15 Financial Planning Habits That Help You Build a Better Tomorrow
Here’s real research that reshaped how I think about saving for “later.” Psychologist Hal Hershfield’s real research on future self-continuity found that how psychologically connected you feel to your future self genuinely predicts how well you actually save for them. In real experiments using age-progressed, virtual renderings of people’s future faces, participants who saw their own real, simulated future self allocated roughly twice as much to retirement as those who didn’t.
If your future self feels like a genuine stranger, saving for them feels optional. If they feel real and connected, it doesn’t. These 15 habits are built around strengthening that real, specific connection.
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Get the Free Workbook1. Write a real, honest letter to your future self about one specific goal
A real letter, addressed directly, makes your future self a genuine, specific recipient rather than an abstract idea.
Write one real, brief letter today to your future self about a specific financial goal.
2. Vividly imagine one real, concrete day in your future self’s actual life
A specific, real, imagined moment, not just a vague “someday,” is what the actual research found strengthens this connection most.
Imagine today one real, concrete day for your future self, tied to a specific financial decision.
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Visit Premier Print Works3. Name your future self specifically, rather than thinking of them abstractly
A real, specific reference, even something as simple as picturing them at a real, particular age, makes the actual connection considerably more concrete.
Name or picture your future self specifically today, at one real, particular future age.
“If your future self feels like a genuine stranger, saving for them feels optional. If they feel real and connected, it doesn’t.”
4. Look at, or honestly imagine, an aged photo of yourself before a big decision
Hershfield’s actual research used real, age-progressed renderings specifically because seeing a real, future face measurably strengthens this connection.
Look at or imagine an aged photo of yourself today, before one real financial decision.
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Start the Free Reset5. Ask honestly whether you’re treating your future self as a stranger in this decision
Naming this honestly, in a specific real moment, catches the exact pattern the actual research links to under-saving.
Ask today, honestly, whether one financial choice is treating your future self as a stranger.
6. Write real, specific adjectives describing your future self, and compare them to now
The real research used this exact method, comparing adjectives for present and future selves, to measure the actual strength of the connection.
Write real, specific adjectives today for your future self, and compare them honestly to your current ones.
7. Make one real, small savings decision tied to a specific, imagined future moment
Attaching the actual decision to a concrete, real moment, not an abstract goal, makes the connection genuinely tangible.
Make one real, small savings decision today, tied to a specific, imagined future moment.
8. Keep a real, visual reminder of your future self near where you spend
A real, visible reminder, a photo, a written note, keeps the connection present at the actual moment a spending decision happens.
Place one real, visual reminder today somewhere you’ll see it before spending.
9. Talk to your future self out loud, briefly, about a real, current choice
Speaking it out loud, even briefly, makes the real, imagined relationship considerably more active than a passing, silent thought.
Talk out loud today, briefly, to your future self about one real, current financial choice.
10. Notice honestly when a purchase treats your future self as someone else’s problem
This specific, honest noticing catches the real pattern before it becomes an actual, lasting habit.
Notice today one real purchase that quietly treats your future self as someone else’s problem.
11. Build a real, specific mental image of your future self’s actual daily life
A specific, real, imagined routine, not a vague “someday,” is what genuinely strengthens this connection, per the actual research.
Build one real, specific mental image today of your future self’s actual daily routine.
12. Revisit an old, real decision made for a future self who has now arrived
Reflecting honestly on how a past, real decision actually served the self it was meant for offers real, concrete feedback.
Revisit today one real, past financial decision made for a future self who has now arrived.
13. Write one real, specific thing your current self wants to give your future self
Naming it specifically, as an honest gift rather than a vague obligation, changes how the actual decision feels.
Write down today one real, specific thing you want to give your future self, and act on it.
14. Notice honestly which financial choices feel like gifts, and which feel like debts left behind
This real, honest distinction reveals which specific decisions are genuinely serving your future self, and which are quietly burdening them instead.
Notice today which real financial choice feels like a gift, and which feels like a debt left behind.
15. Revisit your own real sense of connection to your future self periodically
This actual connection can genuinely grow stronger or weaker over time, per the real research. Revisit and strengthen it honestly, on a real, recurring basis.
Revisit today how connected you actually feel to your future self, and strengthen it if it’s faded.
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I know a woman named Kezia who used to think of retirement savings as something for a vague, distant “someday” version of herself she couldn’t quite picture. The day she actually wrote a real, specific letter to that future self, describing one particular real morning she imagined, she said retirement contributions stopped feeling like a sacrifice and started feeling like something she was genuinely doing for someone real.
I also think about a guy named Daniel, who used to make real, small impulse purchases without a second thought, assuming his future self would simply handle whatever came later. The week he started asking honestly, before each one, whether he was treating that future self like a stranger, he said the actual pattern became impossible to ignore once he’d named it.
A Better Tomorrow Starts With a Real Connection Today
Each habit here strengthens a real, specific connection to your future self, the letter, the imagined day, the honest question about whether they’re being treated as a stranger. The actual research is clear: this connection predicts real saving.
Write one real, brief note to your future self today. Get the free Money Reset Workbook to plan the real numbers alongside it.
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Ready to Plan for Your Real Future Self?
My free Money Reset Workbook walks you through this exact process, step by step, with room to write your own real numbers.
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Visit Premier Print WorksDisclaimer
This page is for information only. It is not financial, investment, tax, or legal advice, and should not be treated as a recommendation for a specific financial strategy. The future self-continuity research referenced here comes from the real, published work of psychologist Hal Hershfield and colleagues, including “Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow” (Judgment and Decision Making, 2009) and related studies using age-progressed renderings, summarized here in plain language. Talk to a qualified financial, tax, or legal professional licensed in your state before making major financial decisions. Results vary from person to person.
Kezia and Daniel are made-up characters used to bring this content to life. They are not real people.
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