006. Financial Year End Reflection

Dear Wealth Builder,

I am very happy to have you here today in this week´s blog post.

We are in December, the last month of the year, so today we are going to talk about year end reflection. Specifically, to assess how this year that is finishing in terms of your finances.

Grab pen and paper because this is going to be a walk through your finances in the last 12 months. I will be doing the reflection together with you.

Before we start:

1. Remember to be honest and direct on your answers. They are only yours to see, therefore, no need to sugarcoat.
2. Take your time to think and reflect. Many things have happened this year, make sure you take a moment to take a deep reflection on the events happening this year.
3. Write it down. Yes, pen and paper. Journaling makes your thoughts be clearer

Having said that... let´s go!

We are going through 5 categories to reflect on.

1. Top highlight of the year

   I want you to think about your main highlight of the year. Note that I want you to focus in only one. Why? Because this ONE THING is the one that made the whole difference compared to your version of the previous years. 
   If you can only mention one thing that marked your finances this year in a positive way, what would that be? 
   How did you feel when this highlight happened to you?
   Examples of highlights can be:
   - Finally started investing
   - Paid off your credit card debt/student loan/mortgage
   - Built an emergency fund
   - Received that salary increase you really wanted
   - You started budgeting and monitoring your expenses
   Take a moment because, girl, you should be proud of yourself for having achieved this. Celebrate yourself! 🎉
   [My reflection: My top highlight of the year is having achieved my Net Worth target for this year. It is the first year in my entire life that I set myself a Net Worth target and I achieved it. When I noted I achieved it, I honestly did not feel any difference. It was a number on a screen. But it assured me to be taking the steps in the right direction.]

2. Top challenge of the year
   In this section, I want you to think about what was that financial struggle that marked this year and most importantly ask yourself, have you overcome this challenge? or is there action pending to be taken care of? What needs to be done for this challenge to vanish in case it is still present?
   Examples of financial challenges or money behaviours can be:
   - Recurring impulsive spending
   - Spending more than you earn 
   - Going into debt
   - Not paying the credit card balance 
   - Going to the supermarket with a tight budget to spend on groceries
   - Financial stress
   Be honest here. Even though it is sometimes difficult to face the challenges that happened, awareness is key to make sure you take action to ensure this challenges stay in the past.
   [My reflection: This year my biggest challenge was, without question, impulsive spending. I am a fashion lover and I normally am very disciplined with my money, but the second half of the year I relaxed a bit my spending discipline and gave in that burn/urge to buy cute pieces, which afterwards, lead to spending guilt because this money has to come from somewhere, right? In my case, it was money planned to be invested. This financially is a very bad desicion, and I know it. Therefore, I want to strenghten my discipline going forward.]

3. Top lesson
   If you can think about on the most important lesson you had with money this year, what would that be? how do you feel about having learned this lesson?
   Examples of lessons with money can be:
   - Seeing money as an enabler to achieve your dreams
   - Never again leave your money sitting in a bank account
   - Be open to learn from wealthy individuals instead of envying them
   - Giving yourself permission to want more in life
   [My reflection: the most important lesson I learned about money this year is to give myself the permission to give and receive. In the past, in general, I felt unconfortable receiving compliments, favours, even someone inviting me coffee. This year I read a very good book called "It´s not your money" that connects money with spirituality and I learned that others also feel good when making me a favour or inviting me a meal/coffee, so it was an act of love on both sides to give and to receive. Life changing] If you are interested about this topic, let me know and I go deeper.

4. Growth
   In which area of your finances did you improve in numbers compared to the previous years?
   - Did you increase your savings?
   - Did you increase your investments?
   - Did you make yourself debt free?
   - Were you more disciplined with your spending?
   [My relfection: I really needed to go back to my budget spreadsheet to answer this question and analyze, where have I improved compared to previous years. I can say that I reached a level of being comfortable adjusting my financial strategy to align it to my life stages. This year I adjusted my strategy to improve my short term money, e.g. my savings, as I was too focused on long term in last year.]

5. Gratefulness
   Take a moment to be grateful for last year financial experiences. The ups and the downs. The joys and the lessons. You went through the year and did it amazing. The joys you can keep in your heart and the lessons you can take and implement differently next year.
   Literally, take a deep breath, close your eyes, and rest on this sense of gratefulness in your heart.
   Repeat after me: I am grateful for all the experiences that 2025 brought to me. I am ready to experience how easy and amazing 2026 can be.

I hope you enjoyed this quick Financial Year End reflection. 

My honest desire for you is to manage your money with confidence, so it can give you a sense of calmness, strenght and empowerment.

See you in the next post.

Dolores Gavino

Female Wealth Builders Founder 

If you are ready to start your Budget, here is the Budget template I prepared for you Monthly Budget Template

If you want to have The roadmap to Financial Freedom, you can download for free The Checklist to Financial Freedom

And if you are ready to start investing and enroll in the 1:1 Coaching Program Saver to Investor, you can enroll here From Saver to Investor 1:1 Coaching Program