Build a Wall of Financial Intelligence: Protect Your Family

By Karl Thompson MBA

The author brings attention to the appalling level of financial illiteracy across the world. Based on his knowledge, experience, and lifelong desire to make a significant impact in this area, his focus is to educate others on how to properly plan and protect their lives, families, futures, incomes, active retirement, and assets. This book is a practical and an engaging road map that shows the way!

Karl is a strong advocate of exposing households to the business principles of the corporate world in order to strengthen their finances. He believes that households should be operated on business principles since they are businesses as well. The author writes that households can fulfill their God-given responsibility to leave an inheritance for their childrens children based on a legacy of effective stewardship. He and his wife, Angela, are successful entrepreneurs and have created Aktian (www.aktian.com) as a platform for financial intelligence.

Karl is a former Wall Street banker, consultant, and entrepreneur. He has provided consulting services to small, medium, and large companies in the private sector as well as entities in the public sector.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Nov 2, 2017
• ISBN: 9781543460124

Karl Thompson MBA

Karl Thompson is a former Wall Street banker and businessman who is on a mission of significance. He has an extensive business background as a banker, entrepreneur and consultant in marketing, banking, finance and advisory services that is based on over 35 years of experience. He has analyzed a wide range of business models across many industries. He and his wife, Angela, own a successful global marketing company that spans many countries with thousands of distributors. They have also created Aktian (www.aktian.com), which is a platform for financial intelligence. Their focus is to play a key part in reducing the appalling level of financial illiteracy that exists in the world. They are strong advocates of exposing households to the business principles of the corporate world in order to strengthen their finances. Households can then fulfill their God given responsibility to leave an inheritance for their children’s children based on a legacy of effective stewardship. Karl has provided consulting services to small, medium and large companies in the private sector as well as entities in the public sector. He has a strong love for development finance. He is a husband and father, with three children. He is an avid golfer! Visit www.aktian.com or email him at [e-mail].

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Copyright © 2017 by Karl Thompson.

Library of Congress Control Number:         2017916465

ISBN:                   Hardcover                        978-1-5434-6013-1

                            Softcover                          978-1-5434-6011-7

                            eBook                               978-1-5434-6012-4

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 10/31/2017

Xlibris

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

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CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

INTRODUCTION

Concern for financial intelligence has been evident for generations

Each family can transform its home into a fortress of financial intelligence

A city set on a hill cannot be hid

Business principles can be applied to our households

Business principles must be consistent with biblical principles

Financially intelligent households lead to strong nations

Life, in fact, comes with an instruction book—the true book of business

My mission is to positively impact ten million individuals

God’s economy

It is time to break the curse of financial illiteracy

A legacy can create a dynasty

1 A PERSPECTIVE ON FINANCIAL INTELLIGENCE

The ability to leave a stock of wealth and a set of principles for the next generation

A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children

Finance is a form of technology; use it intelligently

A grief moment in time, which we can correct in a brief moment in time

Our fear of finance is palpable and can be paralyzing

Our faith in becoming financially intelligent is empowering

Financial intelligence demands effective stewardship

We own nothing since we owe everything

2 THE HOUSEHOLD

The household: designed to unify the family

Households are platforms

A platform for stewardship and more

Household wealth fluctuates with the fortunes of the family unit

Financial stress is a common experience of the early years

Financial stress is a common experience of the later years

Households can embrace their heritage of abundance

3 THE CORPORATE BUSINESS WORLD

Businesses create value

The business of the business

Buy-ins, buy-outs, ownership, and management

Stakeholders and shareholders

Ownership, planning, change, culture, and structure

Financial reporting

Parallels for households: human beings as human businesses

4 THE BUSINESS OF HOME

Home is where the asset resides

Human assets are so much more than labor

Human assets have a life span and a finite value

Financial assets have neither life span nor finite value

X marks the spot: the focus should be on financial assets

Accelerating into a wonderful rest of our natural lives! Super!

Built to last

5 WE ARE FINANCIAL CARPENTERS

Build on a foundation of financial assets

Human asset inflows

Financial asset inflows

Stewardship

Each household is in the business of asset management

6 GOING AROUND IN CIRCLES

Making ends meet until we meet our end

Many households are at a loss

7 REVELATION, NOT EDUCATION

A business of stewardship

Faith in our abilities subordinated to faith in God

8 EACH HOUSEHOLD NEEDS A CFO

Household finance is corporate finance

A CFO is required in each household to manage assets

Holding our houses together

9 ASSESS HOUSEHOLD ASSETS

Our dashboard: all aboard, let us dash!

Inspect the walls of the household

Hold on dearly to the goals of the house

Three working assets: Cash, property, and human

The enemies of household wealth

Medical expenses are formidable foes

Medicare and Medicaid: be aware of them; be intelligent about them

Wearable technology: To be forewarned is to be forearmed

Households must be financially intelligent by being lifestyle diligent

Creating wealth is about access

Life insurance is a robust tool of finance

Near-death experiences demand immediate cash flow

Get understanding

The checklist

10 BUDGETING: COLLEGE STUDENTS AND BEYOND

Scoring well on exams while scoring poorly on credit

The web effect of personal finance

11 BUILDING BLOCKS TO FINANCIAL INTELLIGENCE

Build your household level by level

12 THE FUTURE: THE HOUSEHOLD IS ON TOP OF THE WORLD

The future is looking brighter!

Households are on top of the world

Enlightened entrepreneurship: foreign exchange is not foreign

The internet has penetrated the hallowed walls of banking

Learn, trade, and refer: wealth is about access, not ownership

Foreign exchange education is not linear, it’s weblike and web based

Counterintuitive combination of education, software services, and cheaper online delivery

It takes courage

Developing human talent by teaching a skill

Individuals are on a relentless drive to improve their finances

13 ROE: RETURN ON EQUITY OR RUNNING ON EMPTY?

Return on equity: a powerful profitability ratio

The ROE is applicable to households

God’s economy: seed capital and expected return

God’s economy: seasons instead of standard accounting periods

True wealth is enduring

14 SOMETHING GOOD IS COMING

Exchange: a