5 of my radical beliefs about money

Money stress is one of those things that's so common that we think it's normal To view this email as a web page, [click here]() Most money advice creates (unneeded) stress Money stress is one of those things that's so common that we think it's normal — that money HAS to be stressful. But if you step back and look at what we're taught about money, it's not surprising that we feel this way. "Keep a budget!"(Why? Every time you try it falls apart and you're back to square one.) "Cut back on lattes!"(Frankly, I don't want to. I love my coffee.) "Disable your oven light and save $0.43. A YEAR!"(OMG, some frugality tips are ridiculous. They don't work and it's just depressing.) "Buy crypto! Everyone's doing it."(Why does this feel like you're getting ripped off…but you just don't know how?) Or perhaps my all-time favorite: "If you rent, you're just throwing your money away." If you're ready to get off the never-ending roller coaster that is money stress, ask yourself these two questions… Question 1: "Why can't I take control of my money?" It's not a lack of trying. Or desire. It's not a lack of money either. Many people are surprised to discover that their money stress doesn't go away as their income and net worth go up. (I've met multiple millionaires who still bargain shop for the cheapest blueberries.) A better sign that you're ready to take control of your money is being able to answer these 5 questions: [Ramit Tweet] And once you can answer them, can you manage all of your finances in 1 hour per month or less (like I do)? Question 2: "Why can't I feel good about money?" We all think if we just hit a certain number — maybe that's $100k a year, or a million-dollar net worth — then we'll finally feel good about money… But it never happens. When we hit the goal, we find the goal post moved. Or worse, we might save and save and save … only to realize we don't know how to actually enjoy our money. THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME! People worry about money their whole lives, scrimping and saving for a retirement where they assume their life will somehow (magically) be wonderful. But when it arrives, they're still stressed and afraid to spend. [Ramit Tweet] Some people spend hours and hours (even days) building complicated spreadsheets for their money. But this doesn't work either. We don't want a nice spreadsheet — we just want our money to go where it needs to go, automatically, with enough left over that we can enjoy our lives, guilt-free. We don't want a spreadsheet. WE WANT A RICH LIFE! Here's the most important takeaway in all this: If you want to stop stressing about money, you have to CHANGE your approach to money. What I believe about money (and you should too) One of my goals with IWT is to show areas of life where most experts recommend something that sounds totally logical and reasonable — "Keep a budget!" "Stop spending money on lattes!" — but it doesn’t work. Nobody keeps a budget. Spending $5/day on lattes is not going to stop you from retiring with millions of dollars. Deal with it. So what should you believe about money? I've talked about [Money Rules]() before. I encourage you to come up with your own, but make sure they're grounded in facts and common sense — and that they actually HELP you live a Rich Life. Money beliefs that keep you stressed and broke aren't worth keeping. To get you started, here’s what I believe about money: Buy all the lattes you want A $5 coffee is not going to change your financial life. But learning how to automatically invest, how to select the right asset allocation, and how to negotiate a $15,000 raise will. I believe in asking $30,000 questions, not $3 questions. Your Rich Life is yours A Rich Life can be picking up your kids every day from school. Or buying a $1,000 cashmere sweater. It can be buying a round of drinks for your friends, or traveling for 8 weeks per year. You decide. Your Rich Life is YOURS. There’s a limit to how much you can cut, but no limit to how much you can earn I have readers who earn $50,000/year and ones who earn $750,000/year. We’ve helped tens of thousands of people earn more money by negotiating their salaries, investing, and starting businesses. Why is this important? Because frugality will only take you so far. You can only cut so much! But you can always earn more, and once you learn how, a lot of your money problems will disappear. You should spend extravagantly on what you love and cut mercilessly on what you don’t I don’t believe in cutting back on small purchases. In fact, I want you to spend MORE on the things you love. What if you could double your spending on travel, eating out, convenience, or charity? What if instead of stressing about saying no, you could say YES to the things you love? The 85% Solution: Getting started is more important than becoming an expert You don’t need to be perfect to take control of your money. It’s OK to make mistakes. You don't have to be an expert. Get 85% of the way there and move on with your life. These beliefs are part of the core IWT philosophy. (You can find more baked into [this page]().) I want to inspire my readers to dream big, to envision their Rich Lives, and then build a system to achieve it automatically. To use their money to live the life they want. That’s what my brand new program, The Rich Life System, is designed to help you do. [The Rich Life System]() [The Rich Life System]() shows you, step by step, how to design, build, manage and enjoy YOUR Rich Life. It includes all of the technical details, all the subtle psychology, and the proven system to automate your money so you can focus on living your Rich Life. [Learn how The Rich Life System can help you here](). And be sure to check out The Rich Life System Live, which includes a 6-week live online workshop — hosted by me. [Gif] In these live workshops, I'll personally walk you through the entire Rich Life System — from initial vision to fully automated "money machine." (Need to miss a workshop? No problem. Everything will be recorded and shared.) The Rich Life System Live also includes an online community where you can ask questions from other beginners, 6-figure earners, and more. Enrollment for The Rich Life System Live closes on Friday so that we can focus on helping our students build their Rich Life Systems. If you’re ready to stop feeling stressed and guilty about money… If you’re ready to be excited about living your Rich Life and have a step-by-step system for making it happen… Then I encourage you to [check out The Rich Life System here](). Take ownership — or not — it’s up to you Here’s one more thing I believe about money: You’re in control. This isn’t a Disney movie and nobody’s coming to rescue you. Fortunately, [you can take control of your finances and build your Rich Life](). I can’t stand being passive with your life. Being apathetic about your finances. Not taking ownership of your career. Avoiding deep conversations. If you want to live a Rich Life, you have to take action. You have to make changes when you need to. On this week’s episode of the I Will Teach You To Be Rich podcast, I get pissed and lose it with my guests … a couple times. Sean and Kara have been married for 5 years, have an 8-month-old daughter, and make around $150k/year combined. Kara, who makes $100k of their income, works in a high-stress nursing job and would like to cut back her hours. But Sean is passive and seems content to stay in his job … even though he hasn’t gotten a raise or a promotion in YEARS. He works 60+ hours per week, making his salary even worse. But he isn’t taking much action to change. Sean and Kara really frustrated me, but especially Sean. He doesn’t want to change, and he thinks if Kara cuts back at work, it won’t affect them much. And they both passively wait for me to offer a magic solution to their problems. But I’m not going to. They have to realize the stakes, create a shared vision, and put in place a system to get there. Can I help them see that? [Click here]() to listen to this week’s episode of the I Will Teach You To Be Rich podcast. New episodes of the podcast are released Tuesday mornings. Subscribe on [Apple](), [Spotify](), or wherever you get your podcasts. Here’s what listeners are saying: [Podcast review]   [Podcast review]   [Signature] WHAT TO DO NEXT JOIN: Enrollment is now open for The Rich Life System and The Rich Life System Live, my brand new program designed to take control of your money and build your Rich Life. [Click here]() to learn more. [SIGN UP]() ATTEND: My team is giving a behind-the-scenes tour of everything that’s covered in the Rich Life System. No need to register — just [click here]() today at 4:00 PM ET. You’ll also be able to ask questions and get enrolled right after the call. [SIGN UP]() LISTEN: [Click here]() to listen to my conversation with Sean and Kara on this week’s episode of the I Will Teach You To Be Rich podcast. [SIGN UP]() Featured Products [Learn how to be your own boss, do what you love, and earn more.]() [What if you woke up EXCITED to go to work? I show you how to achieve it, step by step.]() [Ready-to-use mental frameworks for increased happiness, confidence, & success.]() [No guilt, no excuses, no BS. Just a 6-week program that works. Over 1,000,000 copies sold.]() The I Will Teach You To Be Rich Podcast Raw, unfiltered conversations with real couples: - One partner is $300,000 in debt, but shrugs it off. The other cries at night, anxious about the future. - A couple that’s so worried about money, they feel like they’ll never have enough. They go to a restaurant and order chicken instead of steak to save $10. Their household income: $600,000. - Two parents who feel overwhelmed by work, kids, and debt. When I ask them how they’d describe their lives, they instantly say the same word: “Stuck.” Listen in to hear real money conversations from behind closed doors today. [Apple Podcasts] [Apple]() [Spotify]() [Google]() [IWT]() Follow Ramit: [insta]() [Twitter]() [twitter]() [youtube]() [Linkedin]() Was this forwarded to you? 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