The Investing for Beginners Podcast - Your Path to Financial Freedom

AAR18 - Having a Budgeting Breakthrough with Kathy Tomes

Oct 7, 2025
Guest
Kathy Tomes
In this engaging discussion, Kathy Tomes, creator of Budgeting Breakthrough and budgeting expert, shares her journey to financial clarity after a memorable financial awakening. She emphasizes the importance of sustainable budgeting changes and the emotional aspects of money management. Kathy explains how automation can aid financial discipline and provides insights into her spreadsheet tool, demonstrating its versatility for various financial goals. She also discusses actionable tips for building financial habits that lead to true freedom.
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ANECDOTE

Early Compounding Awakening

  • Kathy first learned about compounding from a 401(k) presentation right out of college and it changed her view on long-term investing.
  • She committed to steady investing and to keeping savings out of checking to avoid spending.
ANECDOTE

House Hunt Sparked The System

  • The need for a house down payment forced Kathy and her husband to actually budget instead of just hoping money would appear.
  • Repeated failures with pen-and-paper budgets motivated her to build a better, automated system.
ADVICE

Automate To Prevent Impulse

  • Automate savings and investing to avoid emotional, impulsive decisions that derail consistency.
  • Use automation so money moves before you can spend it and you keep steady contributions over time.
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