The Four Pillars of Building Wealth

         The concept of building wealth is one that appeals to mostly everyone, even you. Growing up, I always saw my family struggling with paying the bills because when mom would get angry she would make me well aware that raising me and my younger brother was not affordable! When did you start realizing it was time to concentrate on building wealth??
         Depending on your personality (spender vs saver) the journey forth looks different, but you are all climbing the same mountain. So, if you've decided that the journey of a thousand miles begins with just one step, these four starting points are the only available for everyone.

 

Pillar One


 Saving more or spending less (doing both is like getting a 10 second head start) is the easiest step because you have immediate control over. The way this feels though is psychological, you have to exert self-control. Have you been to another country? We live in the lap of luxury compared to almost all other first-world countries. Don't give in to peer pressure by feeling the need to keep up with the Joneses. Imagine you are 10 years older than you are now, ask yourself "How will this purchase make me wealthy 10 years from now?"

There's a common pillar of people who have succeeded financially and it's that they have lived within their means. It's time to start budgeting.


Pillar Two


Simple in concept, difficult in practice, you must earn more or start earning what you are worth. Everyone can earn more, but earning more isn't as controllable as your spending/saving habits... The best way I can get across to you is: if you are hourly or salaried you can earn more by having a side income. Flipping things, like houses or cars, starting a website, eBay, etc. It's time to earn what you're worth. If you are commissioned, you either need to work harder or sell something else because if you are commissioned and doing great, you probably wouldn't be reading this. Time to work harder and smarter!


Pillar Three


Don't go into debt. It's hard to pay off. If you have debt, pay it off.

If you need advice ask me in the contact me form above. I'll help you get in touch with someone who can give you a plan of attack to pay it off.


Pillar Four

Whether or not you like it, inflation exists. The only way to beat inflation is to invest money in an interest bearing account whether that be stocks, bonds, ETFs, a mix of all these, mutual funds, REITs, indexed variable annuity funds, indexed universal plans, etc. etc. etc. the list is long and comprehensive. The point is, you can bury money in your backyard, but it's not doing you any good.

Start with the basics and learn as you grow (go) like weightlifting and losing weight, unless you are being really risky the best thing to do is just start. Like Nike says "Just Do It"

That wraps it up really, just get started, the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step and before you know it, you'll be looking back and seeing things you could've done differently, but ultimately you're glad you're ahead of the game.


What are you waiting for?

The weight of the world...

I had a terrible dream last night. I dreamt that I was in a convenience store or gas station and I bought contacts (for some strange reason), a juice drink like a Gatorade, water, and a variety of other things. The total came to $303.67. When I saw the total I had a sensation of despair and fear. I knew I didn’t have that amount in my bank account. So why did I proceed and swipe my debit card?

In dreams, it’s not about the facts; it’s about the subconscious and what it’s trying to tell you. For me, as a junior in college about to graduate in one year the dream was symbolizing my fear of being on my own and my ability to control my own income.

As I began to analyze the dream, I realized that millions of other Americans are in the exact same boat as I am when it comes to finances. Whether they are in college, about to graduate, or long into their careers I know everyone can benefit from a few financial tips:

1. Check your bank account daily.

- Most, if not all, member banks should have some way for you to access and view your account online. If not, take step 2 to a more critical level

2. Budget

- Budgeting can be hard. I get an allowance of $80 dollars every two weeks and I still have trouble spending it correctly. If you really want to go above and beyond, check out Dave Ramsey and follow his advice. His program helped my parents out of debt in under a year. If you don’t have the time for that just remember three basic things” Plan, implement, don’t deviate. Plan for everything, groceries, cable, electric, and emergencies. The hardest thing to plan for is the emergencies: the baby runs out of diapers, the dog runs out in front of a car, or anything! Plan for the worst.

3. Get help

- There’s a plethora of help available. Online guides, resources, and financial planners are all there. But instead of spending $300+ on a program that you may or may not follow through on, find a financial planner that actually cares for your needs. You want someone who knows the business and loves helping people.

So, I realized that I want to become a financial planner or investment banker! Right now I’m hoping to become an intern at Northwestern Mutual, a mutual life insurance company. I’ll have to start slow, getting only my insurance sales licensing, but hopefully, soon after I graduate I’ll be able to get my CFP, ChFU, and CFA accreditations. It won’t be easy, but it’s what I want to do- Help people have a better life.