Most of us don't get interested in financial planning until we have a particular goal we want to achieve (why would we?). These goals typically center around major life events, like buying a home, funding a child's education, or saving for retirement. But why aren't we also considering our career-related goals more often – especially given how important it is to enjoy our jobs? In this section, you'll address that very question by crafting a comprehensive and viable financial plan that facilitates your desired career path.

Similar to how we approached your job strategy, you'll start by reflecting on your financial needs and priorities (which likely include some of those big-ticket items I mentioned earlier, in addition to your career objectives). You'll then make those goals specific to your individual situation by defining when you want to achieve each goal, estimating the monthly savings required, and prioritizing, revising, and eliminating goals as necessary to create a workable financial plan.

Once you know where you want to go financially, you'll be ready for everyone's favorite personal finance topic: investing. This chapter will outline no-frills strategies for how to invest wisely based on the goals you've set and your personal risk tolerance. Importantly, you'll also learn how to maintain your portfolio so that it successfully serves you for the long haul. And don't worry: we'll stick with simple concepts and cut out the confusing finance jargon that might have intimidated you out of investing in the past.

Last but not least, you'll be learning how to protect the money you've worked so hard to accrue through insurance and estate planning strategies. You'll come away with a better understanding of how to pick a health insurance policy, which additional types of insurance might make sense for you to purchase, and how to ensure that your estate is in good standing for the benefit of your loved ones. (And to all my millennial readers, I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you are not too young to at least start thinking about estate planning!)

Be sure to go to www.workyourmoneybook.com to access helpful templates related to exercises in this section. Now for the fun stuff: let's talk money, shall we?