Im a financial planner this is the one simple money habit you need to break in 2025

New year, new habits.Shannon McLay, the CEO of financial planning service The Financial Gym, is shaeing the one spending habit that people should break in 2025.Emphasizing “mindfulness,” the money guru says it’s time to delete easy payment apps off your smartphone, which allow you to make thoughtless purchases with just the click of a button.“I always say we work really hard for every dollar that we make, so we need to make it hard to spend those dollars because it’s hard to get it in the bank,” she told TheStreet.

“But it’s so easy for us to spend money we spend on our phones.We spend it with credit cards on apps, and we don’t realize where it’s going.”McLay says financial experts “hear all the time” that their clients have “no idea” where their money is going, with many saying they “make it and then it’s gone.”She encourages people to be mindful of their money, even though it’s often anxiety-inducing.

“We see people who look to us very financially healthy and are feeling anxiety,” she said.“And when we feel anxiety about an area, we avoid it.

We don’t want to dig into the thing that’s creating anxiety.”As a result, people are “not going to look at” where their income is going.One study last year found that 73% of Americans are stressed about their finances.“So that’s one of the first steps we’ll say is being mindful of where your money is going and whether it’s tracking your expenses via an app or even just manually tracking it in the Notes app on your phone,” McLay advised.“That process of paying attention where your money is going is really a good first step.”Gen Z has also ushered in another financially savvy trends — “loud budgeting,” or being transparent about finances.“They are saying there is no shame and guilt in their financial situation,” financial expert Julie O’Brien, the senior vice president and head of behavioral science at U.S.

Bank, previously told Money.“They a...