One of my friends told me jokingly “What is there in personal finance to do? Just earn and save 10%”.

True, the concept is very simple. Just like staying fit – eat healthy and exercise 30 mins.

How many people are fit on this earth today? There are countless memberships in the gym created at the beginning of the new year, only to fizzle out by the mid of February.

When things are complex, somehow we end up doing it. That is how the world is moving forward. People are working in their jobs 8, 9, 10+ hours and creating incredible things.

But in the race to such complexity, the basics remain just a concept.

It is easy, so we will start tomorrow.

• I will start saving tomorrow.
• I will exercise from tomorrow.
• I will take the right actions tomorrow.

And this tomorrow never comes. We are busy ignoring the basics and running after more complex things.

We think blockchain is going to transform finances and payments, but will it make people save regularly and more? No.

We think AI is going to do a lot of complicated stuff, but will it help me reduce my expenses and save more? There are some apps to automatically deduct money from your checking account into another savings account, but the usage is still limited or people do not sign up easily.

So how do we change people’s (ours more so) behavior to consistently save and invest more?

Is saving 10% as my friend said – hard? Maybe for some people while others are not doing it by choice or ignorance.

The reason is that people want to see the benefits.

• What benefit does saving 10% of my income give me now?
• What benefit do I get by reducing my debt?
• What benefit do I get by setting up a budget?

All of these are like keeping fit. You will feel more energized, positive and get things done, only if you take the action in a small way.

The basic habits of personal finance are so simple and boring that people do not want to follow them.

We have to get some excitement to it.

It is in these four steps, that the path to action and financial freedom lies.