🧭 Money Compass
Knowing what you want your money to do for you is the foundation of purposeful financial planning. This exercise will help you identify the values that shape your relationship with money. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes.
Here's how it works:
- You'll see a list of common money values (plus you can add your own!)
- Select all the values that resonate with you
- Narrow down to your top 10, then your top 5 core values
- Rank your top 5 in order of importance
- Rate how well your financial life currently reflects your values
- Your results will be sent to Andy, and you can save a PDF copy for yourself
Your answers will be emailed to Andy at Two Trails Financial Planning, and you'll be able to save your own copy at the end. Please leave out account numbers, health details, or anything else you wouldn't put in an email.
Select All Values That Resonate
Review the values below and click on every value that feels important to how you use money today or how you'd like to. Don't limit yourself—select as many as you'd like. You can also add your own values below!
Note: You'll need to select at least 10 values to continue to the next step.
Don't see a value that's important to you? Add your own:
Notice any patterns? Some people find their values cluster in one or two areas. Others are more spread out. Neither is better—and this often shifts as we move through different chapters of life.
Security & Peace of Mind
Freedom & Independence
Enjoyment & Experience
Generosity & Connection
Growth & Ambition
Stewardship & Integrity
Narrow Down to 10 Values
Great choices! Now let's get more focused. From the values you selected, choose only 10 values that feel most essential to how you want to use money. This is where the prioritizing begins.
Choose Your Core 5
This is the hard part: select only 5 core values—the ones that are absolutely non-negotiable for you. These will guide your financial decisions and life planning.
Rank Your Core 5
Now put your 5 core values in order of importance. Use the arrows to reorder them, with your #1 most important value at the top. This is tough—trust your instincts!
How Well Does Your Money Reflect Your Values?
For each of your top 10 values, rate from 1 to 10 to what extent this value is reflected in your financial life currently: how you earn, save, spend, and give. Move or tap each slider to set your rating. Be honest, since this helps identify where you might want to focus.
Any value that's important to you but not yet reflected in how you use money is an alignment gap. Everyone has them, and each one is an opportunity to bring your money closer to the life you want.
Final Reflections
Take a moment to reflect on your values and alignment scores. These questions are optional but can help deepen your understanding and create momentum towards meaningful action.
A reminder: these answers are emailed to Andy, so please leave out account numbers or other details you wouldn't put in an email.