money – Simple with Money

17 Habits of Millionaires

If you weren’t born rich but still want to get rich, you’re not alone. Who doesn’t dream of becoming a millionaire! Thomas C. Corley spent five years researching self-made millionaires. He concluded that most millionaires had these 17 habits. He wrote this book about that. If you do these 17 daily habits, you might also become a millionaire! Let’s look at his list.

1. Read every day.

88% of the millionaires surveyed read for at least 30 minutes a day. We are not talking about a novel or a gossip magazine of course. They mostly read informational books, self-help books, biographies of successful people and history.

2. Sports.

We all know that exercise is healthy. 76% of millionaires exercise for at least 30 minutes a day. This mainly concerns cardio training and less about strength. Examples are jogging, running, cycling or walking.

3. Be around other successful people.

You become who you surround yourself with. Hang out with successful people who have a positive outlook on life to help you move forward. Better still is to associate with people who are pursuing big goals, are enthusiastic and passionate about their work. What really works against you is negative people who bring you down, who criticize and do not believe in you.

4. Volunteer.

This is important to build a network of people with the same mindset. It is also important to give before you can take. People who are willing to work hard and also volunteer understand that you can’t just consume. You have to do something in return.

5. Dream setting.

More than half of millionaires dream. They write down their dream life, think of what they have to do to achieve the dreams. Then they set goals to make these dreams come true and then take the action. Repeat this for every dream on the dream list.

6. Pursue your own dreams.

And especially not someone else’s. Rich people follow their own path. If you do what others do, you will get the same results as other people. Pursue your own dreams and you will achieve your own result.

7. Get enough sleep.

Almost all millionaires sleep at least 7 hours a night. These days it seems cool to sleep as little as possible. People boast about that. It is increasingly clear how important a good night’s sleep and a regular routine are. This makes you sharper and less tired during the day. This allows you to concentrate better.

8. Get up early.

About half of the millionaires get up about 3 hours before the start. In those three hours they can work undisturbed on the things that are important. Before the start of the workday, there is no meeting that took longer than expected or traffic jam that suddenly makes you run out of time.

9. Multiple Sources of Income.

Almost all millionaires have at least three different sources of income and many have more. This includes rental income, dividends and profit from investments, income from your job or profit from your own business.

10. Find a mentor.

Many millionaires have one or more mentors. This mentor ensures that they stay on the right track and learn them what to do and what not to do.

11. Help others.

And especially others who also want to be successful. Someone who wants to achieve goals, is optimistic and motivated.

12. Be positive.

This seems to come back in many different forms so this one will be important. Millionaires are positive. If you are aware of what you think for a while, you may find that you often have negative thoughts. Try to be aware of it and have a more positive attitude towards life.

13. Don’t follow the herd.

Corley resolves that the millionaires he interviewed don’t follow the herd. They created their own herd and became leaders.

14. Practice good etiquette.

Examples include sending thank you notes, acknowledge important events such as birthdays, anniversaries and weddings. Also think of good table manners and dress up during social occasions.

15. Spend time thinking.

Don’t get distracted by your phone or TV or music in the background. Take fifteen minutes to half an hour a day, every day, to think. Think about how you can make more money, whether you are happy with your job, are you satisfied with life as it is, etc.

16. Ask for feedback.

Feedback helps you to understand if you are on the right path. It is crucial to grow. Only ask for feedback from people who give feedback instead of criticism.

17. Don’t give up.

One of the traits of many millionaires is that they don’t give up. They are persistent and when they fail they get up and just try again.

This list contains all kinds of things that can be done on their own, but if you add them together and want to pursue them daily, it is a big list! For example, if I want to get up three hours before my working day, I will no longer get 7 hours of sleep. And if I want to read every day, there is less time for jogging. I think we can therefore conclude that millionaires are very hard workers. They didn’t become millionaires by sitting on the couch watching TV and doing some half-hearted work. They work really hard for it!

What do you think of this list? Are you on the right track?

Until next time!

Elske

Today I’m not going to tell you that you need a budget. Shocking, because the title says so! How is that possible?!

I’m not a big fan of monthly budgets. If you set a budget and stay below budget, you are more likely to spend because your money was assigned to that budget. If you spend more than the budget, you feel bad even if it was unforeseeable. That can’t be right.

No, today I am telling you to track your spending. Do what you want, of course, but if you want to be financially free and set goals for yourself, this is the right path to walk.

Measuring is knowing.

If you don’t know how much money is coming your way every month and how much you spend, you will most likely not become financially free. To become financially free you need to get a grip on your money. Measuring is knowing.

Most people know what they earn per month. Kind of. Sometimes a bonus can be a pleasant surprise still, even if it happens every year. If you work for a boss, you probably know what to expect. If you work multiple jobs or you are your own boss, sometimes it is harder to know in advance.

Expenses on the other hand are a blurry guess for most people. Fixed expenses like rent/mortgage or the electricity bill are known but other than that I know a lot of people who just estimate and guess around. It can be a difference of hundreds of euros each month. Then there are quarterly and yearly bills that come as a surprise each time again.

Budgeting in hindsight.

From now on you are going to track your expenses from the previous month each month. It is budgeting but in hindsight.

For me I track my expenses in an Excel document. I put down everything that has entered my account in the first column. It’s my income. I include income from the shared Netflix account, payment requests and all that.

Then I make multiple columns on my expenses. You could make do with just one but more is better here. I split between different categories.

First category is for fixed expenses. This includes mortgage/rent, electricity, internet, phone service etc.

Next column is for groceries. For me it includes the supermarkets with laundry detergent and toothpaste and everything.

Then a column specially for the car. Including purchase, taxes, repairs and gas.

Up next for me is the category home. This includes all trips to the construction stores, home decor, paint, doorknobs. The whole shabam. It’s more then I like to admit.

Then there were the columns for restaurants/bars and holiday. Yeah for this year I cut then out except for the occasional take out.

Combine everything per category and then everything combined as well. Make a green box and a red one. In the green box is the cumulative income and the red is for cumulative expenses.

For me it looks a little something like this. With made up numbers for privacy.

Do this every month and you will get a clear picture of where your money is going. You can correct course without making a super strict and restrictive budget. Sometimes I see a lot of expenses in one of the columns and I course correct the next month. Also I now know that I spend a lot of money on paint and other construction market related expenses. And how much goes to waste for the car!

Know where your money is going and I am sure you will adjust accordingly. You are reading this so you are heading in the right direction anyways.

You also have a clear view on what is the absolute minimum you need to stay afloat (fixed expenses and groceries) and what you need for a comfortable life. And you know what you spend money on that is not really making you any happier and is not important to you. Don’t spend on those. You are less inclined to spend on something if you know you will have to put in on the sheet at the end of the month.

Put yourself on the right track without a super strict budget and make your way to financial freedom.

Good luck!