🦃 This Thanksgiving, Try a Gratitude Ledger for Your Money

☕ Good morning SenseMakers!

This Thanksgiving I'll be in Houston with my family, holding my new baby nephew!

There's something about Thanksgiving that forces a pause, even for those of us who spend most of the year moving at full speed. The flights get booked, the calendar gets blocked, and for a few days, the normal rhythm stops.

For me, this year's pause comes with a lot to be grateful for. Our team at Tailored Wealth has expanded our services in ways that let us serve clients more comprehensively than ever before. 

The Making Sense of Your Money community has grown beyond what I imagined when we started, with thousands of you now following along on the newsletter, podcast, YouTube, and social media. Thank you for trusting me with your inbox and your financial questions.

But here's what I also know: many of you are sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner this week feeling the tension between gratitude and financial pressure.

Thanksgiving 2025 is shaping up to be one of the most expensive on record. Surveys suggest the average person will spend close to $1,000 once you factor in food, travel, and related costs. More than one third of Americans say they're cutting back compared to previous years. Almost half cite inflation as the reason they've had to rethink what really matters during the holiday.

And beyond the dinner table, there's the low grade guilt that comes with knowing you "still need to get to" your year end financial tasks. The 401(k) contributions. The tax projections. The equity decisions. The charitable giving strategy. All of it sitting there, waiting for you to find the time.

If you feel that tension, you're not alone. But here's what the research shows: gratitude isn't just a nice sentiment. It's a practical tool that changes how you approach your money.

💚 The Gratitude Ledger: A New Year End Habit

You're probably used to financial ledgers. Income, expenses, assets, liabilities. Clean columns, clear numbers, easy to measure.

I want to introduce you to a different kind of ledger. One that takes five minutes, requires no spreadsheet, and has the potential to change the way you think about your finances for the entire year ahead.

It's called a Gratitude Ledger, and here's how it works.

Sometime between Thanksgiving dinner and the weekend, open your notes app or grab a notebook. Write down three things:

1. What money related thing am I most grateful for this year?

   • A stable income through a volatile market?

   • Equity that continues to vest even when the company's had a tough quarter?

   • The chance to own or build a business?

   • A partner who shares the financial load?

   • Parents or children who are healthy and don't need financial rescue?

2. What lesson did this year teach me about money, work, or risk?

   • Maybe you learned that cash reserves matter more than you thought.

   • Maybe a market correction reminded you that diversification isn't optional.

   • Maybe a job change showed you the value of having a financial plan that travels with you.

3. What is one decision I will make in the next 90 days to honor that blessing?

   • Increase retirement contributions to take advantage of higher 2025 limits?

   • Finally diversify that concentrated equity position?

   • Set up a donor-advised fund to make charitable giving more strategic?

   • Schedule a year end financial review so you're not scrambling in December?

That's it. Three questions. Three answers. One simple habit that turns gratitude into action.

🧠 Why This Works

Here's what makes the Gratitude Ledger more than just feel good advice.

Recent research published in the journal Open Psychology found that people who report higher levels of gratitude experience lower financial stress and feel more capable of handling money challenges. Gratitude acts like a psychological buffer between financial strain and emotional distress.

Other studies on economic decision making show that when people are placed in a grateful mindset, they tend to make more patient, cooperative financial choices rather than short term or reactive ones.

Let me be clear: gratitude will not change your account balance overnight. But it will change the way you make financial decisions. When you start with appreciation for what's working, you're far more likely to make calm, long term moves instead of emotional, short term ones.

Your Gratitude Ledger is a once a year habit that helps you see what's already working before you rush to fix what feels broken.

📅 What's Coming After the Long Weekend

Once the dishes are done and the leftovers are wrapped, most of you have year end items waiting. Taxes. Retirement contributions. Equity and bonuses. Charitable giving.

Here's the reality: many of the smartest tax moves for 2025 expire on December 31. Year end tax planning checklists emphasize that reducing this year's tax bill often depends on steps taken before the calendar flips. And 2025 is particularly important because it's the last year before major scheduled tax rule shifts in 2026.

The IRS also increased the 401(k) employee contribution limit to $23,500 for 2025, up from $23,000 in 2024. If you're age 50 or above, catch up contributions remain significant. And thanks to Secure 2.0, those ages 60 to 63 now have an even larger catch up window, allowing up to $11,250 in extra contributions for many employer plans in 2025.

That's why the weeks right after Thanksgiving are so important. Not because you need to overhaul your entire financial life this weekend, but because a few focused decisions now can save you thousands in taxes and set you up for a stronger 2026.

Over the next few weeks in Making Sense of Your Money, I'll break down the specific year end moves that matter most for high income professionals and business owners. We'll cover tax optimization, equity compensation timing, retirement contribution strategies, and charitable giving approaches so you can head into January with your plan buttoned up and your stress dialed down.

For now, just focus on the Gratitude Ledger. Write your three answers. Keep them handy for your next planning conversation, whether that's with me, another advisor, or your spouse over coffee this weekend.

🙏 A Personal Thank You

Before I sign off, I want to say thank you.

Thank you for welcoming me into your inbox every week. Thank you for the questions you send, the feedback you share, and the trust you place in our team at Tailored Wealth. This community has grown into something special, and I'm grateful to be part of your financial journey.

If you're new here, welcome. You can find us on YouTube, Spotify, and across social media. We're here to help you make sense of your money so you can focus on living your version of a rich life.

From my family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving.

As always, I hope this helps you to Prioritize Your Version of a Rich Life.

Until next week!

This information is not intended to be a substitute for specific individualized tax advice. We suggest that you discuss your specific tax issues with a qualified tax advisor.

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