According to the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, over half of Americans graded themselves at a “C” or lower on their understanding of finances. So that’s a C, D or F, if you recall from school.

If your financial knowledge ranks at C or lower, that means you have a pretty weak financial foundation! Any change in the job market, economy or life circumstances could topple over the whole thing. If that’s you, don’t fret! I was once in your shoes. In fact, I was homeless when I was 21!

I spent everything I made… I spent MORE than I made. It took reaching the very bottom to realize I had to stop living that way. Are you going to have to hit rock-bottom, before you realize the same thing?

What are you going to do differently, moving forward? Do you have a plan to raise your personal financial “grade”? Because you don’t have to stay at the bottom of the class! Living paycheck-to-paycheck or working simply because you fear not being able to pay the bills, is not something you HAVE to go through in this life – and is certainly no way to enjoy life!

But, a few simple financial principles could change how you think about money. And I’ve been teaching them to people for decades.

First, think about how much money you’ve made over the last five years. Write that number down. So if you make $25K a year, you made $125K in a five-year period.

Then answer this simple question: How much is left? I spent some time speaking to a woman named Sandra on our show, and asked her a very similar question.

Every day, think of how much money you are you going to make today at work. Of that amount, how much are you going to keep? Sandra shared she was going to make $80 and save $20 of it. When you look at it on that daily level… spending $60 out of $80 is a lot of money.

If your goal is to spend the vast majority of the money you make today, that is a weak financial goal! That is a huge portion of your daily income you’re actually planning to make disappear!

One thing I want you to realize: your future financial success is NOT determined by how much you make; it’s determined by how much you keep! Do you see why having a plan for your money could make a huge change in your life over the next couple of years… or the rest of your lifetime?

Maybe you haven’t really thought about planning your financial future, yet. But man, let’s hope this is your wake-up call. You never know what circumstances will change in your life, but your entire financial situation can turn on a dime. In my life alone, I’ve experienced it many times over. I’ve been embezzled from, abandoned by my first husband. On the other side, I also managed to generate my first million in just two years. It’s crazy how quickly things can change.

Your finances are YOUR responsibility… 100%. So the bottom line is, you NEED to have a plan for your money. If you don’t, I guarantee it will get sucked into other things and lost forever.

How much of your income are you spending? What is your plan to revolutionize the way you spend money? I can’t wait to read your comments on our social media sites!

In great faith,

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