What is a financial athlete? The concept of an athlete and finance do not naturally fit together. Well Dr. Nayland Smith coined the term to characterize a person that engages in routine financial exercises and exhibits financial behaviors that places them in an elite financial position. The idea of being a financial athlete has nothing to do with how much money you have. It has everything to do with discipline. An athlete must exercise and train to become proficient. Diet is key to any athlete’s regimen. Also, athletes continually measure performance and find ways to improve. They are continually working to reach the next level. The financial athlete has a regime for checking and measuring finances. They subscribe  to the mantra ” what gets measured, gets done”. The financial athlete understands and continually works reduce or eliminate habits that lead to poor financial outcomes. He /She set’s goals and rigorously measures progress towards those goals and the goals are not always purely financial. The Financial Athlete takes measure of environments that influence behavior. They are decision architects that continually maximize opportunities to improve financial outcomes.