より多くのお金を節約するためのシンプルな2ステップのプラン:A simple 2-step plan for saving more money/ウェンディ・デ・ラ・ロサ

Saving money is like working out or eating right — it’s easier said than done. Behavioral scientist Wendy De La Rosa streamlines the process with two quick tips that can help you achieve your goals. Managing your money can feel scary and complicated, but it doesn’t have to be. In this TED series, behavioral scientist Wendy De La Rosa explains why we spend too much and save too little — and shares easy steps to help us achieve a more secure financial future.

お金を節約することは、運動や健康的な食事をすることと同じく、口で言うほど簡単ではありません。行動科学者のウェンディ・デ・ラ・ロサは、2つの簡単なコツで目標を達成するのを助けます。

お金の管理は恐ろしく複雑に感じるかもしれませんが、そうである必要はありません。このTEDシリーズでは、行動科学者のウェンディ・デ・ラ・ロサが、なぜ私たちはあまりにも多くを使い、あまりにも少なくを貯めるのかを説明し、より安全な財政的未来を実現するための簡単な手順を共有しています。

より多くのお金を節約するためのシンプルな2ステップのプラン（A simple 2-step plan for saving more money）の要約

一度に一つの貯蓄目標に集中

• 複数の貯蓄目標を持つよりも、一つの目標に集中する方が貯金が成功しやすい。複数の目標は注意を分散させ、効率が落ちるため、まずは緊急用の貯金などに集中するのが効果的。

貯金を自動化する

• 貯金額を増やすには、収入の一部を自動的に貯金するプランを設定することが重要。自動化することで、貯金の習慣が自然に身につき、貯金額を着実に増やせる。

簡単なステップで成功を実感

• 一度に一つの目標に集中し、貯金を自動化することで、貯蓄が思ったよりも簡単に達成できるようになる。これにより、「まず自分に支払う」という格言の意味を実践できる。

文字起こし

Everyone’s heard of the tired old adage of paying yourself first. But that saying lacks a lot of useful details. How do you actually pay yourself first? So today, I’ll lead you through some changes you can make to improve your saving strategy.

First and foremost, you should focus on only one goal at a time. Typically, we think about having multiple savings goals for multiple things. We have an emergency savings fund, a vacation fund, a wedding fund, a car fund … But one great study compared people’s savings progress when they had one savings goal compared to five savings goals. And it turns out that when participants had just one savings goal, they saved more than when they had five. The research showed that if you made progress in just one of your savings accounts, you’d think you’ve made progress across all of them. Like multitasking at work, splitting your attention across multiple savings goals just isn’t efficient.

Now, that’s not to say that this will be your only savings goal; you’ll have many more throughout your life. But I want you to think about the one thing that you want to focus on over the next six months to a year. Start with your emergency savings fund, even if it’s 500 dollars or 600 dollars, the average cost of a car repair, and then go from there.

Now that you have a primary savings goal in mind, let’s focus on helping you increase the amount that you save. Your main savings strategy should be to switch from having to remember to save a small amount every month to saving a percentage of your income automatically, any time you receive income. Now, some people advise saving 10, 15 or 20 percent of your income, but that’s not important. You know your financial situation. You know how much you can manage to save. The real trick is to find a provider that lets you set up an automatic savings plan and not to have to think about it ever again. The “set it and forget it” approach is shown to help you save more. Researchers believe that passive systems like this are successful, because they work with our tendency towards inertia. You don’t have to manually initiate each subsequent transfer, and you won’t be tempted to hold back a bit every time you make a savings transfer.

I want you to take the time right now to find a provider. Go to your app store, download the app and set up your automatic savings plan. If you make these two small changes — focus on just one savings goal at a time and automate your savings — you should find success, even if you don’t think you’re saving that much money. And it’s easier than it may seem.

So there you have it. We have demystified the old adage of paying yourself first.