Almost every person I have ever come in contact with has said in one variation or another, “I’m not good with money.” Debt is a sweeping problem in our country, and our world, both personally and as a nation. Money is one of the leading causes of divorce, and poverty is the leading problem in our nation. Whether it’s not knowing how to earn it, spend it, or keep it, money is the largest source of stress and conflict for almost every American.
I have found that most people are not “bad with money.” Actually, being “good with money” is barely more than creating good habits, and sticking with them. Money problems are actually less about money than they are about understanding ourselves, and a general lack of understanding what habits lead to positive financial outcomes. Everyone has the propensity to be good with money, and the answers to “how” are far simpler than we are led to believe.
The absolute most important component of actual financial freedom is the piece that seems to be missing from almost all of the advice and gurus out there- what to do with the money?? Once you figure out how to pay down that debt, spend less than you make, save $100/mo switching cable providers, etc, then what? In order to really get rich, you have to get your money to make you money. The key is NOT how to earn it, and it’s not even how to keep it. The difference between people who have money and those who don’t, is what they do with it after they keep it. The difference between investing and not is literally millions of dollars. For some of you, it’s tens of millions. For a few of you, it’s hundreds of millions.
My objective is not to cover the basic bases that you’ve already heard- don’t incur debt, lower expenses, save where you can. The most important part is taking that hard-saved money and putting it to work, and putting it to work today. Over the course of your adult life, it will be the difference between having a net worth of a few thousand and several millions. If you don’t know about money, don’t know the first thing about investing, or if you know about all of these things but you don’t know what to do next- you’ve come to the right place.