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10 Quick Fixes to get from Broke to Boss:

his guide is dedicated to those who are sick and tired of not having enough money. If you are completely done with the idea of barely making it or having more bills than money, this is for you. If you are absolutely over not being able to spend money on fun, interesting or desirable things then this is definitely for you. If you want to feel empowered around money forever more, this guide is for you! 

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Want to hear a confession? I used to be all of those things. I’ve been a single mother of three children for the last decade, and when I ventured out on my own with my children I was not bringing with me any support from my previous marriage or for the children and most importantly I was not bringing with me any financial education. I was literally figuring it out as I went along. 

 

Financial literacy can seem extremely overwhelming, it did to me in the beginning…to the point that it took me years before I actually was so sick and tired that I was willing to learn about it. After I began the process of educating myself, I realized that it’s really not hard. It’s no different than learning reading, writing, arithmetic or riding a bike; the only difference is we learned those things when we were children. But because our current educational system has still not caught up to the needs of modern day children and future adults we never learned Financial Literacy instead we learned a bunch of things that we will never use in real life. 🫤

 

As unhelpful as that was, our financial services firm L|I|F|E in conjunction with the Humanitarian services organization The Global Collective is bringing Financial literacy education to local high schools and soon intends to expand all over the US, enabling the empowerment our children with the necessary information to have fulfilling, happy and expansive lives. Whether we want to admit it or not, money is a huge part of that. 

In this guide, expect to learn the fundamentals of: 

 

  1. collaborative economics

  2. budgeting

  3. money management

  4. debt relief

  5. increasing income

  6. credit basics

  7. investment concepts 

  8. money’s physiological effects 

 

 

At the conclusion of this guide you can expect: 

 

  1. To feel less overwhelmed about getting your financial life together. 

  2. To have a clear view of your financial picture and a plan for which to begin accomplishing your desired life experience. 

  3. To feel empowered with steps you can apply immediately to make a massive difference in your financial experience.

  4. To feel inspired with new ideas to generate more income and have access to new opportunities.

  5. To have access to a more in depth financial education through the Wealth Archive a subscription based Financial empowerment depository and educational platform.

10 QUICK FIXES

 

 

  • #1 IDENTIFY:  For the longest time I didn’t want to see my full financial picture because I knew it was screwed up and therefore intimidating to me. But this is one of those steps you cannot skip. If you don’t know where you are it’s impossible for you to get where you’re going. It would be like being stranded in the ocean and having no idea where land is in proximity to your location because you are too scared to look at the map 🗺 or gps - not real helpful. Included with this guide, is a personalizable chart that will allow you to efficiently classify your income, expenses, debt, assets and liabilities. This chart will be self explanatory, so don’t worry. Access it now

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  • #2 SET GOAL: This step requires you to identify what you want out of your financial experience: Everyone isn’t looking for the same thing and wha you’re looking for can and should evolve over time. So if right now all you want is security, then cool; but if you want comfort, or wealth your approach needs to be different. There is an attached questionnaire that will help you identify what your primary financial goal’s are. Access it now

 

 

  • #3 CREATE A PLAN: This step is incredibly crucial : It is unnecessarily difficult to get to any destination or accomplish any task without a plan, so we’re not even gonna try. 

 

 

  • #4 COLLABORATE: Collaborative economics: This is one of the most undervalued yet most important avenues to quickly course correct financially. Most if not all of the people that I know who are not only comfortable but actually wealthy or rich used some form of collaborative economics when they were in the infancy stage of building their financial empires. Mark Zuckerberg said if he had to be concerned with paying bills or taking care of his family Facebook wouldn’t exist. This is a perfect example of an advantage that he enjoyed.

  • Using myself as an example; I did the opposite of this and it prolong unnecessary suffering for years, instead of looking for or taking advantage of an opportunity where I was not responsible for all of the bills and all of the expenses and three children so that I could funnel money into creating the life of my dreams, I stubbornly was so determined to do everything by myself, to my own detriment. I ended up in thousands of dollars of debt twice and constantly felt fear and anxiety around my ability to adequately care for my family. I did it, I proved my worthiness for over a decade through struggle and suffering and none of it was worth it! The one beneficial quality to all my unnecessary suffering was discovering that collaborative economics is essential.  So take it from me, if you have a parent, significant other, business partner, family member, a BFF or some random stranger that you don’t hate and you can trust to hold up their end of an agreement, then consider sharing space and combining resources (rents and mortgages are typically one of the highest expenses people have). DO IT! This is not a forever thing, but if you utilize the time wisely it can be the true beginnings of generating lasting wealth.

  • Warning ⚠️: I have made this mistake: please avoid collaboration with any relative, friend or person who does not pay their own bills on time or keep their word on a regular basis. People who are not stable financially, will becomes a financial burden vs an asset. Once you are financially secure, at minimum…but preferably comfortable or wealthy, then you are in the best position to help others. This recommendation is from personal experience, I am a very generous person by nature and I felt compelled to help other single mothers since I did not have a resource like me, during my self imposed struggle. Unfortunately like they tell you during the safety message on the plane; if something were to happen, make sure you put your oxygen mask on first, because you can’t help anyone else if you aren’t safe, stable and secure. Utilize collaborative economics to create a stable foundation, first then you can offer much more value to anyone you choose to help and you can do so without endangering your own well-being or that of your family or children.

 

  • #5 1/4 EVERYTHING: The rule of 1/4 is a simple way to begin budgeting your money. It can also be done in increments of 1/3’s or 1/5th’s, so depending on where you are in life and your needs, feel free to adjust the exact fractional formula. For our  purposes 1/4 is the most appropriate version and will cover the majority of people’s needs. When you earn a paycheck after you have set aside money for your set bills and expenses which shouldn’t exceed 50% of your total income if at all possible,  you will split that money into fourths: 1/4 to spend, 1/4 to save, 1/4 to asset creation and 1/4 to emergency 🚨 fund. Now you know the exact amount of your expenses because you completed the worksheet exercise in our first quick fix ☝🏽. Spending on what and how is another area of literacy needed that we cannot fit into the parameters of this document 📃. See www.protectandempoweryourlife.com/wealth-archive-introduction for more extensive education on this subject. Please note: This particular spread will evolve because after you have successfully put aside 6 to 9 months of living expenses in your savings account and whatever number you deem reasonable for your emergency fund, you will no longer need to fund these two buckets 🪣 . You can convert that same 1/4 into a dream fund for travel or saving for down payment on a home, wedding or any number of wonderful exciting things. This is an important psychological step, once you have a nest egg set up and you know that you are insulated against random ass emergencies you will be able to enjoy the money that you spend on pleasure 1,000,000% more without any guilt or lingering fear. You have confidence that if you were to lose your job you’d have nine months of not having to live below your means to find a new job or get your business off the ground etc. Exceptions to the 1/4 Rule: What if you do not have enough or barely enough money to cover my current expenses let alone save, invest or put away for emergencies? Great question! 

 

Answer: Create more money… Most people have a hobby, passion or talent they can convert into cash. Information ℹ️ is also a great product with usually little to no overhead and can very profitable. Side hustles may not be a full-fledged cash cow’s 🐄 at first, but for the purposes of this it doesn’t have to be, it just has to fill in the holes 🕳  your job does not. Keep in mind though that if you stick with it and learn more about your target 🎯 audience and how to get in front of them - it can become a profitable asset for you and make you incredible amounts of money 💵. Not to mention offer you major tax incentives, and freedom from reliance on a Job.  Learn more about this in our Financial Literacy 101 course Education : The Wealth Archive | L|I|F|E

 

I caution ⛔️ against taking loans or getting into further debt if it can’t be avoided at this stage, once you are proficiently financially literate you can make decisions about personal or business loans, credit cards and other financial opportunities considerably more effectively.

 

Collaborative economics again is a great way to solve this issue as well. If you could collaborate and cut what you spend in rent in half or a third that would free up significant cash to start funding your other buckets 🪣. 

 

We offer a great opportunity for those looking to add additional passive income to their portfolio. Moonlighting as a insurance broker provides you with residual income that can help you build your financial empire much faster for less physical effort. Learn how you can do something once and get paid on it forever at www.protectandempoweryourlife.com/financial-services

 

How do I sort my buckets? There are two major methods that are very easy and will accommodate most people: 

  1. Method #1 Open multiple bank accounts, some employers will allow you to disperse your paycheck into multiple accounts, if this is available to you it is a great option and will handle your disbursement automatically. Even if your employer does not offer that you can manually transfer the funds, just beware of savings account transfer restrictions as you are setting up your new accounts. 

  2. Method #2  Is the envelope method, my daughter for example prefers this to electronic sorting, she physically takes cash and places it inside labeled envelopes ✉️ and keeps them in her safe. 

 

Regardless of which method you choose or if you come up with something that works for you even better, you are off to a great start! 👍🏽 Be proud of yourself and pat your self on the back, you are already significantly ahead of your peers! 

 

 

  • #6 DEBT RELIEF: This step is only relevant if you have outstanding bad debt 💸. Which is consumer debt, credit cards 💳 or student loans. Before you set aside money using the 1/4 rule for assets you should be paying down your debt, which means you would simply update that bucket 🪣 for debt until it’s paid down satisfactorily. There are 4 effective methods to paying off debt:

  • 1. pay your smallest debt off first - starting with the smallest to the largest while paying (at worst) the next rounded up number on each credit card for example: $37 minimum payment you pay $40. Best case if you have the means to pay a full $10 or double each payment while following every other tip in this guide than do so. If not, keep it simple and round up all other debt payments to the nearest whole number and put that designated 1/4 into your lowest balance debt. You will make significant progress and feel great about yourself as you pay off credit cards 💳 - this method is ideal if you don’t have a lot of excess money starting off.

  • 2. You pay off the card with the highest interest -  this helps you recover or save more money in the long run and is popular option. You may see results slower but it will save you more money over time - you can easily call the company and find out your interest rate for each debt and most times look online for that information and negotiate with the company to lower your interest rates. Ask, the worst thing they will say is no and they may offer you another benefit if they can’t honor your request. If they don’t immediately offer, ask. Always remember: A closed mouth doesn’t get fed. In this method like the last, you would round up all other debt payments or as much as double them if you are able.

  • 3. Is for someone who has a tab more disposable income and wants to be more aggressive with debt relief - you make a set extra payment amount like $100 or a total of on each card (if each card has a payment of $29-$37) this adds up quickly. You would adjust this strategy if you have some higher minimum payments so for example a $70 minimum payment would receive $150 and a $180 loan payment may receive $200-$225. In this method you will still end up paying off the lowest balance cards first but you will experience faster across the board progress on your debt relief. Each system works just as well pick the one that feels right for you.

  • 4. Which is most effective for raising credit scores quickly is to pay off the credit card with the highest utilization rate first, then the next and so on. If you have any closed accounts with balances pay those off last. As long as you are paying on them monthly they have the least impact on your credit score.

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  • #7 INVEST: The money you were setting aside for Asset creation can be used in a variety of ways, 1. If you have a job that offers a matching 401(k) then you want to max that out if possible. If they do not then the 401(k) is not the best option. 2. Overfund a Life Insurance policy - Our Firm specializes in this type of insurance and can help you utilize your life insurance while you’re alive as a very effective investment vehicle 🚗 for Wealth cultivation. This investment type is protected against stock market losses. We will teach you how to use a concept called infinite banking to utilize your life insurance policy as your own source of funding throughout your lifetime and you will have the added benefit of peace of mind that you are perpetuating your family’s wealth generationally by simply having insurance. 3.  You can invest in the stock market we recommend target date funds, if you would like to learn more about investing or enjoy the process then you can set aside 5 to 10% of your asset funds to play with. But Investing should not be something you are fiddling with daily as a foundation for growing wealth. 4. Real estate, peer to peer lending, and several other investment options are available to you. Businesses are great assets, that are a wonderful vehicle to invest through. We highly suggest researching and taking courses, talking to experts etc. Investing will best benefit you after you are out of any major consumer debt. For more on target date funds, investing and Life Insurance for assets creation click below for access to our weekly  financial literacy educational coaching program: Education : The Wealth Archive | L|I|F|E

  • #8 EDUCATE YOURSELF: Whether you choose to join us for our hands on educational training or you prefer to read books or go to seminars, be sure to educate yourself: My personal favorite finance books of all time are: 1. Rich Dad Poor Dad 2. I will teach you to be rich by Ramit Sethi 3. The four hour work week by Timothy Ferris. Like with anything new, listen 🎧 with an open mind and even if you don’t 100% agree,  try to identify if there is value in the person’s point of view. Weigh everything logically and go with what feels good to you and makes sense to you and your individual financial plan.

 

  • #9 CREDIT: Your personal credit is your all access pass to the best of what life has to offer. The higher your score, the more buying power you have and ability to leverage other peoples money to propel your own life forward and achieve your personal goals while being rewarded to do so. Establish positive credit history as early as possible for yourself and your children through piggybacking as early as age 13. This is not an area you can afford to ignore, download the Credit Karma app and use it to view your Equifax & Transunion credit scores and you can create a free account with Experian to view that individual report and score. Credit Karma itemizes your overall debt by category on the home page at the bottom for a great view of your consumer debt. We highly recommend paying attention to the tips to improve your credit, and your utilization ratio which is 30+% of your score. Also you can at the time of this writing due to Covid-19 can get all 3 Credit bureau full reports from www.annualcreditreport.com weekly. Credit is your passport through life,  the higher your score, the longer you have established credit and the more balanced your credit portfolio is, the more opportunities will be available to you. I ideally you want to charge all of your monthly expenses to a credit card then pay off the balance each month before the statement date. With the right credit card you will earn rewards and establish good credit history. Your goal should be to pay off any revolving credit balances monthly.  You want to use them for the purpose of building credit and earning rewards instead of as a replacement for money you don’t have or will not have. Credit cards are not free money contrary to popular belief, they’re actually very expensive money. So make them work for you instead of you having to go to work to pay for them. 0% interest credit cards are the only exception to paying off the full balance each month. However you must still be mindful to make sure that you pay the balance in full before the interest kicks in after the predetermined timeframe, because it will and you will have to pay all deferred interest charges (this happened to me before, it was terrible 😩). So divide the timeframe you have zero interest for,  by the total balance owed to determine your required monthly payment. This will be more than the minimum payment due each month. Final Note:  Forget you ever heard “cash is king”, the truth is “Cash Flow is King”. That one misunderstood, overused euphemism is a largely contributing reason why so many people (especially people of color) are financially handicapped.

 

  • #10 MINDSET: To be quite frank this should have been step number one,  the only reason I didn’t include it initially is because assuming you have followed step one through seven, this next mindset piece will hit home a lot more effectively. Money and your ability to be secure and comfortable has way more to do with how you think and feel about money than it does anything you physically do. We confuse the order of things because we depend heavily on circumstances to align or conditions to be met before we feel comfortable or secure with money or anything else. As a result we credit the actions that lead up to the success, instead of the mindset that shifted to allow the conducive environment that produced the desired results. It is possible to create circumstances that will make you a magnet 🧲 for security, comfortability or wealth, but it is the belief in the steps that you are taking that will be the magic ingredient in your success. So if you really want to expand your financial bandwidth, it is imperative to shift how you think and talk to yourself and others about money. Example: I can’t afford XYZ is less than helpful, making statements or having thoughts like this, program is your subconscious mind not to even look for a solution. Instead ask yourself how can you afford XYZ? This alternative thought and phrase sparks creativity and communicates with your subconscious mind that you want to find a solution to buying Beyoncé tickets 🎫 or joining your friends on that trip to Italy 🇮🇹 etc.                   One perspective limits you and the other expands you. Pay attention to the thoughts and mental chatter that you have around money; adopted maybe from parents, society or life and negative programming that perpetuates scarcity and lack. It is these thoughts and programs that are actually running the show and why you have not accomplished financial security, freedom or wealth. If you want to experience a new story in your life about money, start by telling one! 

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  • BONUS TIP: SHARE WHAT YOU’VE LEARNED: This exercise serves several purposes: 1. The best way to learn something used to teach it, the more you can become immersed in, speak about, relate to a subject the easier it is for your brain to assimilate and make it a habit. In this guide we are teaching you to create new habits that will make you and keep you financially perpetually free. 2. If we ever intend to close the wealth gap between the 1% and 99% (referenced here: Education | Protect & Empower Your Life we must empower as many people as possible so that they can elevate their quality of life, and provide the next generation with a head start economically. You can empower others by teaching them what you have learned, sharing this resource and or referring them to L|I|F|E or other resources to learn for themselves. 3. The more humans empowered with financial literacy raises our collective economic wellbeing. 

 

Thank you for joining me for this guide of 10 quick fixes to get from “broke to boss!”  For more in-depth  financial education, empowering career opportunities, life, legal or identity insurance and more visit us at: Protect and Empower Your L|I|F|E

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