No one talks about the burden of debt.
Consumerism has made us take on debt as if it’s nothing. No one at the bank tries to talk you out of it. Friends and family pretend like getting debt is the sign of adulthood. Wrong.
Debt is a ball and chain.
Once you throw the idea in the bin that debt is good, life gets easier. You’re halfway to financial freedom and you basically did nothing.
Financial freedom is taboo because those who don’t have it love to talk those who want it out of it. I don’t give a crap about fitting in.
I’ll say the quiet bits of financial freedom out loud. Feel free to diss me in the comments and call me entitled or hat-tilt to some racist ideal of “rich white guy.” What evs.
I achieved financial freedom at 34.
Best decision I ever made. And I’m about as smart as a block of wood in a strip club (I used to work in one).
Here’s a basic financial freedom blueprint you can implement today.
Spend money on ROI more than lifestyle upgrades
I made a small fortune in crypto.
Right now, I’d like to replace my piece of junk Honda Civic with a Tesla. Just a basic one with no Elon upgrades or self-driving creep tech.
At the same time, I want to get to the next level with my online business. There’s a business coach I know who can help me go from 7 to 8-figures a year. He costs about $35,000 to hire.
I’ve decided to ditch the Tesla idea and hire the coach. Why?
Because the coaching purchase has a huge ROI, the Tesla purchase does nothing for me. An $80,000 Tesla will suck money out of my bank account like a pornstar in a 3-hour group film.
But it’s not just $80,000 I’d lose. There’s the maintenance and what’s known as opportunity cost. $80,000 invested in a business or financial assets could easily grow to $1M in 5 years.
See what I mean?
How to use this:
The path to financial freedom is spending as much money as possible on purchases that have an ROI. When your annual income grows at a faster rate, it’s easy to acquire F U money and quit your job.
Avoid the golden handcuffs
Business guru Nick Huber shared a story of a 33 year old guy making $150K a year in a remote job.
It sounds amazing. What a dream life!
Nick says this guy is at rock bottom. What?! Every month this guy has about $2000 leftover after expenses.
This is a disaster because the guy has what’s known as golden handcuffs. It’s too easy to stay at his job but almost impossible to leave. $2000 a month isn’t really enough to help him reach financial freedom.
At the same time, his high salary and awesome benefits aren’t enough to motivate him to try something different. So he stays trapped.
Being broke is amazing motivation — and without it, it’s too easy to stay comfortable and just get by.
How to use this:
Avoid the golden handcuffs. Take risks. Dare to start a side business so you can learn the skill of making real wealth. Employees almost never reach financial freedom. Sad but true.
Make love to these professionals
Most of the guru advice on social media about financial freedom is wrong.
It’s not about starting a dropshipping business or following some TikTok trend. Real wealth comes from being surrounded by the right people.
The underrated people in my life are my:
- Lawyer
- Accountant
- Business coach
- Venture capital connections
They give me the real insight. My accountant has (legally) saved me millions of dollars of tax over my lifetime. Yet many people who chase financial freedom do so while using the worst setup.
Taxes are your biggest expense. If you don’t get professional help to structure yourself correctly, you’ll just pay high taxes like a sucker and give your wealth away to “build more roads” (roads in my town suck).
A lawyer is also valuable. As you make money people seek to steal that money. I’ve seen fortunes wiped out because of bad (or no) legal advice.
How to use this:
Hire the best professionals you can and don’t look at the price tag. And set up an LLC once you start making real cash.
Move faster than Speedy Gonzales
5 and 10-year goals are the death of financial freedom.
Entrepreneur Codie Sanchez got this advice from her mentor:
“I win more for one reason. I move fast. By the time most people are done analyzing, I’ve already made three mistakes and found a better way.”
WOW.
Just get started. All the overplanning and waiting around like you’re at the doctor’s office is destroying your future wealth. Most people need more urgency more than they need more money.
How to use this:
When you have a good idea take one small action on the same day you come up with it. Otherwise, your ideas go to the graveyard to die. And move faster than you think you need to.
Money isn’t real
Money is an optical illusion.
I learned this when I lost $1.2M in 30 minutes thanks to theft. Instantly, it punched me in the balls and made me wake up.
Within a year I’d made all the money back … and a lot more. Money isn’t real because you can make it all back. Money can vanish but the skills and mindset your acquire in the process never do.
How to use this:
Stop holding on so tightly to what you already have. By not taking enough risks, you’re protecting yourself from financial freedom.
Lose money to make money. Just make sure you learn.
Your 5–9 PM is where financial freedom starts
Financial freedom isn’t built at your job.
So if you currently have a job occupying a big chunk of your time, as much as hustle culture haters hate it, you’ve gotta work after hours.
- The job keeps your current bills paid.
- Your after hours pursuit bankrolls your future.
There’s no financial freedom without a business or side business. Why? The currency you get paid in is eroding by at least 12% per year, according to financial expert and former Goldman Sachs superstar Raoul Pal.
So if you work a job and just invest in stocks, real estate, gold etc, you won’t beat the 12% hurdle.
How to use this:
Start a side hustle. Stop delaying. Test monetization methods and follow the data as if it’s Jesus on the cross.
Become more self-interested (go against pop culture)
Individualism is the devil according to social justice warriors.
Thinking like this is the greatest destroyer of your wealth. Self-interest is how you make money. It’s actually a koombahyah story if you look deeper.
Helping people get what they want is how you get what you want. To do that you need to be more self-interested. You must promote what you do a little bit more and dare to be 10% more persuasive than you currently are.
How to use this:
This practical plan from writer Justin Welsh is the best one.
Promote yourself online every single day:
– Your work
– Your brand
– Your opinions
– How you thinkPeople with either:
– Love you (customers)
– Hate you (who cares)
– Join you (network)
– Follow you (students)
– Ignore you (already are)
When you’re more self-interested, people become more interested.
The question “How much money do I need to retire” is now dead
Wait, what?
Yep. Inflation and currency devaluation destroy savers and people who hold onto government currency like it’s a newborn baby.
The most valuable currency in the world, the U.S. dollar, has lost 25% of its purchasing power in the last 4 years.
Read that again.
You don’t need money to retire anymore. No. You need to own financial assets that beat inflation. And you need a few assets that generate income.
How to use this:
Learn about financial assets then buy a portfolio of them. Be cash poor and asset rich.
Don’t become a debt dumbass
I saw the last boss I ever had a few weeks ago.
He was bragging about the fancy suburb he lives in and how his three kids go to private school in a Range Rover. He’s unhappy, though, because he’s drowning in debt.
He can’t go without his 9–5 paycheck for even a month. This is how we become a debt dumbass. All show and no mojo (soz boss man).
How to use this:
No credit cards. Ever. Get a home loan that’s way less than you afford. Dare to live in the outer suburbs to save money. Pay off debt as soon as possible.
Less debt, less stress.
Stop being a tightarse with your personal growth
People love to get free education.
The internet is drowning in information but starving in implementation. In my life, coaching, courses, and masterminds have an unlimited budget. I recommend the same for everyone.
We don’t know what we don’t know.
It’s cheaper and easier to get help. And it’s so much better than relying on trial and error that often leads to frustration followed by giving up.
How to use this:
Quit being precious. Get professional help from people with social proof.
Stop winging it and wasting years of your life figuring out how to run a business, make money online, and invest. Saving time is more important than finding a 5% coupon code for a can of beans.
Final Thought
Financial freedom is child’s play when you break it down.
Take one of the tips above and implement it. Watch it give your financial freedom momentum. And watch your mindset about money transform.
Because the most powerful money hack is changing how you think about money.
This article is for informational purposes only, it should not be considered financial, tax or legal advice. Consult a financial professional before making any major financial decisions.
