A one-page checklist of good money habits

• Pay yourself first: automate saving the day after payday.
• Collect the full employer match.
• Emergency fund: 3 to 6 months of needs, somewhere safe and easy to reach.
• High-interest debt first, using the avalanche method.
• Save around 15% of gross pay (including any match) for retirement over time; more if you started late.
• Save half of every raise.
• Redirect finished payments into savings.
• Keep fees low: check the expense ratio of every fund.
• Plan in today's dollars, and be a little cautious with growth assumptions.
• Near retirement: catch-up contributions, a cash buffer, a plan for health insurance before 65, and a deliberate Social Security age.
• Review once a year, and whenever life changes.

These are widely used guidelines, not personal advice.