We are all too busy to do all of the things. That is where automation comes in.

Time is money. So finding ways to save time and focus on the most important task at hand is pivotal. This is why I automate my savings. Let me walk you through all the accounts that I currently automate.

I have it setup so that my paycheck is automatically diverted to the following accounts, because saving should be automatic.

1) 401k – This happens every paycheck without me having to do anything. I will adjust my contribution percentage based on what is going on in my life. So, I may contribute anywhere from 10% to 25%. But the bottom line is that I max it out every year.

2) Lively – For a HSA I recommend Lively. A HSA as another retirement account. I will do a more in depth post about the benefits of a HSA later. But it is an amazing vehicle to save money and prepare for retirement. If you are looking for a great HSA, definitely try Lively.

3) Wealthfront – After my pre-tax accounts are taken care of, I focus on after-tax. My go to right now is Wealthfront. Wealthfront is amazing. It is basically a robo-advisor but it has a lot of great features. It tracks all my accounts in one place so I know my net worth, allows me to plan my retirement, and offers great returns. It also allows me to access my money at any time. So after my pre-tax money is distributed, the first after-tax account I fund is Wealthfront.

4) Fundrise – Fundrise is a REIT for everyday people. It is not as liquid as Wealthfront. So I use Fundrise as more of a long term investment vehicle. I am testing it out currently. I think the returns are good and I believe that real estate is a great place to invest money.

5) TD Ameritrade – I also fund my brokerage account. This is money that I use to fund my option trading. I will create an article on this later. But this is where my money goes next.

The schedule that I have setup for my accounts is the following:

•  15th & 30th of each Month – 401k (varies depending on contribution percentage)
• 15th & 30th of each Month – Lively ($280 with employer contribution)
• 19th of each Month – Wealthfront ($1,000)
• 1st of the Month – TD Ameritrade ($1,000)
• 15th of the Month – Fundrise ($1,000)

I do not go into any of these account to execute any transactions. Instead, I check them once a month just to see how they are growing and if there is anything that may need attention. But I highly recommend that as you become more sophisticated in your savings that you too automate your saving and deposits and transactions.