1. Start by setting financial goals A good financial plan is guided by your financial goals. If you approach your financial planning from the standpoint of what your money can do for you — whether that's buying a house or helping you retire early — you'll make saving feel more intentional. Make your financial goals inspirational — what do you want your life to look like in five years? What about in 10 and 20 years? Do you want to own a car or a house? Are kids in the picture? How do you imagine your life in retirement? You start with goals because they will inspire you to complete the next steps and provide a guiding light as you work to make those aims a reality.2. Track your money, and redirect it toward your goals to get a sense of your monthly cash flow — what’s coming in and what’s going out. An accurate picture is a key to creating a financial plan and can reveal ways to direct more to savings or debt pay-down. Seeing where your money goes can help you develop immediate, medium-term, and long-term plans. Developing a budget is a typical immediate plan. NerdWallet recommends the 50/30/20 budget principles: Put 50% of your take-home pay toward needs (housing, utilities, transportation, and other recurring payments), 30% toward wants (dining out, clothing, entertainment), and 20% toward savings and debt repayment. Reducing credit card or other high-interest debt is a common medium-term plan, and planning for retirement is a typical long-term plan.» Need a jump start? Try this easy-to-use budget worksheet.3. Get your employer match If you visit a financial advisor, he or she will be sure to ask: Do you have an employer-sponsored retirement plan like a 401(k), and does your employer match any part of your contribution? True, 401(k) contributions decrease your take-home pay now, but it’s worth it to put in enough to get the full matching amount because that match is free money. Here's how much you should contribute to a 401(k).4. Make sure emergencies don't become disasters The bedrock of any financial plan is putting cash away for emergency expenses. You can start small — $500 is enough to cover small emergencies and repairs so that an unexpected bill doesn’t run up credit card debt. Your next goal could be $1,000, then one month’s basic living expenses, and so on. Building credit is another way to shock-proof your budget. Good credit gives you options when you need them, like the ability to get a decent rate on a car loan. It can also boost your budget by getting you cheaper rates on insurance and letting you skip utility deposits.5. Tackle high-interest debt A crucial step in any financial plan: Pay down “toxic” high-interest debt, such as credit card balances, payday loans, title loans, and rent-to-own payments. Interest rates on some of these may be so high that you end up repaying two or three times what you borrowed. If you’re struggling with revolving debt, a debt consolidation loan or debt management plan may help you wrap several expenses into one monthly bill at a lower interest rate.6. Investing to build your savings investing sounds like something for rich people or for when you’re established in your career and family life. It’s not. Investing can be as simple as putting money in a 401(k) and as frictionless as opening a brokerage account (many have no minimum to get started).