Money Habits

The One Money Habit That Changed Everything For My Clients (It's Not Budgeting)

HNWI| Professional Advice| Wealth Building| Wellness
November 12, 2025•1 min read

Everyone asks me what the secret is to building wealth.

They expect me to say budgeting or investing or cutting expenses. That's not it.

The one habit that changed everything for my most successful clients is this: they pay themselves first.

Before bills, before expenses, before anything else, they move money into investments and savings. It's automatic. It's non negotiable. And it's the difference between people who build wealth and people who stay broke.

Most people handle money backwards.

They earn their paycheck, pay their bills, buy what they need, and maybe save whatever is left over at the end of the month. Spoiler alert: there's never anything left over. This approach guarantees you'll never build wealth because savings and investments are treated as optional.

Paying yourself first flips this completely. The first thing that happens when money hits your account is a transfer to savings and investments. That money is gone before you have a chance to spend it. You build your lifestyle around what's left, not around your full income.

The willingness to walk away also makes you more attractive to good clients. It shows confidence in your value.

Ready to put this into action?

Head to my website and let's talk about building wealth through real estate.

money habitsfinancial successwealth buildingpersonal finance
I’m a cofounder and the VP of Systems and Strategy at IGTMS, and unofficially the VP of “Figure It the F Out.” I’m a wife, a mom of three daughters, and an operator at heart. I’ve spent nearly two decades inside real businesses helping turn vision into structure, clarity into systems, and growth into something that actually holds up. I’ve helped build and scale a company to eight-figure revenue and led it through a seven-figure exit. That experience shaped how I think about alignment, execution, and what breaks when growth gets ahead of clarity. Outside of work, you’ll find me lifting heavy weights, prioritizing health and wellness, traveling whenever possible, and designing a life that supports both ambition and presence. I write about money, discipline, family, and execution for founders building real lives.

Nicole M Gordon

I’m a cofounder and the VP of Systems and Strategy at IGTMS, and unofficially the VP of “Figure It the F Out.” I’m a wife, a mom of three daughters, and an operator at heart. I’ve spent nearly two decades inside real businesses helping turn vision into structure, clarity into systems, and growth into something that actually holds up. I’ve helped build and scale a company to eight-figure revenue and led it through a seven-figure exit. That experience shaped how I think about alignment, execution, and what breaks when growth gets ahead of clarity. Outside of work, you’ll find me lifting heavy weights, prioritizing health and wellness, traveling whenever possible, and designing a life that supports both ambition and presence. I write about money, discipline, family, and execution for founders building real lives.

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