The Plan: Do what you love and be able to keep on doing it.

One evening before bed I sat on the corner of my mother’s bed and confessed that I didn’t care what happened to me and that if I could just perform music I would be happy.

Music was all I cared about in life. I wanted to play every instrument and be able to sing every song. I wanted to swim in the vast ocean of the art form and sail the seas with the winds of it’s beauty.

Eventually I was lucky enough to be able to work in Germany as a full time opera singer and as long as I made my monthly bills I was content and happy about it. But, I’ve learned a lesson in life, and I have learned it the hard way.

The truth is, no matter what you want to do in life, the one thing everyone on earth must participate in on a full-time basis is managing their finances in such a way so that it never becomes a burden, but a blessing that increases over time. Because, when your career takes a turn for the worse and you have to alter how you earn your living, the only thing in life that you have constant control over is how you run your own personal business and to build your financial independent fortress.

This is what a plan is. A plan is the result of doing what you love and setting the financial parameters of life up in such a way as to insure your security. That is what I call ”THE Plan.”  The ”Plan” is based on the realization that your own private financial fortress is really the only thing in life you can depend on and that should be the foremost project in life along with doing what you love.

The plan is ”Me Inc.” Building your net worth starts with one very critical rule and that is to pay yourself first. What does that mean? First and foremost it means saving money. The first thing you do with money after you make money, is to save it. Saving money is almost more important than having food to eat. In fact, saving is something you do regardless of interest returns or tagging it for something specific. The purpose of naked savings is to build the foundation of a lifetime cash vault.

Saving money means to have a savings account in a bank that is there for no other reason, and this account constantly grows, and only grows and will never ever be spent. It isn’t even earmarked for emergency funds or to buy a home, no, this account is for one purpose only, and that is to build a real foundation of power through cash assets alone. This does not include paying into life insurance, annuity, investments or any other kind of automatic deduction, that should all be done as well. But, the savings account is the one constant in life you watch to see ever improving results, it shows that you are moving forward. It is a bottom line that is easily read.

When should this savings account start?  Every new born child should start a saving’s account, and never ever touch it again. If you don’t have a savings account, you need to start now, today and add to it every single day, like buying coffee at a diner.

The next thing to focus on is to purchase a home, which means you have a saving’s account earmarked for that from birth as well. I believe, the goal of every parent or guardian entity should be to save money for children every month so that when they leave high school that they can purchase a home, no matter how big or small it is. Home ownership, should not mean debt or risk, but security and the home should never be sold until it becomes apparent where someone is going to live life for certain. I believe if your child can purchase a home, no matter how modest it is, and not have to take out a mortgage for it, then they are starting life at a huge advantage. I find it more important than saving for an education.

I believe that every person should have their own business. They should do something either primarily or on the side that they own to build an income with through the sale of products or services. People can be employed doing whatever they want, but I really believe that everyone should find a way to build a business outside of their primary career or job to make money on their own. It can be from baking, to candlestick making or teaching tennis lessons or whatever one likes to do, but to me building businesses that can earn money without your constant participation is a great way to improve your station in life.

The arts have the problem that artists are terrible business people. In fact, most people are poor business people. I know I have been, and although the answers are simple really, if you don’t do them it can’t happen. This means you must have a plan for it, otherwise you will be forever tormented by the lack of security in your life.

It is better to ride the wave of a slow ship than it is to try to jump in the deep ocean and swim to treasure island.

Start today to build a you financial dynasty and help others to do the same. This is how the world can solve economic problems, if every individual solves their own by preventing them in the first place.

Have ”The Plan” and live a life of happiness and peace of mind. Don’t and you can make an appointment for a psychiatrist right now. Get a plan, stick to the plan and build your financial fortress. 

The path to plenty doesn’t come from reducing debt, but from increasing assets until the debt disappears by attrition.