Budgets Are Sexy (2026)

If you care about budgets sexy, this guide gets straight to the point. We break down what actually matters, skip the fluff, and show you how to put it to work today.

Key Takeaways

• And considering he recently retired early at the ripe age of 33, he’s obviously doing something right ;) Please welcome right now, Justin from RootofGood.com!
• He’s been applying Empower for over a year and a half, and has agreed to share real-life numbers & screenshots from his own account with us.
• Hope it assists!] ************************************* I have a confession to make.
• I run large chunks of my life applying spreadsheets.

What to Know About Budgets Sexy

Worth noting: i have an expense tracking spreadsheet, a net worth spreadsheet, and a portfolio analyzer spreadsheet. They all do exactly what I wish, but it takes plenty of time to keep them updated.

My spreadsheets aren’t particularly attractive, either. And if there’s one aspect the readers of this blog deserve, it is sexy financial management tools.

How Budgets Sexy Really Works

More importantly, enter Empower. (formerly Personal Capital) I stumbled into this impressive tool over a year ago and I find myself applying it almost each day. You see, I have a bizarre obsession with optimizing all of the financial aspects of my life from spending to asset allocation.

That’s how I landed a spot near the top of J Money’s Blogger Net Worth rankings at Rockstar Finance. Financial nerdcraft pays well as long as you have the right tools.

Getting the Most From Budgets Sexy

Remember that free Financial Management Software As soon as you log into Empower.com, you get an instant view of your net worth for the last 90 days and your monthly income and expenses on the Dashboard.  It’s like having a CFO for your personal finances.  Except this CFO doesn’t expect a seven figure salary with stock choices - it’s free! I grabbed a few screenshots from my own Empower account to reveal exactly what you get.  I can see my net worth is tantalizingly close to $1.5 million and has climbed steadily the last month.  My income for the last month was near $8,000 and my spending was only $1,054.  Don’t worry, some months those figures are reversed.

Track Your Net Worth The Net Worth screen demonstrates a graph of net worth for any time period you pick.  All of your investment accounts, retirement accounts, savings and checking accounts, real estate and loans are automatically added together. If you’re saving and investing like you should be, the net worth graph demonstrates a line that rises toward the top right of the screen over time.  It reinforces your solid behavior.

Tips That Make a Difference

As a rule, in contrast, if you spend more than you make or deploy your assets in unproductive investments, you’ll see the net worth flat line or slope downward to the bottom right of the screen.  That is totally un-sexy and you require to stay motivated to rectify that mess. Even though I’m an early retired dude, I stay pretty busy.  But I like to keep an eye on what we are spending (so I can stay an early retired dude!).

By applying a data driven approach to direct spending to the areas that bring us the most value, we get to live a more luxurious life without paying full price.  It’s almost hard to call that frugality, but that’s exactly what it is. Income Tracking Take a look at that income display!  I have the awesome problem of multiple revenue streams complicating my monthly cash flow.  The mix of income over the last month includes my wife’s paycheck, repayment of some personal loans, some revenue from my blog, and various interest and dividend payments from the investment portfolio.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

In short, the cash flow tools reveal the income and expenses for each week on the right hand side of the screen. There’s no better method to get a quick overview of whether you’re making more than you’re spending.

Making Investment Management Cool I’m a large fan of solid Mexican food, hard hitting electronica music, and proper asset allocation.  The first two make me cool while the latter makes me wealthy without taking on too much risk. The asset allocation screen is a look under the hood of your portfolio.  Your investments require a tune up from time to time, and this is the tool for it.  The portfolio module in Empower queries all of your accounts and combines all stock, bond, mutual fund, and ETF holdings into one clean summary.

Is Budgets Sexy Worth It?

Worth noting: in my case, I’m holding roughly equal amounts of US and International stocks with smaller allocations to Alternatives, US Bonds, and Cash.  Just like it should be. For those investors that wish to concentrate their money in particular stock sectors, there’s a tool for that too.

I already have 10% of my stocks in the Healthcare sector, for instance, simply by owning broad market index funds.  Unless I have a genuinely strong crystal ball telling me the Healthcare sector is about to outperform, I can rest assured that I’ll see decent investment returns with that 10% allocation to the healthcare sector already in my portfolio. Asset Allocation Tool Those investors that don’t bask in their own financial nerddom like me can get an straightforward asset allocation tool in Empower.

Where the Real Savings Hide

More importantly, the chart tells me I’m in roughly the right asset classes except for US and International stocks. The investment management tools go beyond showing you actual vs target percentages.  It also graphs those differences in a pretty bar chart AND tells you exactly how much to purchase or sell of each asset class to reach your target asset allocation.  Pretty nifty free investment advice customized to your portfolio.

But wait, there’s more!  Proper asset allocation will only get you half method to the goal of proper investment management.  Focusing on investment fees is also critically key.  And there’s a (free) tool for that too. The graph also proves how key mutual fund fees are over the long term.  Even with modest fees of 0.17% per year, I’ll still lose $110,000 over the next 20 years.  Maybe you’re much wealthier than me, but that’s a freaking ton of money.

A Closer Look at Budgets Sexy

Remember that empower is Straightforward, Safe, and Free I was pleasantly surprised at how.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I save money on budgets sexy?

Compare prices across a few retailers, look for active coupon codes, and time bigger buys around sales events. They all do exactly what I wish, but it takes plenty of time to keep them updated.

Is it worth shopping around for budgets sexy?

Usually yes. My spreadsheets aren’t particularly attractive, either.

Smart Ways to Save More on Budgets Sexy

• Stack a coupon code with an existing sale whenever the store allows it.
• Sign up for the retailer newsletter to catch first time and seasonal discounts.
• Compare the final price including shipping, not just the headline number.
• Check for student, military, or first order offers you may qualify for.
• Time non urgent purchases around major sale events for the deepest cuts.

Final Thoughts

Put these ideas to work and budgets sexy gets a lot less expensive. Bookmark this page, check back for fresh deals, and let the savings do the talking.

Originally published at budgetsaresexy.com.