Business Insider has just shared showed us how to be rich this year, enjoy!
you may have to do some things differently than what you’ve done in the
past. So, here are 14 action items that will definitely help you in
achieving your financial goals and create wealth in the long run.
- 1. Become your own CFO (Chief Financial Officer)
You
can’t fix what you don’t know, so the first step is becoming completely
aware of your finances and where your money is going.
As soon as you start to understand your current situation in detail, you will be able to identify leaks
and simple solutions that will help get you on your way.
Nobody cares more about your finances than you do (not even a financial
adviser), so it is on you to take control of your financial future and
direct it to where you want to go.
- 2. Go on a diet.
I’m not talking about what you eat. Identify one expense that isn’t helping you achieve your goals, and cut it out for 30 days.
A simple expense to choose is cable television. Try a TV (or other
guilty pleasure) diet for 30 days, and use that time and money on
something more beneficial. I’m sure you’ll survive without it just fine.
- 3. Be selfish.
When
you get on an airplane, what do they tell you during the safety
instructions? “Put your own mask on first, and then help the person
beside you.”
It should be the same way with our time and our
finances. Be selfish and take care of yourself first, and then you can
have more flexibility to take care of others. The problem is that so
many of us put others first and then aren’t able to help ourselves.
- 4. Be selfless.
Although
you want to be selfish with your time and money at first, you also want
to be selfless with your attitude. The wealthiest entrepreneurs I know
give, give, give, and focus on helping others. By doing so, more money
shows up in return.
Focus on impact and income will result. Be willing to help others when you can.
- 5. Improve your credit score.
Credit
is boring and I hate to talk about it, but it does make a difference.
Think about it: Most of life’s biggest expenses are purchased on credit.
It’s important to start to take care of it now because there is going
to be a situation in the future where you’ll wish you had.
The
way to improve your credit score again starts with awareness. Address
those now and you’ll save yourself many thousands in the future.
- 6. Define what true wealth means for you.
In
the dictionary, wealth is defined as “a large amount of money and
possessions.” However, when you ask someone who is truly wealthy, you
get a completely different answer.
As shown in “Make Money,
Live Wealthy,” the 75 entrepreneurs that were interviewed most often
shared words like freedom, purpose, family, health, experiences and
other things that mean much more than just money.
Money is an
important tool that makes all of these other things much easier, but it
shouldn’t necessarily be the goal in and of itself. Realize this and you
will ultimately create your dream life much sooner.
- 7. Automate your money.
The
key with your finances is to make it as easy as possible on yourself.
The best way to do this is to automate your finances as much as
possible. What this means is that as soon as money comes in, it is
dispersed to your other accounts automatically.
For instance,
you can set up your finances so that money is taken straight from your
paycheck into a retirement investment account, or from your checking
account to pay off fixed bills like your internet and cable. The less
you can worry about moving your money around and the more you can focus
on optimizing it, the better off you’ll be.
The key reason why
this works is not only to free up time, but it helps prevent us from
wasting money. If we see extra money in our account, we’ll find a way to
spend it and then won’t be left with much if any money to invest in
ourselves and our future. Automation helps keep our priorities in line
and takes the emotions out of it.
- 8. Add another income stream.
One
thing that I learned over and over again from the wealthy this year is
that they never rely on one income stream. They have numerous sources,
which protect them from changes in the economy and also add up to the
greatest numbers.
If you want to make 2015 your most lucrative year yet, your best bet is likely to add another source of income.
- 9. Focus on passive and residual income.
There
is only so much time in the day, so it’s hard to build wealth quickly
when you’re trading your time for money. Instead, the wealthy focus on
building income streams where they can get paid over and over again for
their work by putting their business or money to work for them.
Examples of this include the investing, owning real estate, running an
online business, and writing a book. If you’re going to do the work, you
might as well get paid over and over again for your efforts. Work hard,
but also work smart, and you’ll much sooner find the freedom you dream
of.
- 10. Get a library card.
The wealthiest and smartest people in the world have something in common: They’re avid readers.
For very cheap or even free, you can get access to the most brilliant
and inspiring people of all-time. Investing in yourself is the best
investment you can make, and by reading, you are doing exactly that.
Whether it be audio or in print, books have helped change my life and bank account and can do the same for you.
- 11. Track your progress.
It doesn’t matter how much money you make. It doesn’t even matter how much you spend. What does matter is how much you keep.
Every month, track your net worth (I use Mint.com to do this). This
makes you think about the entire picture from income to expenses to
investments to taxes. With this focus, you can ultimately make the
greatest impact on your finances.
- 12. Cut out 10%.
Even
the most frugal people can find 10% of their expenses to cut. If you
then take that 10% and invest it in yourself and in your future via
training, paying off debt, or putting it towards vehicles that make you
money like investing or starting a business, you’ll be much better off.
Try it. Go through your expenses line by line and see what you can
cancel or reduce. I do this practice at least twice per year to keep
things in line, and I find hundreds in savings each time.
- 13. Hang out with rich people.
Your network is your net worth. Seriously.
As Jim Rohn said, “You become the average of the five people you spend
the most time with.” It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about happiness,
health, confidence or your income, the people you hang out with are
strongly reflected in your own life.
So, if you have one thing
on your 2015 to-do list, it should be to raise the quality of your peer
group. This will have a domino effect on every other area of your life.
- 14. Reduce your goals.
Most
people don’t even create goals, but those that do often go to the
extreme and create too many goals. The ultra-successful, however, are
great at simplifying their mission and creating a single challenge in
front of them at any given time.
As Gary Keller talks about in
the great book, “The ONE Thing,” the way to get more is to focus on
less. Less distractions, less stress, and fewer goals lead to more
income and a better lifestyle.
That’s it; 14 small steps that
can add up to enormous changes. Remember, new and better actions will
lead to new and better results. Cheers to a happy, healthy and
prosperous 2015.