Singletary: Here’s one bracket you can’t lose with

That’s the brilliance of this “Financial Four” bracket. You can make it your scorecard for financial security. 

“It can be overwhelming to prioritize all of the things you need to accomplish to keep your financial life in order,” says Ted Beck, the endowment’s president and chief executive. 

Consider this. During March Madness, many employees become less productive as they gather and discuss their NCAA office pools, according to a survey by Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Yet despite the lost work hours, the consulting firm suggests that companies allow this co-worker camaraderie. 

I’d like to see an equal amount of enthusiasm for a bracket that will pay far more than an office pool. 

You can find this bracket at financialfour.org. The 32 concepts are grouped into four major areas. In one corner, you have “Growing your Money.” In another, there’s “Learning and Talking About Money.” The remaining two quadrants are “Protecting What You Have” and “Spending Wisely.”

Each section has eight financial priorities. As with the NCAA tournament, this exercise pairs them all up. But it’s up to you to pick a winner for each matchup. Your winners are then placed in new pairings, and you make your picks again, repeating this process until you end up with your financial final four. 

You then choose two concepts you believe to be the most important. Finally, you have to pick just one priority as your champion. 

As you make your selections online, hover your computer mouse over the priority to get an explanation along with tips. For example, in the “Growing Your Money” section, you could settle on “Use Employer Savings.” You would then be advised to take advantage of savings programs through your employer. The advice: “Contribute at least up to the company match of your 401(k).” 

Once you’ve filled in your bracket, submit your choices to see how your picks rank with what a team of financial folks thinks are the most important financial priorities. I would tell you what they have chosen, but that might influence your brackets. 

The key is to look closely at all 32 priorities. Read the details of each, just as you might have pored over the stats of the NCAA teams. 

Once you’ve completed this exercise, take the time to figure out how you can accomplish your Financial Four. The endowment has a website, SmartAboutMoney.org, where you can find additional tips and tools. Or you can simply click on a given topic — all 32 are listed — from your bracket results page and you’ll be taken directly to relevant information on SmartAboutMoney.org. On that site’s homepage, click on the link for “Resource Library” and you’ll get access to free guides and worksheets.

Think you might need the help of a professional? Go to onefpa.org, where you can search for a certified financial planner. 

I could see a lot of educators having fun using this bracket to teach students about money. Draw them in with the March Madness theme and send them home with some winning financial goals. 

“Millions of people are involved in bracket challenges right now, and many won’t get anything of value from that,” said Paul Golden, an endowment spokesperson. “For many, managing money is overwhelming. People live paycheck to paycheck, they have housing and medical crises, and they face seemingly insurmountable debt burdens,” Golden said.

And although the bracket itself may seem daunting, concentrate on your No. 1 goal, Golden says, adding, “If you’ve accomplished that or feel you are on the right track in addressing that goal, move on to the next two and so on.”

This “contest” nicely lays out the swirl of competing financial decisions that has become our financial lives. But no matter what you choose, on this bracket, you can’t lose.

Michelle Singletary welcomes comments and column ideas. Reach her in care of The Washington Post, 1150 15th St. N.W., Washington, DC 20071; or singletarym@washpost.com.