Money Juice is all about getting people on a path to sustainable wealth while having fun in the process. Does money stress you out? If you think developing wealth is a pie-in-the-sky goal for people who already have money, you are sadly mistaken. Growing money is for all of us. Money likes to grow. It’s what it’s best at. Currently, your money is doing one of three things: 1) Your money is growing for you, 2) it’s supporting you by paying for things in your life, or, 3) it’s growing for someone else at your expense.

If you simply start thinking of money as numbers that like to grow, you can remove the stress from the situation. You can start to view your financial landscape with the eye of a scientist. Pretend you work in a lab that’s growing a special plant. Some of the seedlings are growing well and some of them are not. You’ll spend some time figuring out what’s going on with those babies that aren’t doing so well, right? Now, if you think of this in terms of your financial health, you might just ignore the things that aren’t thriving and call up a friend to grab a beer.

But these little babes need you! Don’t walk away! The best part about money is it’s predictable and simple. It’s far easier than a science experiment. If you have credit card debt, this is just money that is growing for someone else that needs to be transitioned to growing for you. And, because it’s money and it’s simple, you can plug the amount you owe into a debt pay-off calculator online and have a clear picture of how much it will take to pay it off and when it’ll be paid. Voila! Easy squeezy.

Here are some unique steps to help you start growing your wealth today.

1) Open a Health Savings Account
Health Savings Accounts (HSA) are amazing unicorn accounts that allow you to grow your money with a triple tax advantage, meaning you are not taxed federally on 1) the money that goes in, 2) the money that grows, and 3) the money spent (when on eligible expenses).

HSAs are accounts specifically for medical needs; the beautiful part is the list of eligible expenses is more inclusive than just paying for prescriptions and bills. A quick search reveals that you can use your HSA for birth control, in-home medical care, dental work, acupuncture and hand sanitizer. On its own, this is tremendous.

Further, if you choose to invest a portion of your HSA funds, your money can grow for you year over year tax free. People who are relatively healthy and who don’t visit the doctor regularly will sometimes opt to pay for their current medical needs with cash (aka, NOT with this account) so their HSA can grow for them and turn into a banger retirement account. To qualify for an HSA, you must have a health insurance deductible above a certain amount. To learn if you do, look up the qualifying amount for your state, then check your deductible. If you don’t qualify this year, you can do some math to understand if it’s something to take advantage of next time you’re choosing health insurance. We can expect to spend 12% to 20% of our income on health expenses during retirement, so having an account ready to rock is truly a smart move.

2) Switch banks
I know, it’s a pain in the ass, but keeping your unhelpful, overcharging, impersonal banking relationship is not serving you. To become a true money steward, you must start acting like a money steward and putting your money in good, loving hands. Talk to your bank to learn about what options they might have for you as a trusted customer, i.e., high-yield accounts, fee waivers, automatic round-ups into savings, etc. Make a list of the pros and cons with your bank and consider finding one that has your back on your wealth-acquisition journey. 

Remember, your money works for YOU now. Let me give you an example: a few years ago, I decided to get cozy with my credit union. In just a few clicks, I learned I was eligible for a savings account with an earning rate of 6.12%. This is huge! There are stipulations to this account that I pay close attention to and when the time is right, I deposit as much as I can and watch my seedling grow. 

Hate the idea of switching over all your accounts? Well, when you start working with Money Juice, ahem, you’ll have such a good picture of your financial landscape, transferring money will feel like a snap.

3) Drugs
As mentioned above, Money Juice is all about making this process fun. If money stresses you out, regardless of your situation, it’s time to develop a better relationship with it. We recommend looking at your numbers regularly; we call this going to the Money Gym. Even if you have tons of wealth, if you have stress, something is amiss and it will behoove you to build a stronger relationship. Think of it as saying hello to your seedlings in the lab everyday. Play them some music, give them some light, notice what’s happening.

If you are someone who hates addressing your money stress, add drugs. Why do you think people go for a second run after struggling through the first one? Because their bodies produce endorphins and they get biofeedback telling them they should do it again. So we prescribe endorphins to our clients. Do 20 jumping jacks, listen to your favorite song, watch your favorite comedy clip, eat something spicy that you enjoy — and then get to work. Give yourself the gift of a new successful and enjoyable habit. You deserve it. And so does your money.

Megan Janssen is a financial educator and the founder of Money Juice. Learn more at www.money-juice.com