30 Minutes of The BEST Financial Decisions for 2026 (Prepare Now!)

What the best financial decision you’ve made?

I work multiple part time academic jobs at senior level, sometimes up to 6 at a time with different universities and a law firm. I've also been trying to get a business started (long way to go here). So have been working 16-18 hours a day every day of the week for about 2 years like this. I'm legally blind and my mother's carer (she's been critically unwell for 5 years now, but gradually improving exponentially with proper treatment, fitness, preventive measures, and the right nutrition and hydration plan). So yes, things are very tough. But I have managed to save anywhere from half to seventy percent of my monthly income during these 2 years now (granted I don't have an income every month, eg when universities are closed for 3.5 months if the year, so I have to put money aside for those months). It's been life changing to invest every dollar saved (except for what I'll need for the no income months), especially during high earning months. I have also drawn up a spreadsheet for budgeting now and have managed to cut out a long list of things I thought we needed but didn't (eg most of our supplements have now been replaced with whole foods except for about 3 which are doctor prescribed and cannot be replaced with food). I cringe at how many thousands I've wasted over the last 8 years on things I genuinely thought would fix health issues and all they did was make my health worse due to how stressed I became financially. The less we spend, the more we save and invest, and the less terrified we feel of the future. I lost my job in 2020 due to COVID lockdowns whilst completing a PhD, and had to use all of my savings for rent, etc, for 2 years. I ran out of funds 1.5 years in, and had to beg for a loan from friends and help from our priest. Once I got employed again in 2022, I saved for and finally replaced my friends the 8k I had borrowed.. We now live a minimalist life thanks to content like yours, so thank you. I want to ensure that every dollar spent is an investment in our health, wellbeing, and to foster further financial security. Key priorities are always private health insurance, life insurance, healthy, balanced nutrition/hydration, essential medication/sunscreen, and a stable and safe roof over our head.

Want to travel internationally? Work for an airline.
I've seen the world and traveled Business and First class for decades, barely spending anything on flights.

Best thing we did was got a financial advisor. He gives us our spending budget and can set you up for success and think of the safety nets you need in retirement.

Regarding ads; if I never see another advertisement again, it’ll be too soon. Even for this video there have been 8 ads. It’s always the same: Gambling sites/games, fantasy mobile games, Trading/investment apps, JustEast/Dominoes/Uber Eats/etc., then just random AI generated crap ads for blinds, windows, restaurants, tools, and other things I’ve never needed nor wanted.
It’s the same on Instagram. For the stories I’d see 2 of my friends’ then it’d be a 4-block of targeted ads. Another follower, then another ad. It got to a point where I had more adverts than follower/friends content. As for the actual feed itself, It’s pretty much the same. Friend’s post, ad, friend, ‘suggested account to follow, ad, ad, friend’s post from 2 weeks ago, ‘suggested account’. IT SUCKS.
TIKTOK and Facebook are the same. I’m rarely on FB or Instagram, but I think that’s why I’ve noticed so much. As you’ve said in other videos, creators on TT have got sly about sponsorships and adverts and the like. I’m so desensitised to them that I’ve developed a sixth sense about them, I swear.

I'm proud that I convinced 3 ppl to delete their FB. I was on Twitter until it went full on racist(musk). Never had any of the others except utube.

Put $12k+ into silver and gold in 2025, when we go back to the silver and gold standard I’ll be set for the rest of my life.

Zac, we need more positive videos like this!

Also, not related to the video per se, but I am so, so, so fed up with the way people promote STEM and such fields as the end all be all. I’m a music/political science student with one more year of college left. I think STEM fields are great, but music, the humanities, and the social sciences matter just as much. A degree can never be truly “worthless.” It just matters how you use it. If YOU are satisfied, that’s what matters.

My mom has a friend who retired at age 50 because she was so good with money. Whenever she would get a promotion, she would just live as if she hadn’t, and put the rest into savings. Had a decent (but not super nice) house, a very old car, etc. As I’m currently 21 and getting ready to finish my bachelors degree (which I am not going into debt for), I’m looking for all the best ways to live.

Paid my house off at 24, I have been saving mote than the average checking account savings monthly for over a decade now. My emergency day fun pays me 7k in interest a year, and covers my property taxes.

Welcome to modernday serfdom

best financial decision i made last year was quitting weed and drinking. i easily save $200+ a month now and was finally able to build a new PC before prices got tooooo crazy. 😅

Two phrases that can ruin your finances, and create a lot of stress are…. “I deserve”, and “I do”.

Love my espresso machine! Best buy ever . I never buy it unless im out of town.

Deleting all the shopping & social media apps and deciding to go back home in 2020 becoming a full time caregiver for my Mom.

this is super helpful, thanks a lot

i had no idea about these options

The Christmas money point made me notice how often I treat windfalls like free spending. In Grassfeld I can tag those deposits and actually decide.

who knew finance could be this interesting 🤔

My son and I get around perfectly fine in our tiny Fiat 500 that I bought outright in 2021 for $4800. It had less than 40k miles on it.

Even in his carseat at 3 years old, there was never an issue or need for more space.

Every time I hear the term, “ We deserve it!” I know they have a lot of learning and wisdom to gain!

We went bankrupt in 2021. After that: always in cash. So much less stress. We paid mortgage on loan but had saved. Decent down payment.

Another point we also borrowed $2000 from brother for car purchase so we could pay cash. We agreed to $200 per month repayment. We have great trust and respect.

Size of auto? We need an SUV just for my husband . 6ft 6inches! Tall. Long legs! I have a sedan. Perfect for me.

I'll die on this hill: the best financial decision you can make is never spend money you own. Interest and debt is never worth it. Sure you might struggle, can't afford cool things earlier, but living interest-free will protect you from becoming a wage slave. if money is about freedom, you should really digest that

i know these vids don't get as many views as the mistake ones, but i really appreciate them.

We had 3 carseats in the back of my Honda Civic (paid off) until we learned we were expecting #4 and then we bought the 10+ year old mini van for cash.

We had 3 carseats in the back of my Honda Civic (paid off) until we learned we were expecting #4 and then we bought the 10+ year old mini van for cash.

I didn't know what I wanted to study after HS but know I would eventually go to college. I ended up going to a Community College and got a General Studies degree. Sounds worthless, right? At the time my state had a lot of required courses outside one's major. And depending on one's major, you don't really get to those subjects until later in the degree process. I got the "college" experience, the classes were sort of 13th and 14th grade, and I got those non-major classes out of the way. BTW, I eventually went on to get a BS in Microbiology and Molecular Biology and Doctorate (prereqs for the Doctorate) and a PharmD (not a useless degree.)
Not all college is worthless. I agree the costs have gotten out of hand and should be changed.
And corporations are douchebags.
People need some kind of workable skills. And it's hard to find reliable sources to learn those skills.

I pay off my car last week

Not increasing my lifestyle as I increase my income. Since buying my house 4 years ago I've increased my main 9 to 5 income by almost 25% and I took on a side hustle that nets me about $600 a month.

Still driving the same car, still wearing the same clothes, still watching TV on the 7-year-old Samsung. The only thing I increased was my retirement savings.

Never been outside of 3 states.
Let alone the whole USA

My grad school program kept pushing me to do the phD program as I was finishing my masters. I knew it would limit my job possibilities to teaching in a university and put me tens of thousands of dollars more in debt. I stuck to my no and have easily found jobs with my masters and owe tens of thousands, but have of what it would have been if I listened to them.

I downloaded Clearspace and omg i love it.
I've paid 65 fir year subscription (to be able to add more than 1 app) and it was the best thing ever.
So now u don't really use tik tok, insta and I put a time limit for YouTube short.
My life becoming better, I don't really want to spend that much.
My time in insta and tik tok went from hours to 1 maximum. And only because now tik tok for me it isn't app that kills me, but I open it and when I want (not automatically) to have some fun
Best thing what ever happen, now im trying to more focus to watch series, as I want something in the background. But this channel taking this over ahahha

my biggest flex is that I never have to consider the interest rate when considering a credit card. Because I always pay them back in full every month

That shirt….best financial decision