The ¥5,000 waterfall, in 30 seconds
Pay your future self first, automatically, and let time do the work.
Money leaks out of most people's month. The fix I taught families in Japan is small: pay your future self first, automatically, and let time do the rest.
What the film says
When I taught families in Japan, I saw the same thing again and again. Money came in, and quietly leaked away. In and out, like a pocket with a hole in it. So I built a waterfall. On payday, before you can spend a yen, five thousand goes first, automatically, into its own pool. Small. Fixed. For years. And time does the work.
Why start with only ¥5,000 a month?
To make the first step so small that fear has nothing to hold on to. Going from investing nothing to investing a lot is a big jump. The amount matters less than starting.
What does "pay yourself first" mean?
Before your salary reaches your hands, hand a fixed share to your future self, and make it something you can't easily touch. Otherwise, being human, you'll spend it.
Why make it automatic?
Because we're weak. I have mine deducted automatically so I can't touch it, because I would. Set it up once and leave it alone.
Education, not financial advice. Built from my narration accompanying my 2018 book 『毎月5000円で自動的にお金が増える方法』 (Kanki Publishing).
Sami