Book Review: Money

Money. We all want some. Wattles firmly stated that desiring wealth is good because man can not attain his full potential without honing his skills through opportunities made possible with money. Opportunities back in Wattles day meant learning a trade or service and the equipment associated with it.

Today we each have vastly more opportunities, if we're willing to look. But even today, those opportunities are not free. You can get started for free, yes, but you will eventually need to put some money forward in order to advance.

There are just 2 books that I recommend on money. 

The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey provides an actionable plan to handle money. Our family used the baby steps to get out of debt, including paying off our mortgage. It wasn't an overnight journey. It took years. It worked for us and millions of others.

There are 7 baby steps:
1. Build a $1000 emergency fund
2. Snowball your debt payoff
3. Build a 3-6 month emergency fund
4. Retirement
5. College fund
6. Payoff your house
7. Build wealth
You can read about the steps in more detail in the book or on Dave's website. The steps work 100% of the time when applied with focused intent.

Focused intent... Yes, those darn mindset books are back again to reiterate that "YOU ARE WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT" concept. If you want to take advantage of the opportunities that do come into your life, you'll have a better chance if you aren't mired in debt.

The second book is The Millionaire Next-Door by Dr. Thomas Stanley. That's my goal. I want to become a millionaire. Ok, I really want to become a multi-millionaire but I've gotta start with one million.

Stanley's Millionaire Next-Door reminds me that my dream is possible because
1. 81% of millionaires are first generation. This tells me that I can do it even though my parents and grandparents did not.
2. The majority of millionaires did it by saving some money year after year after year. That fact assures me that it's possible for little bits to add up to more than their sum. Time with a little constant savings is something I know I can do.
3. Most millionaires seem to be regular people just like me.

While I enjoy underdog stories, Millionaire Next-Door basically says every average Joe has the possibility of wealth.

Hope. That's what we all need along with a plan. Both of these books offer each in huge doses.