Where do you start when you want to build an awesome life? What’s the first thing you should do? What’s the key to building a solid launch pad? I could argue a number of different starting points, but one in particular sticks out as crucial to me. One thing in particular is the linchpin of your future.
Money. It’s simple. It’s measurable. And whether you like it or not, money touches every aspect of your life. Manage it poorly and you’ll be a slave to it (or lack of it). Learn to manage it wisely and it will take you anywhere you desire.
And as you start to look around you’ll notice that people who are good at managing money are also good at managing their lives. It’s not a coincidence.
So how do you make the most of your money? One simple philosophy: live debt-free*.
How It Changes Your Life
The only way I really know how to talk about the importance of living debt-free is from my own experience. So here are a few of the most awesome things I’ve experienced on the debt-free side of the hill (everything but the house, coming up on 4 years now).
Adventure
I always wanted to work for a startup. I don’t mean a glamorous venture-backed “startup” flush with cash. I mean an in the trenches bootstrapped startup on the ground floor. To be part of something from the very beginning is quite an adventure!
With no payments and ten to twenty grand in the bank for emergencies, I felt free to try out the roller coaster that is a seed stage startup.
Could it fail? You bet! That’s the fun and adventurous part! But with such a strong financial position I knew a failure wouldn’t be fatal for my young marriage.
I got to live one of dreams without bringing along a lot of extra stress! How cool is that?!
Marriage
Perhaps the greatest benefit of getting your finances in shape is the positive effect it will have on your marriage.
I think Larry Burkette teaches it best. He says that when you agree on your spending, you agree on your future, your hopes, dreams, goals, and everything else. Getting (and staying) out of debt will require you to work together and make some life decisions. Together.
And as you establish your emergency fund you’ll multiply the positive benefits on your marriage.
Peace
Because now that you’ve got no payments and three to six months of expenses in the bank the world is a much nicer place. You’ve been released from worrying if the transmission might go out or if your kid breaks his arm.
What used to be stressful financial emergencies become minor inconveniences. Speed bumps.
It will change your life to reach this step. You won’t go back. Ever.
Abundance
And a funny thing happens when you’ve got your money under control. You seem to find more of it.
I couldn’t tell you the scientific reasons behind this, but most people increase their salary as they progress through these steps. Maybe they’re more effective at work without worrying about money. Maybe they’re just lucky. But it happens over and over and over.
My wife and I used to laugh about the round about ways we were blessed with extra money when we took care of it.
Is Debt Free For You?
In a word, yes. Although I’ve heard every reason in the book that people keep it around, I’ve never heard a single person regret taking the plunge.
Will it be hard? Probably. Will it be worth it? Undoubtedly. And as Dave Ramsey always says, “If you don’t like being debt-free, you can go back.”
Like it or not, money plays a significant role in how far you can go. And when you’re in position to weather some storms and pounce on some opportunities you’re set up for success.
Big success.
Great, but how?
I won’t get off in the weeds in this post about how to get out of debt, but I can tell you of all the ways to do it there is one that is head and shoulders above the rest. Dave Ramsey’s plan. If you do it, it will work.
And I don’t mean read it and understand it. I mean actually do it by the book. I’ve helped a lot of people with this stuff, and the only people that say it doesn’t work or that don’t make it are the ones that edit the plan to suit themselves.
*Debt Free Defined
There are two stages to becoming debt-free: 1) Pay off everything but the house. and 2) pay off the house! Why are they separated? Because paying off the house can take long enough that we do some other important steps in between (retirement investing and savings to name a couple). As long as your remaining mortgage is a fixed (preferably 15-year fixed), and you’ve paid off everything else – consider yourself debt-free!
You can hear more about my own debt-free story here.
So what do you think? How could being debt-free impact your life?
Contact me to chat about how you can take on this important journey!
