TABLE OF CONTENT

HOW THIS BOOK BEGAN
A GLIMPSE INTO A CHAPTER OF MY LIFE
PERSONAL FINANCE BASICS

PART 1 – SAVE, INVEST & PROSPER

Principle #1: Earn as much as possible
1.1 Self-Assessment: What is my monthly income?
1.2 Self-Assessment: Am I ready to advance in my job?
1.3 Tips on increasing your chance for a better paying job
1.4 Ways to earn more
1.5 List of freelance marketplaces
1.6 List of work-at-home jobs
1.7 Summary
1.8 Challenge #1
Principle #2: Spend less than you earn
2.1 Self-Assessment: What is my monthly spending?
2.2 Self-Assessment: Am I a conscious spender?
2.3 Self-Assessment: Am I conditioned to value material things?
2.4 The PANEL test
2.5 Self-Assessment: My financial health check
2.6 Tips on spending less
2.7 Summary
2.8 Challenge #2
Principle #3: Never waste
3.1 Self-Assessment: Am I mindful of waste?
3.2 Tips on reducing waste
3.3 Summary
3.4 Challenge #3
Principle #4: Negotiate always
4.1 Self-Assessment: Am I ready to negotiate?
4.2 Tips on negotiation
4.3 Summary
4.4 Challenge #4
Principle #5: Stay away from getting into debts
5.1 Self-Assessment: How well do I stay away from bad situations?
5.2 Three steps to break a costly bad habit
5.3 Summary
5.4 Challenge #5
Principle #6: Get rid of your debts fast
6.1 Self-Assessment: How well do I manage my debts?
6.2 Four steps to get rid of your debts faster
6.3 Summary
6.4 Challenge #6
Principle #7: Live up to your standards
7.1 Self-Assessment: Am I living up to my standards?
7.2 Summary
7.3 Challenge #7
Principle #8: Invest MODEL
8.1 Self-Assessment: Why do I want to save?
8.2 Self-Assessment: Am I ready to invest?
8.3 Checklist for finding a right advisor
8.4 Summary
8.5 Challenge #8
THREE STEPS TO BUILD YOUR WEALTH
MAY PROSPERITY BE WITH YOU

PART 2 – REFERENCES

Glossary
Tools
Links
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

HOW THIS BOOK BEGAN

I wanted to write a personal finance book that inspires people to take an honest assessment of who they are, where they are, and where they want to be. I wanted to encourage people to find out more about themselves and the things that are important to them. And, I wanted to encapsulate essential and timeless ideas that can be passed from one friend to another or from a mother to her child.
The idea for this book came from my mother. I wanted to compile the advice she has given me over the years into a practical guide full of simple, uncomplicated, and life-changing principles you won’t find in textbooks or in schools. I wanted to share my mother’s life wisdom and give a balanced and practical approach that everyone can use.
This book does not promote extreme frugal living, although some people prefer that lifestyle. It does not tell you what a loan is, how to calculate different types of interest, where to invest, or get into in-depth discussions about insurance and annuities. It does not include specific strategies and tactics to build credit or optimize health insurance. You will not find statistics, charts, and graphs. There are no “secrets” or “hypes” either.
This book encourages you to understand fundamental personal finance principles to better manage your money and build your wealth. I have avoided complicated formulas and heavy financial jargon in favour of simple, straightforward, and timeless principles. There are practical, realistic, and attainable steps you can take to achieve your financial freedom. The book includes a number of self-assessments to help you see where you are and find out what you need to do to achieve your financial goals. After all, who besides you really knows who you are, what your situation is, and where you want to be?
This book provides tips and tools to support you along the way. The tips are starting points. Some may be new to you; many are common sense. Please use what helps and applies to your situation. You can find more through the Links section provided in Part 2 or by doing an Internet search like this https://www.google.ca/#q=tips+on+saving+money.
Once you understand the principles, no matter what you earn or where you live, no matter if you work for yourself or for someone else, and no matter what your marital status or gender is, you will discover that it is possible to create a solid financial life.
Once you master the principles, you will have a good grasp on your financial situation. You will not have to live paycheque to paycheque, nor scrounge to feed yourself between bills. You will be able to live the life you want without worrying about credit history or scores. You will know how to avoid debts as much as possible and get out of them as quickly as you can. You will not need to speculate or depend on other people’s predictions about your future. Whether the market goes up or down, whenever the economy throws its tantrums, you will not be anxious. You will learn how to best invest your money so it will grow for you. You will not be afraid of money because you will be the commander of your financial success. You will be inspired to do your best because you know you will get to wherever you want to be.
These principles can change your life.
We live in a world that is always looking for quick fixes. Look at how many people buy lottery tickets each day, spending their hard-earned cash on a hope. Hope is a great thing to have in life, but hope will never change anything without personal commitment and action.
If you are interested in reading a book that talks about money and improving your financial situation then you probably want some kind of change in your life. If you really are serious about changing your financial situation, you will have to look at changing how you manage your current situation. To truly change, you will need to be receptive and willing to alter your perspective.
This book isn’t about getting rich quickly; it is about building your wealth over time so that you have the freedom from being beholden to anything or anyone.
If you are anxious to start, go directly to the Personal Finance Basics chapter. Otherwise, in the next few pages, please allow me to share with you a glimpse into a chapter of my life as I remember it. Although this book isn’t about me, and you may not relate to my experiences, I’ve included these details in hope of giving you some context and a different perspective on money, why it matters, and how it freed my family from a dire situation.

PERSONAL FINANCE BASICS

“Life is really simple,
but we insist on making it complicated.”

Personal finance is simple and straightforward: Money comes in and money goes out. It is the size of the leftover that matters the most. This simple equation sums it up: Earnings minus spending equal savings. Increase earnings or reduce spending so savings can be invested or used to increase earnings or decrease spending.

Each of us has different needs, wants and situations. However, we all need money to live and we share a common hope that we get to live a long time. If we are lucky enough, we want to live without having to worry about money when retirement comes.
What is your plan when you are old or are no longer able to work? How can you put money aside for your retirement if you haven’t started already? What can you do if you make very little right now? How can you live without always having to worry about money? How can you make money work for you? You can’t stop old age from coming and it will come sooner than you expect. Don’t you want to own what your retirement is going to look like?
Those are just some of the questions that the eight fundamental principles in this book will answer:
1. Earn as much as possible.
2. Spend less than you earn.
3. Never waste.
4. Negotiate always.
5. Stay away from debts.
6. Get rid of your debts fast.
7. Live up to your standards.
8. Invest MODEL.
Principles, knowledge, or plans without actions are just theories. To get the most of this book, please do the suggested challenges and follow through on the plans and activities you set for yourself. Downloadable templates are available for you to record your progress while reading or after reading the book.
Now, let’s talk about the eight principles.

2.5 Self-Assessment

My financial health check

Select all the statements that apply to your situation:
 I don’t have enough money to make the minimum payments on some or all of my loans.
 I’ve been turned down for a loan.
 I’ve been refused a mortgage due to a poor income to debt ratio.
 My credit score is low even though I’ve made all my payments timely.
 I’m overwhelmed by my credit card balances.
 My credit card transaction was declined.
 I keep buying lottery tickets hoping to pay off all my credit cards.
 I scramble for money to pay for basic expenses such as groceries.
 I start to juggle payments, for example, by sending payments a few days late.
 I start receiving phone calls from collection agencies looking for payments.
 I’ve reached my credit limit.
 I have regularly bounced cheques.
 I use an advance from one credit card to pay the minimum amount on another.
 I regularly ask friends or family members for loans.
 My utilities (telephone, electricity, water) are cut off.
 I need to take a second job to help pay my bills.
 I have difficulty paying bills on time.
 I receive past-due notices.
 My bank account is frequently overdrawn.
 I have to use my line of credit to pay for basic needs.
 I lose sleep worrying about debts.
 I hide my spending or debts from my partner.
 I allow bills to stack up because I can’t pay them.
 I fear that I’ll never get out of debt.
 I apply for more credit cards because I have reached the limit on the ones I have.
 I spend more than 20% of my take-home pay on credit payments (excluding rent or mortgage).
 My loan or credit card balances stay the same or go up each month.
 I can make only minimum payments on my revolving charge accounts.
 I am always worried about my debts.
 I argue with my partner over bills.
 I am still paying off purchases I made a year ago.
 I sometimes wonder why I made certain purchases.
 I ignore the mail or telephone to avoid dealing with creditors.
 I put off necessary medical and dental visits because I cannot pay the bill.