Your 40s are the decade where everything starts clicking — you know yourself better, you’re earning more, and you finally have enough life experience to stop making the money mistakes you made in your 20s. But are you actually using that wisdom to build real wealth?
In this post, I’m sharing the 10 money moves that have made the biggest difference in my own financial life — including how I became a millionaire at 40, paid off all my mortgages by 44, and now work part-time doing what I love.
Over the past decade, I’ve refined my money habits, grown my investments, purchased rental properties, and learned the power of automation. These aren’t theoretical tips—they’re lessons from my real journey, including wins, mistakes, and intentional choices that helped me thrive as a single woman.
I didn’t stumble into financial freedom. I made intentional moves, one at a time, over many years. And now I want to share exactly what those moves were so you can get there too. 🤍
10 Money Moves Every Single Woman in Her 40s Should Make
1. Track Your Spending — But Work Smarter, Not Harder
When I was younger, I updated my spending plan (I prefer that word over “budget” — it just feels less restrictive 😄) at least every month. I would enter every transaction – deposits, expenses, everything.
Now that I’m in my 40s and know my habits well, I mainly use the Empower app to keep everything in one place. It’s still important to see what’s happening with your money and this is an easy way to do it.
Empower lets me see all my accounts, track spending, and confirm that my bills were paid — without obsessing over every dollar. If you’re not using an app like this yet, it’s a total game-changer for getting a clear picture of your finances fast.
Plus, Empower has a great retirement section. It shows your fees (which you may not even realize your are paying) on your investments. When you can retire and more!
Now that I’m a bit older, I’d much rather spend my time on something else. Those habits over the years set me up to help me relax a little now that I’ve built wealth.
2. Put Your Bills on Autopay and Reclaim Your Mental Energy
I have all of my bills set to autopay. Every single one. I don’t have to think about them, and I can quickly confirm they went through in my Empower app. That mental freedom is priceless.
If you’re still logging in to manually pay bills each month, you’re spending time and energy you could be using on something that actually moves the needle. Set it, forget it, and check in once a month.
3. Use Credit Cards Strategically — and Never Pay Interest
I use credit cards for every single purchase I possibly can. Every. Single. Purchase. Why? Cashback. I never spend more money than I have, and I pay off my balance before getting charged interest. I have literally never paid a single dollar in credit card interest in my life and I have been using credit cards for a really long time.
This strategy isn’t for everyone. If you are tempted to overspend and not be able to pay off your credit card before you get charged interest, this strategy isn’t for you.
It wouldn’t make sense to get 3% cashback on something you end up paying 18% interest on.
One of my favorite credit cards is the Capital One Quicksilver Credit Card with a 1.5% cashback on everything, 0% interest for 15 months and no foreign transaction fee.
For business purchases, I love the Capital One Business Spark Credit Card with a 1.5% cashback or skymiles, 0% interest for 12 months and no foreign transaction fee.
Used smartly, credit cards are free money. I am not kidding. I receive 100’s of dollars each year just for using my credit cards. Easy money.
4. Automate Your Investing (And Everything Else Possible)
This is a big one. Every month, I have a set amount automatically transferred to my investment account — and I have it set up to actually purchase my investments. This is important! A lot of people move money into an account and let it sit there as cash. That’s not investing. Your money needs to be in the market, working for you.
Since I’m self-employed, I do this monthly, but if you get a paycheck every two weeks, you could automate it that way too. Any extra money I have at the end of the month? I get it invested.
Seriously, if you haven’t automated your investing, now is the time. We are getting closer to retirement age and if we have to manually invest our money, chances are, we won’t.
I have PLENTY of video on my YouTube channel, Tiffany Thomas, Your Wealth Mentor on how to do this.
The lesson I learned early: invest as early as possible and as much as possible. Compound interest is exponential — and it works whether you’re watching or not. 📈
The more you automate, the more mental space you free up to focus on things that actually matter. Bills, investing, savings — all of it. Automation has been one of the biggest contributors to my financial success because it removes the decision fatigue and emotion from money management.
Set it up right, check in monthly (with something like Empower), and let your system do the heavy lifting.
5. Streamline Your Life
Over the years, I’ve realized that simplicity equals freedom. I no longer have three roommates—I have one, which provides balance between companionship and space. I prioritize automation and efficiency in finances and life, so I can focus on what matters.
Keeping expenses low, especially for housing, food, and transportation, allowed me to grow wealth steadily. I bought cars to drive for years, cooked at home, and tried to keep my lifestyle intentional. Not increasing every time I got a raise.
Housing, food, and transportation — these three categories make up the largest portion of most people’s budgets. I kept all three low for years, and it was the foundation of my wealth-building:
- I always had a roommate (or more than one)
- I bought a car and would drive it as long as possible
- I brought my lunch to work 99% of the time and cooked at home most nights
I don’t have to watch every penny anymore, but the more I can streamline, the more money I will have to invest.
Think about the things that are really important to you and get rid of the rest.
In my twenties, I would try to have plans every weekend. I would travel quite a bit. I would do something because my friends were doing it.
That gave me a fun life and helped me become more extroverted.
But now that I’ve experienced a lot, I don’t feel the need to do that anymore.
If I don’t want to do something, I just say no. My time (and money) is precious and I want it to count.
I want to spend my time (and money) on things important to me, not to someone else.
I also don’t want to spend my energy (mental or otherwise) on things that don’t really matter.
I’ve really been focusing on optimizing my life. Where can I improve just 1% today? By doing that, I’ll end up 37% better by the end of the year.
So start streamlining and become 37% better each year. 🙂
6. Cut the Expenses That Don’t Serve You
One of my favorite low-key money moves? My phone bill. I use Mint Mobile and pay just $20/month for my plan. They have plans starting at $15/month. Most people are paying $80–$100+ for the same coverage. That’s hundreds of dollars back in your pocket every year — money that could go straight to investing.
This is just one simple example of where I’ve been able to cut my expenses.
When we are younger, we often think about what others will think about us. I know I did (and sometimes still do).
Oh, if I have the high-end phone plan, I’m much cooler. Or the high-end shoes, I look more stylish.
Now, I’m like, look, that’s going to save me money and it works great, I’m in! Who cares if I have the name brand stuff, I’ll be the one retiring (or having the option) to retire way earlier have way less stress AND I can help more people in different ways.
I’m not saying to get rid of all your expenses, I’m saying prioritize the important ones and let go of the others.
Look at your recurring bills and ask: does this actually add value to my life? Or is it helping me waste time and money… Netflix… You might be surprised what you find.
7. Invest in Real Estate (When It Makes Sense for You)
I can’t write this blog post about money moves without talking about real estate.
Real estate has been one of the best investments of my life. I purchased 4 properties over the years, and the rental income was a big part of what allowed me to quit my 9-to-5 at age 36, without ever going back to working for someone else.
I did sell one of my properties (I can do another blog post on this if you’d like to know why). Instead of holding onto something that wasn’t working for me, I sold it for about double what I paid five years later.
I know that doesn’t always happen and I’m not claiming it will.
The lesson: real estate is great, but stay flexible and know when to let something go.
I’m also simplifying as I get older. I have gone back and forth about purchasing another property because of what real estate has afforded me, I just haven’t done it. I think in part because I want simplicity.
Real estate isn’t entirely passive and it’s definitely not more passive than the stock market. Right now, I feel more like having a passive income strategy. That being said, real estate is definitely more passive than a 9-5, so depending on your priorities, it could still be a great strategy for you.
Your strategy should evolve with your life.
8. Enjoy Your Money — Intentionally
Building wealth isn’t just about saving and investing. It’s about building a life you actually love. I love to travel, and lately I’ve been putting money into creating a beautiful backyard for hosting dinner parties and small gatherings.
Priorities change! What I spent money on in my 20s looks very different from now. I’m more intentional about where I spend my time and my money — because both are precious resources. I do things because I want to, not because everyone else is doing them.
As one of my favorite real estate bloggers says, “You can afford anything, but not everything. What’s it going to be?”
9. Start A Business
That’s right, I said it. I think everyone should have their own business. It’s not that hard to set up and the tax savings are INCREDIBLE.
You are in your 40’s now. You’ve increased your income over the years. Aren’t you tired of paying so much in taxes?
Honestly, think of a simple business you can start. Coaching, piano lessons, faceless Instagram page, Amazon influencer.
It doesn’t really matter and it doesn’t need to be your full-time thing.
Start being more strategic in ways you can keep more money in your pocket, this is low-hanging fruit.
Get on it if you haven’t yet.
10. Put God First and Be Generous
I believe in putting God first in every area of my life — including my finances — and I genuinely feel that I have been blessed because of it. Not only financially, but in other areas as well.
I believe in paying tithing, putting God first and helping where I can.
This one is personal, but I wouldn’t feel right leaving it off this list.
If we are just hoarding our money, it’s easy to have greed take over. And there are countless examples on how that doesn’t work out.
Generosity changes you from the inside out. 🙏
Want to Go Deeper?
If you want a step-by-step roadmap to financial freedom as a single woman, I wrote the book on it — literally. 😄
You Will Be Financially Free: A Single Woman’s Transformational Journey From Shy Saver to Financially Free Millionaire Investor breaks down the exact 5×2 Financial Freedom Framework I used to become financially free in my 30s and a millionaire at 40.
It covers real estate investing, stock market investing, and — most importantly — the “how” of actually applying all of this in your own life. Grab your copy on Amazon! 📚
Before You Go, Here Are Some Other Posts You May Love:
- How I Run My Finances (Step-by-Step) — And How It Helped Me Become a Millionaire
- Financial Planning for Beginners: 8 Simple Steps to Build Your Money Plan
- How I Switched From 9–5 to Running My Own Business (and Hit Consistent $5K+ Months)
- In Your 40s? — Will You Be Able to Retire?
