggle to stay within set limits. To get started, log into your bank’s app or your human resources portal and divert at least 10% of your next paycheck to a high-yield savings account or your 401(k).
Invest In Simple Index Funds
When you think of investing, do you imagine a ton of complicated candlestick charts and meticulously reading the news? Make investing easier and less overwhelming by skipping the nitty-gritty research and choosing simple, low-cost index funds. Examples of popular, broad index funds include:
- Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF (VTI): This fund gives you broad exposure to the entire U.S. stock market, including a mix of large-, mid- and small-cap companies. As of December 2025, this fund also maintains an ultra-low expense ratio of 0.03%.
- Schwab U.S. Broad Market ETF (SCHB): Another cheap option with an expense ratio of 0.03%, this fund gives exposure to all stocks on major U.S. exchanges.
- Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO): This tracks the 500 largest U.S. companies for reliable long-term growth, mirroring the performance of the biggest companies in the U.S. stock market.
- iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV): Sponsored by one of the nation’s largest fund companies (BlackRock), this fund aims to match the performance of the top 500 American companies like VOO.
Financial experts consistently recommend investing in index funds over timing the market or choosing individual stocks, especially for investors who lack experience navigating the market. These funds show better results compared to picking individual investments over the long term, making them a hands-off, safe option that doesn’t require hours of research.
Ready to start investing? Begin by opening at a low-fee broker like Vanguard or Fidelity. Put new savings into a target-date fund or a portfolio composed of two to three low-cost, low-risk funds.
Keep Your Finances Simple and Consolidated
Simplifying reduces mental load and errors. Instead of spending weeks researching where to get the best interest rate, choose one or two banks with good interest rates and start saving today. Apply the same principle to credit cards, brokerage accounts and any other class of financial category you regularly use.
When you have fewer active accounts to manage, you’re less likely to miss a payment or forget to contribute to an account. Time saved is also a reward — instead of wasting hours rate-shopping for tiny gains, you can start saving now with nearly all of the benefits.
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