Financial GPA

Most things you do throughout the day are not choices they are habits

The way you choose and put your clothes on, how you brush your teeth, the route you take to work or school are all done in a very similar way everyday.

If you stop and pay attention at your life you will notice a pattern.

Are the patterns (habits) you are doing getting you to your ideal life?

What is something new you have tried or will try? Leave. comment 👇👇👇


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One reason people don't reach their goals is because they give up 🤦🏻‍♂️

Along your journey there will be challenging moments. These moments don't define who you are or what you are capable of😃

I've had many lessons (failures) setbacks and struggles. But that didn't stop me 🦖

The one thing I never lost was HOPE. The one things I didn't do is give up 📈

There is an old saying that goes like this...👇👇👇

"When you are 15 you care about what everyone thinks and says about you, when you turn 40 you stop caring what people say and think and when you turn 60 you realize no one was talking about you or cared about what you did"🤷🏻‍♂️

Don't be afraid to stand out. Don't be afraid to speak your truth. 🤗

In a world were you can be anyone and do anything don't waste your time trying to be someone else.

It's hard to fit in when you were meant to stand out - 😜

Personal finance is estimated to be about 90% behavior and only 10% math

If you pay attention to the small things then you will see a difference in the big picture

A cup of coffee can be $5 a day, multiply by 5 days a week is $25, a month is $100 and a year is $1,200

I work in downtown Los Angeles If you go out for lunch every day it might average like $10 a day. Multiply that by 5 = $50 a week, $200 a month and $2,400 a year just on one meal per day for the whole year

If you pay attention to the little things it will make a difference in your future

I believe we are the writers, producers, directors and main actors in our own story🙋‍♂️

The problem I run into with some people is that they think someone else is control 🤦🏻‍♂️

People tend to blame their family, spouse, environment, school and even the government 👎

🤪You are responsible for your actions. You need to take responsibility for the decisions that you make

🗣️Stop complaining, justifying and blaming others for what's going on in your life

if you want to change your life start by changing the story you tell yourself about who you are 👨‍💼

Last week I talked with a couple that didn't understand how they got in such a bad financial situation 🤦🏻‍♂️

They make a combined income of $150,000 / year and they filed for bankruptcy

This is how it happened:

They are both college graduates that had a combination of over $100k in student loans👎( degrees were unrelated to their respective careers)

They both financed two new cars for a total of $60k 📉

Had credit card debt of about $30k⛱️

Medical bills of $10k 💊

Owed income taxes of $20k 🤷🏻‍♂️

Then they were told by a bank that they could qualify for a house and they got it for $475,000 🏡

Let's recap

Income : $150,000
Savings: $5,000
Retirement: $10,000

Debt:
$100,000 Student Debt
$60,000 Car Debt
$30,000 Credit Card Debt
$10,000 Medical Debt
$20,000 Tax Debt
$475,000 Mortgage Debt

Total Debt : $695,000

I don't understand how they even qualified for this mortgage but that is beside the point. What they didn't do is pay attention to how much debt had added up over a span of 8 years

They are in the mid-late thirties and at risk of losing everything they worked so hard to get. These are not bad people with an exagerated lifestyle. They just didn't pay attention

Oh I forgot to mention they also have two kids under the age of 10. This may seem uncommon but it is not. This family will struggle for the next 5 years to try and keep some things they simply can't afford.

I share this story so you can pay attention to your money. Don't let this happen to you or your family. If you don't understand something - ask for help. This couple has now caused a huge strain on their relationship that could lead to divorce. If you find yourself struggling with money don't be ashamed to ask for help.

Be happy with where you are. But always keep working towards where you want to be

Stop what you are doing and take a look at where you are today. Are you happy with your life. Has it turned out the way you thought it would?

You have the ability to make a positive change in the direction of your life. Take the necessary steps to move you towards your ideal life.

Happiness should be the ultimate goal in all areas of your life.

There are two kinds of people when it comes to money

1️⃣ Consumers

2️⃣ Investors

Consumers typically spend their money on things that (depreciate) go down in value

Examples include:
Cars 🚘
TV 📺
Clothes 👗👔

Investors on the other hand tend to invest their money on things that (appreciate) go up in value

Examples include:
Real Estate 🏠
401(k) Mutual Funds 📈
Business 👥

This money principle is not so much about buying a car but financing a car is one of the most expensive monthly cost for the average person

Its more about changing the way you look at where your money goes. Where you spend your money now will determine how much wealth you build

There are two way we make decisions about money:

1️⃣ Logical

2️⃣ Emotional

The majority of your decisions in life will be emotional. From the things you eat to the clothes you buy and what you drive it will involve some form of emotional decision making

Chances are the food you eat as an adult will be similar to the food you had growing up. The brands you buy at the store for almost everything will have emotions attached to it because that is what you saw your parents get

Understanding how you make decisions is critical to taking control of your financial future

What's something that you do now that you got from growing up as a kid?

leave a comment 👇👇

I believe that the way you were raised plays a major role in the person you become

As kids we are conditioned to be one of two people
1️⃣ Optimistic
2️⃣ Pessimistic

What you think about yourself is a result of the environment you grew up in 🤷🏻‍♂️

Some people look at their upbringing and replicate it and others look at their life and change it 👨🏻‍💼

If you are unhappy in any area of your life start to pay attention to the way you think

one simple shift can create a major change in your life

Are you aware of your thinking pattern? How has it changed over the years?

Leave a comment 👇 and share this with someone you care about 💙

Don't let what other people think of you stop you from living Your life 💥

Judgement from other people will always exist but no one knows you better than you know yourself 🙎🏻‍♂️

I talk 🗣️with many people who made poor financial decisions because of the people around them. They were influenced by the wrong 🤦🏻‍♂️ people to do things they didn't really want to do

Just remember 🤔that you are responsible for your life and the way your life turns out will be based on your efforts

Have you ever made a purchase 🛍️ that you regret?

I know I have. Leave a comment 👇👇

You can have all the good intentions but if your habits are not right your results will be off

Our life is made up of habits

The things you do, the things you buy, the places you go and the people you surround yourself with are mainly habit system

You have been conditioned to be who you are. This may come from family, school, friends and environment.

This is also true about money. Your habits around money are driven by the behavior you saw, heard or experienced growing up. If you saw your parents spend all their money and not save chances are you will fall into the same habit

It's important to pay attention to your behavior around money because it impacts every area of your life.

A great book to read on habits is one written by called

The Power of Habit - Why we do what we do in life and in business 🔁

Some fantastic examples and insights to your behavior

@ Los Angeles, California