Most money mistakes aren’t made by reckless people.
They’re made by smart, capable people who are busy, successful and assume they’ll “get to it later”.
Later has a habit of turning into never.
One of the most common mistakes is having money scattered everywhere. Old super funds from previous jobs, a savings account that never quite grows, an investment portfolio that started with good intentions and hasn’t been looked at in years. Nothing is technically wrong, but nothing is really working together either.
Another big one is doing nothing because things feel “good enough”.
Income is coming in. Bills are paid. Super is ticking along. The problem is that good enough today can quietly become a problem ten or twenty years down the track. Tax inefficiencies compound. Missed opportunities compound. Small leaks add up.
We also see a lot of people holding too much cash for too long.
Cash feels safe, especially after market volatility or bad headlines. But parking large amounts of money in low interest accounts for years can quietly erode purchasing power. Inflation doesn’t make headlines when it does damage, but the damage is real.
On the other end of the scale are people who invest without a clear reason.
They buy shares because a mate did well. They hold onto investments they don’t understand because selling feels like admitting failure. They keep adding to things that feel familiar, not necessarily what makes sense.
Then there’s the “I’ll sort it out later” approach to insurance and estate planning.
No one likes talking about worst case scenarios. So it gets delayed. But this is where consequences are real. The wrong insurance structure or an outdated will doesn’t cause inconvenience. It causes stress, confusion and sometimes permanent financial damage for the people you care about most.
What makes these mistakes frustrating is that they’re rarely dramatic. There’s no single bad decision. It’s death by a thousand small oversights.
The fix usually isn’t complicated. It’s clarity.
Knowing what you have, why you have it and whether it still makes sense for the life you’re actually living now. Not the life you planned ten years ago.
Most people don’t need to overhaul everything. They need to tidy up, simplify and make a few smarter decisions consistently.
Money works best when it’s boring, intentional and aligned with real life. When it isn’t, it slowly becomes a source of background stress you don’t even realise you’re carrying.