Getting Your Finances Ready
Most people jump straight into goal setting without checking if their foundation is solid. That's like building a house on sand.
Before you start mapping out financial goals, you need to know where you actually stand. Not where you think you stand or where you'd like to be—where you really are right now. This means looking at numbers honestly, even when they're uncomfortable.
We've worked with hundreds of Australians who thought they knew their financial situation. But when they sat down and went through everything properly, they discovered accounts they'd forgotten about, subscriptions draining money each month, and spending patterns they hadn't noticed. One bloke found he was paying for three different streaming services his family never used.
The preparation phase isn't glamorous. There's no quick wins here. But get this part right, and everything else becomes easier. Skip it, and you'll set goals based on guesswork—which usually means setting yourself up to fail.
Four Things You Need Before Setting Goals
These aren't optional extras. They're the basics that make goal setting actually work.
Complete Financial Picture
Pull together everything—bank accounts, superannuation, investments, debts, regular expenses. The whole lot. Many people are surprised to find they're in better shape than they thought. Others discover problems they didn't know existed. Both outcomes are valuable because you're working with reality.
Honest Spending Habits
Track where money actually goes for at least a month. Not where you think it goes or where you wish it went. Real spending often looks different from what we imagine. That daily coffee might not matter, but the impulse online shopping might be eating hundreds monthly.
Clear Money Mindset
What's your relationship with money like? Some people hoard it out of fear. Others spend to feel better. Understanding your patterns helps you set goals that work with your psychology rather than against it. A goal that fights your natural tendencies is just going to create stress.
Realistic Time Frame
Financial changes take longer than you expect. Always. If you think something will take six months, budget for nine. People who rush this end up frustrated and quit. Those who give themselves breathing room tend to stick with it and see results by late 2025 or into 2026.
The Reality Check Process
We have people go through what we call a financial audit. Sounds formal, but it's just methodically going through everything you own, owe, earn, and spend. Takes about two hours if you're thorough.
This process reveals patterns. You might notice your income goes up every year but somehow you're not saving more. Or you've been paying off debt but the balance barely moves because of interest. These insights are gold—they show you exactly what needs to change.
The point isn't to judge yourself. It's to see clearly so you can make decisions based on facts instead of assumptions. That clarity is what separates people who achieve their financial goals from those who just talk about them.
What Others Discovered When They Started
Jozef Vasylenko
Small Business Owner, BrisbaneI thought I had a handle on things because my business was doing okay. But when I actually mapped everything out, I realized I was mixing personal and business money in ways that made zero sense. Fixing that alone saved me about $800 a month in unnecessary fees and taxes I could have avoided.
Brenna Caldwell
Project Manager, SydneyThe preparation phase felt like a waste of time at first. I wanted to jump straight to setting goals and making changes. But going through everything showed me I'd been kidding myself about my spending. Once I faced reality, I could set goals that actually made sense for where I was, not where I wished I was. Started in January 2025 and I'm already seeing progress.
Ready to see your full financial picture? Our programs starting September 2025 walk you through the entire preparation process before you set a single goal.
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