finding calm through financial confidence: 5 practical ways to improve your financial wellbeing
True wellness isn’t just about how you feel physically or emotionally, but also how you feel as you navigate your day-to-day. Financial wellbeing plays a powerful role in this balance as, when we feel more in control of our finances, we can feel less stressed, and better able to care for ourselves and others.
That’s why we’re opening up the conversation around financial wellbeing. Because just like your emotional, physical, and spiritual health, your financial health deserves support too.
We’ve partnered with AIA Financial Wellbeing to offer you some simple ways to look after and improve your financial wellbeing. In this article, Amanda Jones, Senior Financial Planner at AIA Financial Wellbeing, shares five easy tips that you can use today.
taking steps towards improving your financial wellbeing
1. start with small changes
Building healthy financial habits and a greater sense of financial wellbeing looks different for everyone. Start by taking small, manageable steps to make the journey feel more achievable and rewarding.
Amanda suggests starting small. “Crawl, walk, run, we say! Don’t over commit to anything, set realistic goals for yourself. As you start to implement those, you’ll probably get more financial awareness – and potentially be able to adapt and make some changes as necessary along the way.”
That could mean capping the number of takeaway coffees you buy each week or choosing to buy lunch one or two days if you’d usually purchase yours every day. You might decide to cancel one of your streaming memberships and get your content fix from one less source. It's about streamlining your daily expenses in ways that work best for you.
Amanda also suggests taking a closer look at the contracts you have in place with your utilities and service providers. “Sometimes when you're on a standard contract, the company will just keep charging you, but there could be a better deal available. Start shopping around for a better deal with your providers, looking at what your options are,” she says.
2. get more familiar with your financial flow
One of the first (and potentially fastest) things you can do on the journey to better financial wellbeing is to become more familiar with what’s going in and what’s going out.
“It's really interesting when you actually use a budget calculator and see where that money's going,” says Amanda. “It surprises a lot of people, because we all use debit cards, credit cards and so on – so you don’t track your money as much.”
Many banks offer budgeting tools to help paint a clearer picture of how those expenses are categorised as well – from the essentials like rent and bills, through to the everyday expenses, which may present opportunities where you can start saving a few extra dollars. Amanda suggests using one of these to help better understand your finances.
“It's really interesting when you actually use a budget calculator and see where that money's going...it surprises a lot of people, because we all use debit cards, credit cards and so on – so you don’t track your money as much.”
Amanda Jones, AIA Financial Wellbeing Senior Financial Planner
3. consider splitting your money into different accounts
Once you have a clearer understanding of your spending, setting up separate bank accounts can make it easier to manage your money suggests Amanda, ensuring your essentials are covered while still prioritising what matters most to you.
“I've got my day-to-day account for groceries and those kinds of areas. I allow myself a certain amount of money in there,” explains Amanda. “But then I've got money going into other accounts like a bills account, a holiday account and then longer-term savings as well.”
Knowing there are adequate funds on-hand should the unexpected happen can be a key step for improving your financial wellbeing. Some banks and financial institutions also offer accounts with a higher interest rate or other incentives, or a feature that means you can’t access the money until a later date. Amanda suggests considering putting some of your savings in here – so that it’s not as easy to access and spend money that you’re saving for longer-term goals.
4. keep up your wellbeing in other ways
By taking care of yourself and nurturing your overall wellbeing, it can help you feel more at ease when taking steps towards better financial wellbeing.
“Try and look at ways to be comfortable, while enjoying yourself at the same time. Look for something relaxing, like Pilates, or yoga, that can help with your overall wellbeing. Even going for a walk – it just helps you with that positive mindset. Obviously the better you're feeling physically helps with your overall wellbeing as well,” explains Amanda.
By simply moving your body you can positively impact your emotional and mental wellbeing, helping quieten any mental chatter and relieve feelings of stress. This allows you to build overall resilience and better adapt to life’s ebbs and flows.
5. know when it’s time to get some extra help
The steps you can take to improve your financial wellbeing are broad – and can vary for each person’s financial situation, but recognising when it’s time to get professional help, says Amanda, is an important step.
“Not having enough money to meet your everyday needs, or scraping by every week or fortnight until payday,” she says. “Not being able to buy the food that you want or pay electricity or any of those kinds of things as well. Really not having enough money to make ends meet.”
If this feels like something you’re experiencing, Amanda suggests being proactive and speaking to your bank or a financial counsellor. Help or advice is often available – and the sooner you reach out for support, the sooner your sense of financial wellbeing could improve.
the long-term benefits of positive financial wellbeing
A better sense of financial wellbeing means more than just cashflow or lower debts in the present day. Having a healthier relationship with money and your finances can offer considerable benefits in the long run. “It’s so fulfilling to see customers I’ve worked with be able to retire comfortably, go on a holiday or make a purchase they’ve been wanting,” says Amanda, who suggests planning positive things to look forward to and working out ways to put those plans in place.
If you feel you could use support in improving your financial wellbeing, consider working with a professional. Financial counsellors can offer free guidance to help people manage financial stress, however if you can afford to pay for financial advice, there is value in seeing a financial planner or adviser who can provide expert advice tailored to your situation, goals and needs.
“People may not know about benefits available to them,” says Amanda. “A financial planner will listen and get to know you and develop a financial plan that helps you meet your life and financial goals. They will take into account your circumstances and seek to put you in a better financial position, for example by maximising tax benefits and helping put you on the path to a comfortable retirement. That's where getting specialist financial advice can assist people to achieve their goals at a better rate.”
The team at AIA Financial Wellbeing offer general or personal advice tailored to your unique needs, helping you take meaningful steps toward financial confidence. You can learn more about their financial wellbeing service here.
The information provided by AIA Financial Wellbeing is current as at 23 June 2025. AIA Financial Services Pty Limited (ABN 68 008 540 252, AFSL 231109), trading as AIA Financial Wellbeing. All rights reserved. This information is current at the date of this publication and is subject to change. This provides general information only, without taking into account factors like the objectives, financial situation, needs or personal circumstances of any individual and is not intended to be financial, legal, tax, health, medical, nutritional or other advice. Before acting on the information in this publication, individuals should consider its appropriateness having regard to such factors.
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