Lesson 1
Invest as early as possible, and never stop. If you are going to have a kid, open up a retirement account for your kid before you even conceive the kid; that way, they can be a millionaire well before 30.
Lesson 2
If you can’t handle a credit card responsibly, wait until you’re ready to own one; doing this will save you plenty of financial trouble.
Lesson 3
Paying off debt is great, but make sure you invest while you pay off your debt. You can’t get time back.
Lesson 4
Avoid student loans like the plague. There are too many ways to go to college for free—no need to set yourself back financially after you walk across that graduation stage.
Lesson 5
Spend less than you earn. Spend less than you earn. Spend less than you earn. Spend less than you earn. Spend less than you earn. Spend less than you earn.
Lesson 6
College is great, but it’s not necessary. It doesn’t make you more valuable than someone else. It doesn’t make you a better person. It doesn’t necessarily make you a smarter person. It doesn’t always make you more money than the non-college graduate.
Lesson 7
Ensure your partner has a healthy relationship with money; they don’t have to care about it as much as you, but they need to prioritize financial stability, financial health, and financial education.
Lesson 8
Always be with an emergency fund.
Lesson 9
Financial care = self-care.
Lesson 10
Holistic health includes emotional well-being, mental well-being, physical well-being, spiritual well-being, sexual well-being, professional well-being, and financial well-being. If you neglect one, it will affect the others.
Lesson 11
Don’t wait to travel the world. Instead, find a way to do it now without going into debt.
Lesson 12
You get paid according to your self-worth. How much do you currently value yourself?
Lesson 13
You don’t have to say “yes” to every business opportunity, every event, every person, and everything else. Boundaries are challenging to implement later in life, but the sooner you implement them, your life experience will be more profound and easy. Unfortunately, most people do not have financial boundaries; if this is you, implement them with yourself and others pronto.
Lesson 14
If you don’t love your income, change it.
Lesson 15
It’s okay to think differently than everyone else. Be an outlier. Be the robot that has a glitch.
Most people follow the follower. If you want to be successful with money, you can increase your chances by doing what most people don’t do. Most people spend money they don’t have and live paycheck to paycheck. If you do the opposite, you will already be better off than most people.
Lesson 16
You can have all the money in the world, but it means nothing without your health. Being healthy is a life-long journey and the balance of your daily choices about your health. It takes consistent effort, and it’s not always easy.
Lesson 17
Avoid addictions to things, people, circumstances, and substances. Addictions often impact you financially at some point.
Lesson 18
Your confidence should be independent of your outer appearance, external influences, and other people.
Lesson 19
Always make yourself your number one priority because that is who you have to live with daily. When you care about yourself, you ensure you are taken care of financially. You avoid decisions that will deteriorate or compromise your financial health.
Lesson 20
If you don’t understand investing or personal finance, educate yourself now so you won’t regret it later.
Lesson 21
Invest in yourself. Spend money on yourself in ways that will benefit you indefinitely. Increase not only your net worth but your self-worth.
Lesson 22
Give more than you receive from others. Being a giver is 1000% more rewarding than being a receiver.
Lesson 23
Be independent financially, mentally, and emotionally. There is nothing sweeter than the taste of independence.
Lesson 24
You don’t have to live in the same country, state, city, or home for the rest of your life. Instead, move around, live in different places, and acquire new experiences; this will enrich your mind, body, spirit, and soul.
Lesson 25
The new cars, the big houses, the name-brand clothes, and everything else that comes with money is nice but unnecessary, especially if you can’t afford it. Don’t be a fraud. At the end of the day, it’s just you. You don’t need to waste time and energy trying to impress people or live a life you’ve been taught to buy into. Think about what youreally want, not what everyone else wants.
Lesson 26
Stretch, walk, eat raw veggies, and drink plenty of water daily; this will keep your mind sharp and ready for new ideas that can help you reach your financial goals faster.
Lesson 27
Write your goals down, review your goals daily, and consistently work on your goals.
Lesson 28
The best thing to do with a goal you have is to start and never stop. Modify your goals as needed, but keep going, and the magic will find you.
Lesson 29
Laugh as often as possible; it enriches the body, mind, spirit, and soul.
Lesson 30
Actively get to know yourself, and never stop discovering who you are. The better you know yourself, the more enhanced your life experience will be.
Lesson 31
Read and consistently acquire new financial information or information that can profit you financially.
Lesson 32
Help others learn about money and develop financial empathy for others less off than you.
Lesson 33
Don’t exploit others for money; it always comes back full circle.
Lesson 34
Your likes will change, and sometimes there is nothing you can do about that except embrace acceptance. Get rid of things that no longer bring you joy and add value to your life. Embrace minimalism.
Lesson 35
Find someone you can simultaneously evolve with. Because if only one person evolves in a relationship, it’s most likely not going to last. And if it does last, it will potentially be filled with unhappiness, discontentment, and unfulfillment. The higher the quality of your relationships, the higher the quality of your money.
Lesson 36
It feels so much better when you can say, “Yes, I can afford to buy the car I desire with CASH, but I choose not to,” than buying a car you can’t afford. Be in control of your money and the materials you buy. And be mindful about large purchases on quickly-depreciating assets.
Lesson 37
Never have all of your money in one bank.
Lesson 38
If you didn’t learn about money growing up, this does not grant you an excuse to fail at personal finance in the present day. So take action and learn for yourself how to successfully manage your money and budget.
Lesson 39
You don’t have to get married, and if you do want to get married, it doesn’t have to be at a certain age. And remember to safeguard your assets before you get married, because hey, sometimes it just doesn’t work out.
Lesson 40
You don’t have to have or want kids. Kids are special, and they also cost endless amounts of money. I know from observing my parents growing up.
Lesson 41
Most people aren’t ready to have kids because they have yet to deal with their own issues. Whatever issues you don’t deal with, your children will deal with. Many people take the responsibility of having kids lightly. It’s respectable for a person to say, “I’m not ready to have children because I’m still working on some internal issues.” than for someone to have children just because they want them or are running out of time on their “biological clock.”
Lesson 42
Learn from others who are more successful, more intelligent, and more distinguished than you. Don’t seek to learn all of your knowledge from your peers.
Lesson 43
There are two kinds of people in life: doers and talkers. So be a doer — especially when it comes to money and business decisions.
Lesson 44
All it takes to get started on a positive change is to start.
Lesson 45
Intake financial advice from multiple and many sources, but learn how to make your own informed decisions about your money.
Lesson 46
Your social media following should never equate to your self-worth, and I’m here to tell you: you don’t need to show off your money or share all of your experiences with the world online. Just saying.
Lesson 47
If you don’t want to attend a work event outside of working hours, don’tgo. And never apologize, feel bad, or care what your colleagues may or may not think about you. Who gives a f*ck. Time is money, and one thing you can never get back is your time.
Lesson 48
If you continue to neglect someone or something pretty soon, it will matter. Don’t neglect your finances. Don’t neglect to save and investing early. Don’t neglect financial education. Don’t neglect to maintain a close eye on your finances.
Lesson 49
The less you desire, the more powerful you are, and the higher your net worth will be.
Lesson 50
Relationships can make or break you — especially financially. Choose your relationships wisely.
Lesson 51
Habits can make or break you. Choose your habits wisely.
Lesson 52
Every time someone asks for money, and you have it, know that you don’t have to say “yes.” Boundaries, my friend. Boundaries.
Lesson 53
You attract other people like you. So if you want to attract healthier and more successful people into your life, it all starts with you.
Lesson 54
Codependence is destructive, limiting, and a time-waster. You can’t save everyone financially. Sometimes, you have to let people learn how to swim. Offer financial advice and financial assistance (when you can afford it), but don’t overexert yourself financially and become a yes person to everyone who has a financial woe, or soon you will be in their shoes.
Lesson 55
Always have financial mentors (even if those mentors are people you don’t know in person, such as authors and other financial gurus) that can be your objective sounding board for the different financial seasons of your life.
Lesson 56
Your thoughts can free and elevate you or enslave and limit you. Choose your thoughts wisely. Remember, your thoughts create your reality — in all aspects.
Lesson 57
Keep your rent/mortgage payment 10–15% (or less) of your net income.
Lesson 58
Avoid car payments. If you decide to take on a car payment, have the cash (in your bank account) to buy the car outright.
Lesson 59
Keep your net worth positive — at all times.
Lesson 60
Always have a minimum of 5 streams of income. But aim for at least 10+ streams. Never depend on one source of income. Diversify. Diversify. Diversify.
Lesson 61
Budget daily. Keep track of your money daily. Always know what is happening when it comes to your money. Be in the know.
Lesson 62
Stay in charge of YOUR money. Never leave the responsibility of your money up to someone else.
Lesson 63
Pay for everything via credit card to earn money or points back on purchases, and increase your financial security.
Lesson 64
If you can’t use a credit card responsibly, stay away from them altogether.
Lesson 65
If you have kids, open up a retirement or investment account for them the day you get pregnant, adopt, or start prepping to have your kid. Why not set up your kid to be a millionaire before age 30?
Lesson 66
Buy only what you truly desire. Don’t buy to impress. Don’t buy because everyone else is buying. Don’t buy to fill a void. Don’t buy things you won’t use consistently. Always buy intentionally.
Lesson 67
Increase your income yearly. Never go a year without increasing your income. Get creative.
Lesson 68
Repair your car instead of buying a new one.
Lesson 69
Keep an eye on your credit score and credit health to ensure you’re the only one using it.
Lesson 70
Until you reach financial independence, live with family, friends, roommates, etc., to save money and live below your means. But you may want to continue living with others even after reaching financial independence. Extra cash flow always feels good.
Lesson 71
Be cautious of costly habits.
Lesson 72
If you have an employer, max out your 401k match, and contribute the max amount per year. Find a way to live off the rest comfortably.
Lesson 73
Spend substantially less than you earn. Always have money left over at the end of the month. Avoid living paycheck to paycheck at all costs.
Lesson 74
Be careful who you shack up with, partner with, or date; ensure they are money conscientious. Make sure the person you are with has a healthy relationship with money. Maintain firm financial boundaries. Do not let others divert you from your financial goals.
Lesson 75
Don’t have kids you can’t afford.
Lesson 76
Intake copious amounts of financial advice, but make your own decisions about which advice to follow. But the one piece of advice you should always follow is: Invest now. Invest early.
Lesson 77
If you have debt, invest while you pay off your debt because one thing you cannot get back is time; and compound interest thrives off time.
Lesson 78
Never cease your financial education. Read books and articles, attend seminars, listen to podcasts, and chat with financial experts. Be sure to acquire new financial knowledge consistently. When you know better, you do better. The earlier you can learn about money, the better off you will be financially.
Lesson 79
Don’t spend money to impress people, not even yourself. What a waste this is.
Lesson 80
Don’t live in states you can’t afford. Instead, take a vacation to the location.
Lesson 81
Avoid student loans if you can. Aim to go to school for free, with scholarships, jobs, programs, etc.
Lesson 82
Create a 1–2 year emergency fund. Traditional advice recommends 3–6 months, but this only buys you a little bit of time in true emergencies. Sometimes one emergency can wipe out a 6-month fund in no time.
Lesson 83
Don’t buy furniture for your house when you first move in. Buy one or a few pieces at a time that you can afford to pay with cash. When I was a kid, I remember my neighbor’s house was unusually empty (according to American standards). She was smart, though. She slowly furnished her house as it made sense for her budget.
Lesson 84
Don’t travel if you can only afford to with credit cards. Find deals and discounts to afford it. Never go into debt for leisure activities.
Lesson 85
Consistently attend free financial, educational events to acquire knowledge and bounce ideas off other financially in-tune people.
Lesson 86
Save 50% of your income.
Lesson 87
For those who cannot save 50% of your income, ensure you have $500-$1000 leftover every month to put into savings/investments.
Lesson 88
Don’t have kids until you can afford to raise them and invest in them fully without going into debt.
Lesson 89
Ensure your car payment, car insurance, and car expenses add up to no more than 10% of your monthly net income.
Lesson 90
When you travel, try to do cruises, group trips (split hotel rooms), and multiple destination style trips, so the costs are lower.
Lesson 91
Use your credit card rewards as a second emergency fund.
Lesson 92
Use your credit card as an emergency fund before dipping into your liquidated emergency fund.
Lesson 93
Anything you buy from the store that you don’t use, return it or sell it. Go through your entire house, and get rid of sh*t. Remember, there are always hidden costs to accumulating things, and three of those hidden costs include your mental health, compromised mobility, and financial burden.
Lesson 94
Buy intentionally. Buy less. Buy less frequently.
Lesson 95
Create at least two passive income streams, as Ben Le Fort recommends. My one add: Create two passive income streams that do not require long-term work input (e.g., royalties).
Lesson 96
Use hand-me-downs for babies, toddlers, and kids — they’re constantly growing, so why waste money?
Lesson 97
Avoid overpriced luxurious name-brand clothing until you can afford it without hurting your soul and thinking twice about it.
Lesson 98
Avoid prioritizing impressing others — this could save hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars over your lifetime.
Lesson 99
Don’t buy gourmet groceries if it’s hurting your end-of-month budget.
Lesson 100
If you’re struggling financially, don’t eat out.
Lesson 101
When it comes to activities: get creative and search for free ones.
Lesson 102
Ask for “cash only” for birthdays.
Lesson 103
Use water filters instead of bottled water.
Lesson 104
Read one personal finance article daily to increase your financial intelligence and expose yourself to various financial knowledge. You never know which article will spark a profitable financial idea that will change your life.
Lesson 105
Stop wasting food.
“American households waste, on average, almost a third of the food they acquire, economists report. Divided among the nearly 128.6 million US households, the waste could cost the average household about $1,866 per year. This food waste has an estimated aggregate value of $240 billion annually.” — Futurity
Lesson 106
Stick with what you know when it comes to investing (until you know enough about another specific area of investing). If you’re a techie, you’ll probably have better knowledge about what technology to invest in than someone in education, who has better knowledge of the educational trends.
Lesson 107
Have at least one or more friends who are financially better off than you, financially smarter than you, and succeeding in the area of finance. They’re your ticket to financial elevation.
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Destiny S. Harris is a writer, poet, entrepreneur, teacher, and techie who offers free books daily on amazon. Destiny obtained three degrees in political science, psychology, and women’s studies. Follow her on Instagram, Facebook, or @ destinyh.com
This article is for informational purposes only. It should not be considered Financial or Legal Advice. Not all information will be accurate. Consult a financial professional before making any significant financial decisions.