From Here to Financial Happiness: Enrich Your Life in Just 77 Days
()
About this ebook
Just 77 days to a happier, more prosperous life!
From Here to Financial Happiness is the day-by-day guide for anyone dreaming of a better life. Whether you’re dealing with debt, uncertain about retirement or simply want to get a grip on your finances, this book can put you on the road to happiness with a simple 11-week journey. Just 5-10 minutes a day to think about money, your habits, your goals, and your dreams. What steps can you take today to get your finances on track? What bad habits, bad investments, and misconceptions should you let go of? This book is packed with 77 days’ worth of real, actionable guidance for getting your money right—for good. It’s not an investment scheme, not extreme couponing, not something else to add to your daily to-do list. Instead, it’s about changing you—and the way you handle and think about money—so you can start building the life of your dreams.
The next 11 weeks will be a revelation: Some days you’ll learn about finance, other days you’ll learn about yourself. Many days, you will be given a concrete list of things to do—right at that moment—to start steering your financial situation onto the right path.
- Learn how to stack the financial odds in your favor
- Amass savings for retirement, the children’s college or that next financial emergency
- Change your perspective on money and its role in your life
- Get your financial house in order—and keep it that way
A better life is possible. You do have the power to change things for the better. From Here to Financial Happiness is your personal roadmap to financial freedom.
Jonathan Clements
Jonathan Clements presented several seasons of Route Awakening (National Geographic), an award-winning TV series about Chinese history and culture. He is the author of many acclaimed books, including Coxinga and the Fall of the Ming Dynasty, Confucius: A Biography, and The Emperor’s Feast: A History of China in Twelve Meals. He has written histories of both China and Japan, two countries that have, at some point, claimed Taiwan as their own. He was a visiting professor at Xi’an Jiaotong University from 2013 to 2019. He was born in the East of England and lives in Finland.
Read more from Jonathan Clements
The Anime Encyclopedia, 3rd Revised Edition: A Century of Japanese Animation Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Japan at War in the Pacific: The Rise and Fall of the Japanese Empire in Asia: 1868-1945 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMannerheim: President, Soldier, Spy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Investor's Manifesto: Preparing for Prosperity, Armageddon, and Everything in Between Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Brief History of Japan: Samurai, Shogun and Zen: The Extraordinary Story of the Land of the Rising Sun Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A History of the Silk Road Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Short History of Beijing Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCoxinga and the Fall of the Ming Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Short History of Tokyo Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRebel Island: The incredible history of Taiwan Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAn Armchair Traveller's History of Finland Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Marco Polo Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Short History of Finland Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWellington Koo: China Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPrince Saionji: Japan Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAn Armchair Traveller's History of Tokyo Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdmiral Togo: Nelson of the East Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAn Armchair Traveller's History of Beijing Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to From Here to Financial Happiness
Related ebooks
The Value of Debt in Retirement: Why Everything You Have Been Told Is Wrong Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFirst Time Investor: Grow and Protect Your Money Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Simple Path to Wealth: Your Guide to Financial Freedom Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPowerful Money Habits: Key Behavior Shifts That Will Take You From Broke to Total Boss Even if You Suck With Numbers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow Much Is Enough?: Balancing Today's Needs with Tomorrow's Retirement Goals Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe 1-Page Budgeting Plan: Financial Freedom, #4 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWealth Habits: Six Ordinary Steps to Achieve Extraordinary Financial Freedom Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSeven Years to Seven Figures: The Fast-Track Plan to Becoming a Millionaire Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Roadmap to Financial Freedom: A Millionaire's Guide to Building Automated Wealth Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Little Book of Main Street Money: 21 Simple Truths that Help Real People Make Real Money Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSimple Money: A No-Nonsense Guide to Personal Finance Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Financial Wisdom of Ebeneezer Scrooge: 5 Principles to Transform Your Relationship with Money Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Making Money Simple: The Complete Guide to Getting Your Financial House in Order and Keeping It That Way Forever Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWealth Your Way: A Simple Path to Financial Freedom Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Kitchen Table Financial Plan: A Practical Approach for Any Stage in Your Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKeep It Simple, Make It Big: Money Management for a Meaningful Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsYou Only Live Once: The Roadmap to Financial Wellness and a Purposeful Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Financial Mindset Fix: A Mental Fitness Program for an Abundant Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMy Money Journey: How 30 people found financial freedom – and you can too Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Rule of 30: A Better Way to Save for Retirement Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Bucket Plan®: Protecting and Growing Your Assets for a Worry-Free Retirement Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Summary of Rich AF by Vivian Tu: The Winning Money Mindset That Will Change Your Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStress Free Money: Overcome These Seven Obstacles to Find Financial Freedom Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Let Your Money Work Harder for You: A Roadmap to Financial Security Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEnough: True Measures of Money, Business, and Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary of James Altucher's The Choose Yourself Guide To Wealth Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Personal Finance For You
Rich Dad Poor Dad Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Girls That Invest: Your Guide to Financial Independence through Shares and Stocks Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Financial Feminist: Overcome the Patriarchy's Bullsh*t to Master Your Money and Build a Life You Love Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Intelligent Investor, Rev. Ed: The Definitive Book on Value Investing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary of The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Psychology of Money: Timeless lessons on wealth, greed, and happiness Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Legal Loopholes: Credit Repair Tactics Exposed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Money Hacks: 275+ Ways to Decrease Spending, Increase Savings, and Make Your Money Work for You! Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Personal Finance For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Investing For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Just Keep Buying: Proven ways to save money and build your wealth Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Black Girl's Guide to Financial Freedom: Build Wealth, Retire Early, and Live the Life of Your Dreams Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Principles: Life and Work Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Total Money Makeover: Classic Edition: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Money. Wealth. Life Insurance. Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Millionaire Next Door Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Same as Ever: Timeless Lessons on Risk, Opportunity and Living a Good Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Little Book of Common Sense Investing: The Only Way to Guarantee Your Fair Share of Stock Market Returns Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Set for Life: An All-Out Approach to Early Financial Freedom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary of R. Nelson Nash's Becoming Your Own Banker Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWe Should All Be Millionaires: A Woman’s Guide to Earning More, Building Wealth, and Gaining Economic Power Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat: The BRRRR Rental Property Investment Strategy Made Simple Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for From Here to Financial Happiness
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
From Here to Financial Happiness - Jonathan Clements
Day One
Start Here, Go Anywhere
Want to build a happier, more prosperous financial life? All I ask is 5 or 10 minutes a day for the next 77 days. Some days, I'll offer a brief financial lesson. Some days, you'll learn about yourself. And some days, I'll suggest a few simple steps for you to take.
Think of this book as a conversation. It's between you and me – though you should also invite your spouse or partner, if you have one. Have you ever had a conversation where the other people blather on endlessly about themselves while you struggle to get in a single word? It happens all the time, right? I may have written this book, but you'll get to do a fair amount of the talking.
With that in mind, keep a pencil handy. By the time we're done, I hope you'll have scribbled all over this book – and then erased and revised what you earlier wrote. In the coming days and weeks, we'll work to figure out what you want from your financial life, probe your money beliefs, gather information, and take the necessary steps toward a better life.
Along the way, you'll come to understand some of the key ideas needed to be a prudent manager of your own money. Those notions aren't just about dollars and cents. Instead, we'll devote a fair amount of time to the human side of money – why we do what we do and what money can do for us. My fondest hope: By day 77, you'll be thinking of money not as a burden, but rather, as something that's integral to your life and that, with a little effort, can make it so much richer.
The goal isn't to beat the market, prove how clever we are, or become the wealthiest family in town. Rather, the goal is to have enough to lead the life we want.
Day Two
Failure Is Not an Option
We all get just one shot at making the financial journey from here to retirement, and we can't afford to fail. Even if we want to work for the rest of our lives, that simply isn't realistic: One day, our employer or our aging body will force us out of the workforce – and at that point, we'll need a hefty pile of savings.
How can we stack the odds in our favor, so we have a high likelihood of amassing that decent‐size nest egg? In the days ahead, we'll focus on some simple, no‐nonsense strategies:
Save diligently.
Keep debt to a minimum.
Insure against major financial threats.
Prepare for unemployment.
Hold down investment costs.
Minimize taxes.
Avoid unnecessarily risky investments.
This stuff isn't all that exciting, though the results will be: You'll set yourself on a course that not only brings financial peace of mind today but also ensures a much more prosperous tomorrow.
But I don't want to be prosperous,
you might respond. I want to be rich.
Depending on how you define rich, that could happen over time, but it won't happen quickly.
But what if I started day‐trading stocks, or borrowed a bunch of money to buy rental properties, or invested in a franchise?
Yes, those are all potentially faster roads to riches – but they could also be shortcuts to the poorhouse. Never forget that risk and potential reward are inextricably linked. If a strategy holds out the possibility of tremendous wealth, it also runs the risk of terrible failure – and, with the riskiest strategies, terrible failure is the more likely outcome. Our goal: Get you safely and happily from here to retirement.
Life shouldn't be an impulse purchase. We may fall short of our financial plans, but that's better than having no plan at all.
Day Three
Dream a Little
If money were no object, what would you change about your life? What possessions would you buy? What things would you do? Would you continue with your current job, change careers, or retire? Let your mind wander, conjuring up dreams big and small, and then list them below. These things don't necessarily have to involve money, though there's a good chance that dollars and cents are somehow involved.
I'm not promising you'll be able to turn every wish into reality. But this is your chance to articulate what you want – a crucial first step in figuring out how best to handle your money, while also motivating yourself to make the necessary short‐term sacrifices. If we're to say no
to today's many temptations to spend, we need to make our longer‐term goals even more tantalizing.
In the coming weeks, we'll take the aspirations you have sketched out here and we'll think about them in three broad buckets: daily spending, large purchases, and major life goals. The objective: Fine‐tune your list and introduce a dose of reality, so you focus on the dreams that are within reach – and that matter most to you.
Humans can't sit quietly: We're always fretting, always dissatisfied, always trying to make progress, always trying to divine the future.
Day Four
Embrace Humility
We tend to be a self‐confident lot, which is a helpful trait. Those who are self‐confident tend to be happier, be more resilient, and enjoy greater career success. But self‐confidence isn't nearly so helpful when it comes to managing money. Want to avoid major financial mistakes? We should start by acknowledging five key failings.
First, we don't necessarily know what we want from our lives. We settle on a career and then realize it isn't for us. We buy a house and find it makes our lives harder, not happier. We lust after a luxury car and finally manage to buy it, only to discover it isn't nearly as life‐enhancing as we imagined. So what do we want from our lives? It takes a lot of thought, which is why we'll tackle the topic multiple times in the weeks ahead.
Second, we don't know what the future will bring. We imagine tomorrow will look like today. But our lives can be turned upside down in the blink of an eye. We might lose our job, fall seriously ill, meet our future spouse, suffer a death in the family, get divorced, stumble upon the home of our dreams, have a child. Most of us have an astonishing ability to cope with change, and we adapt with surprising speed. As you'll learn in the days that follow, that's both good and bad.
Third, we expect too much from money. Yes, a bigger paycheck and greater wealth can enhance our lives. But blindly pursuing wealth and indiscriminately spending money don't guarantee happiness, and they could backfire. If we devote too many hours to getting ahead in our careers, we'll have less time for friends and family – a crucial contributor to happiness. If we spend without thought, we might accumulate possessions that involve constant upkeep and that prove more of a burden than a blessing.
Fourth, we lack discipline. Given a choice between spending today and saving for tomorrow, we're quick to sacrifice the future. Indeed, many folks seem to engage in magical thinking, imagining that their financial future will be bailed out by high investment returns, a rich aunt's bequest, or the next lottery ticket purchase. But none of these things will likely come to pass. Want to grow wealthy? For most of us, the road to riches lies in diligently socking away dollars for three or four decades.
Finally, we overestimate our investment prowess. We almost certainly won't pick stocks that beat the market – and it's highly unlikely we'll find someone who can do so on our behalf. We probably won't grow wealthy by flipping homes, trading options, or investing in our sister‐in‐law's startup. In short, we won't get rich quick, but, with patience and tenacity, we could amass more than enough to live comfortably.
The meek may not inherit the earth. But they are far more likely to retire in comfort.
Day Five
Twin Wins
Talk to financial advisors and they'll tell you that everybody's financial situation is different, so there are no one‐size‐fits‐all