How Automation Unlocks True Financial Freedom

Hi Reader,

Welcome to The Money Series, and if you are new here, thank you for signing up. Personal Finance can feel ambiguous and overwhelming, but I am here to help simplify the journey.

Imagine waking up one day, checking your bank account, and:

• Your bills? paid

• Your savings and investments? stacking up

• Leftover cash for your ‘money dials’ and whatever you want.

No budgets. No spreadsheets. No stress. No ‘oops, I forgot the water bill.’ No need to look at your bank accounts every day. Your money is automatically set and disbursed regularly to pay for your bills and grow your wealth with regular savings and investments, leaving you with cash for your everyday purchases and fun.

Where most people get it wrong is that they save whatever is left at the end of the month after spending. But let’s be honest, if you wait till the end of the month to save, you most likely won’t have much left to save. The smarter move is to ‘pay yourself first’. That means the moment your paycheck hits, a portion goes straight to savings and bills before you touch a single penny.

How Automation Helps

If you want to stop tracking every naira, pound, or dollar manually, then your solution is to: Set up a system once. Let it run. Then review regularly. If saving or investing requires manual action each month, that’s 12 chances a year to forget, delay, or justify skipping it. Life happens - you go on vacation, get distracted, or talk yourself into spending it “just this once.” And suddenly, your money goals take a back seat.

Instead, set your money up to move automatically:

• A direct debit for savings

• A standing order for your bills

• What's left = your fun money

Getting Started with Automating Your Finances

☑️ Get clear on your financial goals. Emergency fund? Vacation? New laptop? Retirement? Define what you’re saving for.

☑️ Assign your bank or an app to do the heavy lifting. Use standing orders, automated transfers, or fintech tools that segment your money into ‘pots’ for each goal.

☑️ Use separate savings for separate goals. For example, High-yield savings accounts for short-term goals and Tax-advantaged accounts like the UK’s ISA or the US Roth IRA for long-term wealth.

☑️ Automate bills whose amount you can predict. Insurance, Utilities, and Internet bill. Rent can be included if you pay monthly, or in the case of annual rent payments, monthly contributions to rent can be sent to a dedicated rent account.

Start small if needed. Just automating your savings is a strong first step. Add your bills and investments later. Automation ensures that your bills are paid as and when due, gives you peace of mind, and can improve your credit score.

As always, before putting everything on autopilot, build a buffer. Your emergency fund is your safety net. Automation is powerful, but life throws curveballs — car repairs, surprise dentist visits. Your emergency fund will come in handy when needed, while your automated system keeps running.

Automating your finances does not mean you set it and leave it forever. Regularly review your setup and make adjustments. This review may be quarterly, semi-annually, or annually (probably, a birthday review). You should also review your finances after every major life change, such as a new job, moving countries, or having a baby.

Reflect on This:

• Are you still ‘deciding’ to save and invest each month, or have you handed that job to robots?

Reply to this email if you have questions and if you’ve automated your finances and want to brag a little. I’d love to hear about it.

Till next week, I am rooting for you, money-ly!

Dee

P.S.: If this email was shared with you, subscribe here so you never miss out! If you know someone who could benefit from it, please share it with them.

Disclaimer: This does not constitute financial advice. Please conduct your research or consult your financial advisor for important financial advice.