Last year, a NerdWallet survey found that 84% of Americans with a monthly budget spend beyond it. So what gives? If you have a budget, shouldn't that help you stay on track?

Maybe it's less about creating a budget and more about understanding your cash flow or how money moves through your personal economy.

To help us tackle our cash flow, we've invited Jason Vitug back to talk about his six-step system for better moving your money. You can find his system in his latest book, Make Your Money Smile.

You can download the episode wherever you get your podcasts:

• Listen on Apple Podcasts
• Listen on YouTube Music (formerly Google Podcasts)
• Listen on Spotify

Don't forget to check out our podcast page for more episodes designed to help you make the most of your money.

Understanding cash flow vs. budget

One of the most important things to understand is how money moves through your personal economy. We discuss how your monthly cash flow is more than your budget. Some of the items we tackle with our guest Jason include:

• How to find your cash flow number
• Figuring out your broad categories
• Paying attention to when you get paid and when your bills are due
• Part of syncing your budget with your cash flow is understanding your values

We have some great past podcast episodes on money management, including how to make money management fun and manage your money the lazy way.

Tips for better money management

We also discuss ways to improve money management. One of the easiest ways to do this is to automate your finances. We have some suggestions for personal finance apps, like YNAB, that can help you automatically track your spending and see where your money is going.

Automated finances also include scheduling your bills and using autopay (although not all bills should be on autopay).

Other tips we talk about include making sure you save some money for fun things. Cutting everything you enjoy out of your budget can lead to binging later. We also have a few tips for saving money on everyday things, so you can spend more on things you love.

Focusing on your cash flow and setting up the right systems will help you make better financial decisions and get your money back on track.

Meet this week's guest, Jason Vitug

Jason Vitug is an award-winning creator, author, speaker, entrepreneur, and producer. He is the founder of the personal finance website phroogal.com, creator of the Road to Financial Wellness, and champion of #theSmileLifestyle, a community devoted to experiential and purposeful living.

Jason is the author of the bestselling and New York Times-reviewed book, You Only Live Once: The Roadmap to Financial Wellness and a Purposeful Life. His TEDx talk about breaking the money taboo is one of the most viewed talks on money.

In his previous life, Jason was a nationally recognized credit union executive championing financial wellness. He currently works on wellness initiatives with Fortune 500 companies, credit unions, community banks, and fintech startups.

Jason received his bachelor's at Rutgers University and MBA at Norwich University. He's an avid traveler, having visited all 50 states, explored 45 countries, and stepped foot on five continents. He is also a certified yoga teacher and breathwork specialist.

• Website
• Twitter
• Instagram

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About the hosts

Stacy Johnson founded Money Talks News in 1991. He's a CPA, and he has also earned licenses in stocks, commodities, options principal, mutual funds, life insurance, securities supervisor and real estate.

Miranda Marquit, MBA, is a financial expert, writer and speaker. She's been covering personal finance and investing topics for almost 20 years. When not writing and podcasting, she enjoys travel, reading and the outdoors.