Finances are one of my favorite topics to talk about! If you’re my friend you probably already know that. I don’t come from money so everything I’ve learned and applied has been life changing. I’m not where I want to be (able to buy a house, working on retirement, and building assets) but I’m not where I was.. thinking $25 in my bank account was okay…
A lot of people avoid knowing where there are financially but your financial standing is nothing to be afraid of. Often people avoid going to the doctor because it almost feels like if they find something wrong with you that they created it by telling you. We subconsciously think that not knowing if something’s wrong with us will somehow work out better for us. We can treat our finances in the same illogical way.
Here are 2 apps you need to get right now! They are free and I coax & pressure all my friends into downloading them.
1. “Mint: Personal Finance & Money” or use Mint.com – it links to your bank account for free and it will track your spending and then you can categories your spending. It also tells you how much you have collectively in all your bank accounts. I LOVE THIS APP & use it almost every day.
2. “EveryDollar Budgeting App” by Dave Ramsey or EveryDollar.com – for making a monthly budget. The goal is to spend every dollar on paper before the month starts, so you’re in control of your money instead of wondering where it went. It’s called a “zero based budget”.
Over the years I’ve learned to look at money as a measure of stewardship.. and that’s why I must marry a rich man! Little joke, I think… anyhow, if you can learn to succeed with money, you can move into a life with more purpose. Your stress will be lower and you will start being mentally clear enough to start working on your passions.
From my studies into the principles of financial independence, I’ve found some significant mentors who have helped and inspired millions of people to change their financial futures. I’ve adopted some of these financial habits and others I’m still working my way up to.
Okay here we go.
How To Get Ahead Financially:
Jim Rohn’s Millionaire Advice:
Mentor to the famous success coach Tony Robbins and to millions through seminars & tapes. A lady who heard Jim’s advice at a seminar followed it and in 10 years she had made 1 million + dollars! I think I too would like that result.
1. Live on 70%
2. With the other 30%:
- Give 10% to God: to your local church or charity.
- Save 10% to invest.
- Use 10% to flip something. An item, a car, a house.. fix something up and make a profit on it.
Jim Quote: “Here’s the philosophy of the rich and the poor. Poor people spend their money and invest what’s left. The rich invest their money and spend what’s left.
Clay Clark’s Entrepreneurial Advice:
Christian multi-millionaire from Tulsa, OK, where I’m from. His 2 day seminar was hilarious and the most helpful and practical seminar I’ve ever been to. He’s the head of 13 million dollar businesses, has 5 kids and 40 chickens. I met him and he signed both the books I bought from him. He also has a top 20 Business Podcast on Apple called the “Thrivetime Show”.
1. Every week sit down and figure out how you can:
Save 3% More
Make 3% More
Invest 3% More
2. Set your “F6 Goals” for each day. Plan activities for these 6 categories of your life: Faith, Family, Friendship, Fitness, Finances & Fun.
3. “The Road Map” to Business Success from his book, “BOOM”: (These will make more sense when you read the book)
1. Goals:
- Why ?
- # of customers needed to achieve goal
- # of customers to break even
2. # of Hours:
- Willing to work on business
- When?
3. Determine the Unique Value Proposition:
A,B,C Must wow to increase net promoter score
4. Improve Branding
5. Create 3 Legged Marketing Stool
- Dream 100
- AdWords
- Retargeting
- No brainer
6. Sales Conversion
7. Determine Customer Acquisition Costs
– Cost of marketing + cost of sales = total cost
8. Create Repeatable Systems & Processes
9. Management Execution
10. Create a Sustainable & Weekly Schedule
Clay’s Books I Recommend:
“BOOM” a must have. It’s his easy read, magazine style book with the road map to succeeding in business. The “13 proven steps to business success.” and it’s a very comical and practical read.
“Start Here – The World’s Best Business Growth & Consulting Book” – This is the magic manual to any service based business. He combined what he learned from something like 21 top business books like “The E Myth” & “The 4 Hour Work Week” and made the ultimate guide to creating repeatable systems “that even an honest moron could do”, getting your business ready to franchise, and getting the results you want so you’re not one of the 50% small businesses that fail within 5 years.
I own both of these books and they are absolutely golden! I feel so blessed to have found out about Clay. Disclaimer: he cusses in some of his stuff, but overall, he’s a clean guy that promotes Christ, the Bible, T.D. Jakes, successful habits, keeping your marriage strong, and good old fashion personal and business diligence.
Clay Quote: “Starting a successful business is not tricky. Starting a successful business does not require above average intelligence. Starting a successful business does require having a pig-headed, purpose-driven tenacity about achieving your life goals and fulfilling your life’s vision through providing products and services that offer uncompromising quality in a scalable and duplicatable way.”― Clay Clark
Dave Ramsey’s Great Advice:
Christian financial coach who helps people get out of big time debt quickly and helps people build million dollar retirement funds. He has an awesome 3 hour radio show, YouTube show, top website, online financial course “Financial Peace University” and financial course in high schools, which I took at Victory Christian School. He’s nationwide speaker and family man with good common sense. He encourages paying cash for everything but your house, unless you can pay cash for that too!
1. Save $1,000 Emergency Fund.
2. Get out of Debt.
- He stresses that car payments are a trap. The average American spends $500 a month on their car, which invested with a 12% return would turn into more than 5 million over 40 years. You are collectively driving 5+ million dollar cars if you invest correctly the money you spend in a car payment instead of into your future. Something like that.
- Go to DaveRamsey.com and enroll in “Financial Peace University” for $99 and get started on the 7 Baby Steps & on to the debt snowball.
- Get a 2nd or 3rd job for a while.
- Get gazelle like intensity – like a gazelle running from her predator but instead you’re using that intensity to get out of debt. You may be able to tackle it in just a few years. People get out of hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt in 18-24 months on average with his program.
3. Save 3-6 Months Expenses. Whatever makes you feel secure. The idea is for it to be “liquid savings account”, not money in the stock market where it costs fees to get it out and fluctuates. You want it to be there for you in an emergency like if you got laid off, got hurt and couldn’t work for months…
4. Invest 15% of Your Income. Get connected with Dave Ramsey’s Investor Pro’s. Look that up and sign up and a few companies and people will call you. I called them and talked to a guy for an hour about how stocks works for free. He says look for someone with the heart of a teacher.
5. Save for Your Children’s College Fund.
6. Pay off Your Home Early.
7. Build Wealth & Give!
This is his investment calculator that I’ve used a lot to see how much to invest a month to retire a millionaire: “https://www.daveramsey.com/smartvestor/investment-calculator” (this is such a fun tool!)
Dave’s BOOK: “The Total Money Makeover” – top seller.
This book has helped so many. It’s also on audible.
Ramsey Quotes:
“Your income is your greatest wealth generating tool.”
“If you will live like no one else, later you can live like no one else.”
“We buy things we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t like.”
“Pray like it all depends on God, but work like it all depends on you.”
“A budget is telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went.”
“The Richest Man in Babylon” by George S. Clason:
Read this Book – This is a classic finance book on financial must read lists recommended by many including Robert Kiyosaki (Rich Dad, Poor Dad). It’s written by an army vet who who wrote pamphlets on finance, and was distributed by his banker friends. This one became the most popular and was expanded into a book. It’s written in parable form set back in Babylonian times, each chapter teaching you another money principle. Great book!
1. Start Thy Purse Fattening = “Pay yourself” first by SAVING 10% of everything you make before your creditors or anybody else.
2. Control Thy Expenditures = Get on a budget
3. Make Thy Gold Multiply = Put your savings to work and invest your money for a return.
4. Guard Thy Treasure From Loss = Only trust your money to those who are experts in their field. E.g. Not a brick maker buying jewels for you in a far country.
5. Make Thy Dwelling a Profitable Investment = Buy your own home versus renting.
6. Insure a Future Income = Save for retirement and get life insurance & other insurances to avoid losing the money you’ve worked for.
7. Increase Thy Ability to Earn = Become better at what you do so you increase your ability to earn more which will help you save & invest more.
This is a great summary of the book I found with quotes and concepts, I would also read the book though: “https://jamesclear.com/book-summaries/the-richest-man-in-babylon”
George’s BOOK: The Richest Man in Babylon
George’s Quotes:
“Hard work is the best friend I’ve ever had.”
“No man respects himself if he does not repay his debts.”
The Bible’s Wisdom on Finances:
It’s said that the Bible has 2,000 verses on money. Often people gravitate to the destructive results money can have on people and conclude that Christians shouldn’t have much of it. The Bible says the love of money is the root of all evil, not money itself. The Bible promises wealth to righteous people in Proverbs. Many Godly people have made fortunes and use it to bless their families and forward the gospel, but you don’t have to be wealthy to be a generous giver. Money is a tool, which is often turned into a god, but in itself, it is a-moral and is essential in most societies. Zig Ziglar, on of my favorite Christian motivators jokingly says “money isn’t the most important thing in life, but it’s reasonably close to oxygen on the ‘gotta have it’ scale.” God’s kingdom is heavy on good stewardship. Some people think they are doomed to just getting by when usually they just haven’t disciplined, educated or pushed themselves to go the next level, especially if they live in the USA. We can all fall prey to that.
SOME BIBLE VERSES ON FINANCES:
Proverbs 24:3-4 “Through wisdom is a house built, and by understanding it is established; and by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.”
“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” – Luke 6:38 KJV
“The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself.” – Proverbs 11:25 NJKV
“Let no debt remain outstanding except the continuing debt to love on another..” Romans 13:8
“My son, if you become surety for your friend, If you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger, You are snared by the words of your mouth; You are taken by the words of your mouth. So do this, my son, and deliver yourself; For you have come into the hand of your friend: Go and humble yourself; Plead with your friend. Give no sleep to your eyes, Nor slumber to your eyelids. Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, And like a bird from the hand of the fowler”. Proverbs 6:1-
“The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender.” – Proverbs 22:7
“Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.” – Proverbs 10:4
“All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” – Proverbs 14:23
“The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.” Proverbs 21:5
“A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.” Proverbs 13:22 NJKV
CAMILLE’S FINANCIAL ADVICE:
Camille Harris, a singer and saver who has asked people since she was young how much money they make an hour until she was told when she moved to Oklahoma at 8 years old that it was rude to talk about money and she cried, yet she still occasionally inquires at 28 – out of true altruism, I promise!
- Save 10% of everything you make in a savings account. Put it towards your 3 month emergency fund first, then your monthly investments ($150 a months is what Tony Robbins recommends), then towards your goals.
- Trust God in your giving. Give 10% or more to God. Be generous and open when God asks you to give. He repays & you will be blessed and happier. 🙂
- Tip well or don’t go out to eat. If you get something really cheap, make sure your tip is worth your waiters time, not necessarily a percentage or your bill.
- Start a side business to make extra money. Become good at something you can do outside of work: videography, photography, lawn mowing, music, design websites, graphic design, social media management…
- Get on a budget – or at least just figure out how much you actually spend each month on mint.com & every dollar.
- Find all the ways you can save money
- Switch to a cheaper cell phone company like Cricket. I did & saved $100 a month on 3 lines with my sister.
- Get cheap car insurance through Webb Insurance – I found them through Dave Ramsey’s auto insurance recommendations on his website.
- Share an apartment or a room with a friend or sibling to save money. (Been doing this for years.)
- Become a great cook and pack your lunch for work or school – I’ve packed all my lunches for years. Food is the easiest category to overspend in.
- Share meals when possible when you eat out and avoid buying drinks.
- Break addictive habits. They’re costly and usually destructive anyways. 🙂
- Don’t go shopping without a purpose. The more you aimlessly shop, the more things you buy that you don’t really need.
- Keep expenses low, even if your income goes up. Things could change, you could get hurt, covid 2 could happen and you may not be able to afford your upgrade.
- Use the extra money you save toward goals like saving up to buy your own house, pay off your debt, save a 3-6 month emergency fund, give to missionaries, or start your own business.
- Learn to delay gratification and to be happy about it. Sometimes just take a picture of an item you like or an outfit you try on. You don’t have to buy everything you like. 🙂
- Buy used cars and don’t get a car payment.
- Work for yourself if you can and don’t get stuck working in a job you dislike for too long. It will drain you and you’ll often be too mentally or physically tired and aggravated from geriatrics from co-workers etc to get to your passion.
- Read financial books, listen to financial mentors, & if possible, get a financial coach – I want a coach who will teach me how invest. 🙂
People to Follow:
- Dave Ramsey – Great Passionate Finance Coach
- Rachel Cruz – Budgeting & Saving – Dave Ramsey’s daughter
- Chris Hogan – Retirement & Investments. He works with Dave Ramsey.
- Clay Clark – Entrepreneurship Mentor
- Zig Ziglar – Motivator & Sales Coach
- Jim Rohn – Self-Development & a Winning Attitude
- John Maxwell – Leadership Guru. If you want to get promoted or succeed in business or with people, become a great leader, starting with self-leadership.
- Dale Carnegie – How to Win Friends & Influence People – Buy his book called “The Bible of the Business World” on human relations and how to motivate people, the highest of all art forms.
I really hope you got to the end of this blog! You can change the financial destiny of your family line, starting with you! That’s the path I’m on! We can be the people who pass the wealth & success down instead of our bad money habits. Let me know what you adopt and what works for you. I highly recommend that you go deeper into that list of mentors.Especially Dave Ramsey & Zig Ziglar! They’ve all felt like friends to me though we’ve never met. Except Clay Clark, I met him & will be on his podcast soon!
God bless you in all your stewardship!
Camille Harris
My Social Media:
www.Instagram.com/CamilleHarris
www.Facebook.com/TheCamilleShow
www.YouTube.com/CamilleandHaley
www.Facebook.com/CamilleandHaley
