If we are interested in making the best use of our earnings and investments, the place of financial accountability can't be overemphasized. It is one of the major reasons why some people will have lots of money in their account this month and the next month you see them struggling with finance.
When you see a rich man who suddenly becomes poor or an average man who never grew above his current financial state, it's basically because they possibly weren't accountable for the money that was coming into their hands.
Being financially accountable entails that you delegate what your income would be used for and ensure you follow it up to the latter. It is one way that helps you plan well for your future since you can probably work on setting a particular amount out of your income that will probably go into short or long-term investment depending on what you want to achieve.
If you've not figured out how to hold yourself accountable financially, you shouldn't even think about making any real investment because it won't take time before you exhaust all the money in your hand and take your investment immediately. It involves discipline, proper planning, and the ability to stick with your plan. Big firms do it and if you take it seriously, even though your income might be little, the proceeds of the income will amaze you.
If you don't take your financial accountability seriously and want to allow everything to fall into place by chance, you will learn a hard lesson the bad way.
It's some very sensible, if largely generic, advice that you've put together. Most people who have earned and accumulated their fortune will know how hard it is to hold on to money, it is often the people who inherit or come into it through seemingly lucky series of events who are most liable to lose it easily. Financial planning is often not taught too well in schools, or at least it wasn't when I was younger, but is imperative to finding happiness and success in life. Every stage we move through involves people trying to unlock money stored in your wallet, whereas sensible people can detect these money leaks and keep them restrained. It doesn't mean pinching pennies, but you can sure aim for value for money and not waste cash frivolously.