Skip to navigationSkip to main contentSkip to right columnADVERTISEMENTEm NortonMon, June 29, 2026 at 12:00 PM GMT+2 4 min readZinkevych_D/EnvatoAs you grow up, it's easy to picture your life's trajectory: finish high school, go to college, graduate, get a job and start living in the world on your own as an adult.Unfortunately, this isn't the reality for many Americans. According to Northwestern Mutual's Planning & Progress study (1), the average age Americans say they achieved —or expect to achieve — financial independence is 37. This is approximately 20 years after the average American's high school graduation.The study also found that 53% of millennials and 72% of Gen Z are not fully financially independent from their parents. But it's not just younger generations that are feeling a strain on their financial independence, 22% of both Gen X and Boomers and older do not expect to become financially independent, ever.Despite these statistics, you don't have to accept your fate of remaining financially dependent well into adulthood, and "moneymaxxing" could be the start of your journey to getting there.Anyone who spends even a few minutes on social media these days is likely to see the word "maxxing" floating around with other words like "looks", "vibes" and "solo" preceding it. The latest, however, is moneymaxxing. And it could actually help your finances.Moneymaxxing is a way of managing your money that maximizes the potential of every dollar through various methods. Here are some examples of moneymaxxing tactics:Move savings into accounts with the highest possible yield.Optimize where your money is allocated by thoroughly reviewing your investments.Use rewards programs to their fullest potential.Eliminate unnecessary spending on things like unused subscription services and non-essential shopping.In a LinkedIn (2)post, Certified Financial Planner and Chartered Professional Accountant Felicia Greenwald (3) of Aventurine Planning (4) wrote "Everyone's talking about looksmaxxing… But moneymaxxing is a little less obvious. Not flashy. Just effective. Moneymaxxing isn't necessarily about having more money. It's about creating more options for your life."When Moneywise spoke with Greenwald over e-mail she added, "Moneymaxxing is gamifying saving money and squeezing out the most of everything you do, including credit card points, celebrating seeing your savings move up each day, and turning every day into adding more into the right accounts and making more money to fill those buckets up quickly."We asked Greenwald what moneymaxxing tactics people who are striving to be financially independent should start with, and she laid out three key steps:Terms and Privacy PolicyEU DSA contactPrivacy & Cookie SettingsMore Info