Facing My Fears: The Subscription Audit | Steven Evensen, CFP®
By: Steven Evensen, CFP®
October: The Scariest Thing in My Budget
One hour with my inbox and credit card statements freed up $172.99 a month.
October is the month for facing what scares you, so I picked something I had been avoiding for a while: my own subscription list. Not a haunted house. Just a long look at every recurring charge leaving my account.
I plan finances for a living, and I still found money going out the door for things I had stopped thinking about. That is how subscriptions work. They are designed to be easy to start and easy to forget.
For my own review, I used an AI assistant to search my email for receipts, renewal notices, and billing confirmations. It pulled together a list of my recurring charges quickly and made a job I had been putting off much easier. That is simply what worked for me; a careful look through your statements will get you to the same place.
What I Found
Three charges stood out. I did not cancel everything. I asked one question of each: am I getting this much value out of it every month?
LinkedIn Sales Navigator: half price for six months. I use Sales Navigator for business development, but I went to cancel anyway to see what would happen. LinkedIn offered me 50% off for the next six months, which saves about $60 a month off the $119.99 monthly rate. Sometimes the cancel button is the best negotiating tool you have. Promotional pricing does not last, so I will be watching for when the full price returns and deciding then whether it is still worth it.
Grüns: canceled until further notice. I like these greens daily nutrition gummies, but I was not getting through them at the pace they were arriving. Rather than let packs pile up in the pantry, I canceled the subscription for now, which saves me $30 a month. I can always restart it once I have used what I have.
YouTube TV: canceled. At $82.99 a month, this was my biggest line item, and I was mostly using it out of habit. Between the streaming services I already have and free options, I did not miss it. This was the hardest one to cut and the one that made the biggest difference.
The Savings
Together, the three changes save $172.99 a month right now and $1,715.88 in the first year. After the Sales Navigator discount ends, $112.99 a month in savings continues.
Subscription: YouTube TV
What I did: Canceled
Monthly savings: $82.99
How long: Ongoing
Subscription: Grüns
What I did: Canceled until further notice
Monthly savings: $30.00
How long: Ongoing
Subscription: LinkedIn Sales Navigator
What I did: Accepted a 50% retention offer
Monthly savings: $60.00
How long: 6 months
Total: $172.99
None of these changes affected my day-to-day life in a way I notice. That is the point of a subscription audit: find the money you are spending without getting much back.
What It Could Become
These savings do not sound like much on their own. Invested consistently, they add up.
Hypothetical illustration: 10% average annual return compounded monthly, 30 years; Sales Navigator savings for 6 months only. Every investment involves risk. The return used in this illustration is hypothetical and actual returns may vary.
Over 30 years I would put in $41,036 of my own money: $172.99 a month for six months, then $112.99 a month once the Sales Navigator discount ends. In this hypothetical, the account could be worth roughly $262,000. At a more conservative 8% average return it would be closer to $172,000; at 6%, closer to $116,000.
Hypothetical illustration: same assumptions, each subscription change shown on its own.
The subscription I was keeping mostly out of habit turned out to be the most valuable one to cut. The Sales Navigator discount adds only about $6,900 over 30 years because it lasts six months. That is the lesson: a promotional rate is a nice win, but permanent changes are what compound.
Face Your Own Subscriptions This Month
Set aside an hour this week. Here is the process I recommend.
1. Pull three months of statements. Look at every credit card and checking account. Some charges only hit quarterly or annually, so a single month can miss them.
2. List every recurring charge. Streaming, apps, software, memberships, supplements, cloud storage, meal kits. Write down the name and the monthly cost.
3. Sort each one into keep, reduce, or cancel. Ask whether you used it in the last 30 days and whether you would sign up again today at this price.
4. Try to cancel before you settle for full price. Many services offer a discount when you start to leave. If you accept a promotional rate, put the end date on your calendar.
5. Cancel the rest and confirm it. Save the cancellation email. Check your next statement to make sure the charge stopped.
6. Redirect the savings right away. Set up an automatic transfer for the amount you freed up into savings or an investment account. If the money stays in checking, it usually gets spent.
Step 6 is where the real progress happens. Cutting a subscription only helps if the money goes somewhere with a purpose.
The Takeaway
The scary part was opening the statement. Everything after that was easy. Small, recurring costs are some of the simplest places to find money for your goals, and you do not have to give up the things you actually value to do it.
If you complete your own audit this month, I would love to hear what you found. Reach out and we can talk about where to put those savings to work, whether that is your emergency fund, a Roth IRA, or a brokerage account.
Disclosures: The investment illustrations in this article are hypothetical and for educational purposes only. They assume a constant 10% average annual return compounded monthly, with contributions made at the end of each month, and do not reflect fees, taxes, or inflation. The Sales Navigator savings are a promotional discount assumed to last six months. These illustrations do not represent the performance of any specific investment. Actual returns will vary, and investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. Subscription prices reflect published rates as of October 2026 and may differ from what you pay. This material is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Please consult your advisor about your own situation.
Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management is an investment advisor located in California and is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Registration of an investment advisor does not imply any specific level of skill or training and does not constitute an endorsement of the firm by the Commission. Gerber Kawasaki only transacts business in states in which it is properly registered or is excluded or exempted from registration requirements. Additional information about the firm is available on the SEC’s Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website at adviserinfo.sec.gov.
Steven Evensen is a Financial Advisor of Santa Monica, California-based Gerber Kawasaki Inc., an SEC-registered investment firm with approximately ~$4.78B billion in assets under management and assets under advisement as of 06/30/26. The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. This material is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific tax or investment advice. Consult your tax professional regarding your individual situation. To determine which course of action may be appropriate for you, consult your financial advisor. No strategy assures success or protects against loss. Readers shouldn't buy any investment without doing their research to determine if the investments are suitable for their situation. “All investments involve risk and one should consult a financial advisor before making any investments. Past performance is not indicative of future results."
