You’re young and getting started with your career. You’re eager and all looks bright, but there’s one thing constantly on your mind: your finances.

How do you get started and get the ball rolling in the right direction? Thankfully, experts are here to guide the way.

Find Out: Average Monthly Expenses by Age: Which Group Is Spending the Most?

For You: 7 Reasons You Must Speak To a Financial Advisor To Boost Your Savings in 2024

“The first and most important step for any young professional is to establish a clear, realistic budget that aligns with both their current lifestyle and long-term financial goals,” said Justin Godur, finance advisor and founder of Capital Max. “It might sound basic, but this is the foundation upon which all other financial strategies are built.”

Without a solid understanding of your cash flow and knowing exactly where every dollar is going, he said it’s impossible to make informed decisions about saving, investing or managing debt. “I’ve seen too many talented individuals fall into the trap of living paycheck to paycheck simply because they lacked this basic financial discipline.”

Below, experts give a rundown of how you should get started when it comes to financial planning. Young professionals can use these steps to lay down solid groundwork for enduring monetary triumphs.

Earning passive income doesn’t need to be difficult. You can start this week.

Prepare a Comprehensive Budget

According to almost every money expert, preparing a detailed budget is the first step to take.

“Solid planning is critical for young professionals who want to achieve long-term financial success,” said Dayten Rynsburger, CRO at Niche Capital CO. “You can figure out areas where you need to cut your spending by knowing how much money enters and leaves your pocket.”

This process lays the foundation for future financial goals.

“But a budget isn’t just about cutting back on expenses,” Godur added. “It’s about prioritizing your spending in a way that reflects your values and future aspirations.”

For instance, he noted that if your goal is to retire early, it makes sense to allocate more towards your retirement accounts now, even if it means sacrificing some short-term pleasures. This conscious alignment of spending with goals is what sets apart those who achieve financial independence from those who don’t.

“In my experience, the young professionals who take the time to meticulously plan their budget early on are the ones who ultimately achieve financial security and freedom,” Godur explained. “It’s a simple but powerful step that lays the groundwork for every other financial decision you’ll make in your career.”

Story continues

Read Next: I Followed Mark Cuban’s Genius Advice and Am on Track To Become a Millionaire

Build an Emergency Fund

According to Rynsburger, you can rule out any possible emergencies with an emergency fund that covers your expenses for three to six months’ worth of expenses.

“Such funds keep away from draining savings, preventing dropping plans away which are not meant for long term purposes,” he said.

Get Started on Investing ASAP

Experts agree that you should consider making investments as soon as you possibly can.

“The earlier in life you start working towards it, the more compound interest benefits you’ll reap later on in life,” said Rynsburger. “Buy into inexpensive index funds or retirement accounts like IRAs or 401(k)s so that your finances would be continuously increasing.”

Articulate Logical Monetary Objectives

Set short-term and long-term monetary objectives, advised Rynsburger. “Setting specific goals provides you motivation and enables prudent financial judgments. Whether it is about acquiring a home or saving for retirement.”

Request Professional Advice

A personalized financial plan can be made by approaching a financial consultant. “The expert is in position to provide customized ideas and assist in making difficult money choices,” said Rynsburger.

Practice ‘Target Spending’

“The one skill I’d want any young professional to master to set themselves up for success is practicing expected spending, not restriction,” said Hanna Morrell, a holistic, trauma-informed financial coach who teaches her clients how to trust themselves with money.

Restriction is thought of as an easy first step to take to achieve financial goals. The result of restriction, however, is often rebellion and failure. “So I teach and recommend that instead of restricting spending, people practice expected, thoughtful, intentional spending,” Morrell said.

While this is a bigger concept, she teaches it with a pretty simple game called “Target Spending.” Here’s how to incorporate it into your financial planning:

• Step 1: Choose a small, variable part of your spending. Some good examples are: coffee, ice cream, clothes, eating out, gifts for the kids or holiday decorations. Some not-so-good examples are mortgage payments or utilities.

• Step 2: Choose a fairly short time frame: Between two days and two weeks.

• Step 3: Choose a specific dollar amount. For example, “I’m going to spend $17 on ice cream in the next 10 days.” Or, “We’re going to spend exactly $42 on towels in the next 2 weeks.” Not so good example: “I’m only going to spend $10 on pencils tomorrow.” (This is a restriction.)

Gameplay:

According to Morrell, your job is now to spend EXACTLY that amount of money in that time. No more. No less.

“We want this to remain a game, not a budget, so that’s why we’re keeping the time frame and scope of spending fairly tight,” she explained. “And this is just a game. So if you spend more or less, does that matter? Nope, because this is just a game.”

She continued, “You are now practicing expected spending. That $17 — or whatever amount you choose — has a specific job to do. As you play this game what do you think you might notice? Do you think it will be easy or hard to spend exactly that amount on that specific thing in that specific amount of time?”

There is a dual purpose to this game, Morrell highlighted.

“First, it’s to practice expected spending rather than restricted spending. The second is to begin to trust yourself with money. Let’s test this out. Which statement is restricted spending, and which is expected spending?

Our brains do not make good choices under the influence of restriction, Morrell explained. “Restriction is emotional and reactive. Expected spending, on the other hand, allows us to practice thoughtfulness.”

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Financial Planning for Young Professionals: Getting Started Right