15 Signs You’re A Lot Better With Money Than You Think

Chances are, you’re not giving yourself enough credit.

When it comes to personal finance, it’s easy to beat ourselves up whenever we fall short of perfection. At the same time, there’s no shortage of shamey personal finance advice out there insisting that the occasional Starbucks is singlehandedly keeping us from ever reaching our money goals. But the reality is is that the all-or-nothing approach to money is self-defeating at best and entirely counterproductive at worst.

Even if you’ve just experienced a major setback or are struggling to make meaningful progress towards your goals, giving yourself credit for what you’re already doing right can give you the motivation you need to get going again. Below are15 signs that you’re much better with your money than you think. Even if you can only check off one of these, you’re still well ahead of the pack.

Sign #1: You can afford an emergency

Only 37% of Americans can afford a $500 emergency. If you can do this, you’re much less likely to fall back on credit cards and land yourself in a mountain of high-interest consumer debt when life inevitably happens. Even if you don’t have a full three- to six-month emergency fund saved up yet, keeping a starter emergency fund of $1,000 at all times can provide you with a significant margin of…