We are all creatures of habit. We eat the same things, go to the same places, and get ready for the day in the same way almost every morning.  In many ways these habit help us get things handled and that’s a good thing, but sometimes our way of handling certain things isn’t ideal. For example, nearly everyone I know has some place that they stash stuff that doesn’t really have a ‘place’.  It might be a closet in an extra bedroom or some sort of junk drawer, but whatever it is it becomes the home for all of the stuff we don’t want (or know how) to deal with. Here’s the problem… Although “junk drawers” aren’t a bad thing, the stuff that gets put in them almost never gets truly figured out at a high level… and in the case of extra keys, rubber bands, or chip clips that isn’t a big deal. However, I’ve found that most people put their investing strategy in the junk drawer because they think they have it “handled”. They think they have it taken care of because it’s out of site, but that’s the danger. It Ain’t What You Don’t Know That Gets You Into Trouble.  It’s What You Know for Sure That Just Ain’t So ~Mark Twain Most business owners I’ve met no true plan. They don’t know how much they need to save to actually retire comfortably. They don’t know how to maximize the sale of their business, how to save effectively, or how to allocate their money to make sure it’s safe and optimized. They’re just following some vague financial advice that sounded “good enough”. If this sounds familiar, I want to give you one simple tool make understanding your financial situation (and making investing decisions) easier. I’m hoping this will help you take investing out of the junk drawer and at least put it in plain sight.   THE 3 REASONS PEOPLE INVEST: Growth: The first and most common reason people invest their money is for growth.  They want to invest their money so it will go up in value and hopefully sell it at a profit later.  The most common example of this is the stock market (including IRA’s, 401(k)’s, SEP’s, Roth’s etc.)  You buy a stock with the hope that it will go up and be worth more sometime in the future.  Another example is real estate development.  You buy a piece of property (or invest with someone who bought it) and then the value of that property is increased by putting a house or building on it.  Next the property is sold for more and you hopefully make a profit. Taxes: The second reason people invest their money is for tax purposes.  Whether you realize it or not there are investments that can provide massive tax benefits. Some investments offer large write off’s or deductions, others create tax free growth, yet others create tax free income.  This might include Roth IRA’s, Life Insurance, Cash Flow Real Estate, Opportunity Zones, or more… If you make more than $200K per year then these types of investments begin to have a very strong appeal because the tax saving in addition to any other growth can make a massive difference in how quickly you build wealth. It’s also worth noting that the higher your tax bracket, the more valuable these tax breaks become to your bottom line. Cash Flow: Investments that pay you at regular intervals are cash flow positive investments.  They generate new money that you can live on or reinvest and are wildly popular because it’s fun to get a check (or deposit) each time they pay out. Cash flow investments are often referenced when people discuss “financial freedom” or “getting out of the rat race”. If you’re not familiar with what that means, it’s the idea that once your investment income surpasses your monthly expenses then you don’t have to “work” any longer – you’re financially free.  There’s a little more to it than that, but the idea is the foundation of what it takes to retire comfortably. So the question is, have you been relegating your investment funds into the “Junk Drawer” or have you been intentionally considering how you allocate your money and what purpose it’s meant serve? There’s a difference between doing something and doing it well… Most of our clients feel they ‘have it handled” because they DO save or invest some money, but they aren’t handling that money very well.  Unfortunately, they don’t know exactly WHY they are doing what they are doing, or how to go about evaluating their choices. They just follow the path of least resistance and stuff their money in the de facto “junk drawer” and figure it’s handled. So it’s done, but it’s not done WELL. Why is this important? The scary fact is, whether you want to or not, you’re going to end up as a “Professional Investor” when you sell your business. At that point, your income is going to rely entirely upon your ability to grow money, navigate taxes, and create cash flow so you’ll want to be operating at a higher level than the junk drawer offers. The good news is that taxes and investing aren’t as hard to master as you might imagine if you work at it a little. Wall Street wants you to think you need them, but it’s simply not true.  Honestly, I think the whole stock market is rigged and that you have FAR BETTER options as a higher income earner and business owner. So it’s up to you… Is the Junk Drawer good enough or to you want something better? If you think you’d like to learn a mapped out, proven route to understanding how to handle your money then you’re in luck. We’ve developed something we call the Pareto Portfolio (based on the 80 / 20 rule) to help simplify understanding why and how to structure building dependable wealth and you can see how it

You may have heard of something called, The Infinite Banking Concept (IBC or the Infinite Banking System), but if you’re like most people you have no idea what it is or how the Infinite Banking System works.  I’ve been teaching this system and helping people to implement it for years because it really works. I absolutely believe it is the most powerful method available for small businesses and “not-uber-rich people” to grow, protect, and utilize money. It can work for anyone, but it is even more effective for small business owners and real estate investors because they utilize so many loans. This idea has also been popularized under different names like Bank On Yourself, Becoming Your Own Banker, the Perpetual Wealth Strategy, or as we call it “Cash Flow Banking”.  In the end, these are all based on the same powerful principles, so don’t let the different names confuse you. Here’s how the Fundamentals of the Infinite Banking System Works and I’m going to keep this article conceptual and easy to understand, so please don’t get distracted by the details. The main idea to the IBC is that you’ll build your own private banking system and treat your own money the way banks treat money. They’ve managed to have the biggest buildings in every downtown in the country, so it’s clear they know what they’re doing, right? You’re going to mimic their successful concepts. Just like the banks, the primary advantage to the IBC is that once you’ve put a dollar into the system, it will earn for you for the rest of your life – even if you utilize it for purchases, investments, or retirement.  This unbroken growth ensures that you are always growing and compounding your wealth – no matter what happens. Here’s how it works… You will begin by saving money into a special type of “supercharged savings account” inside of a properly structured whole life insurance policy.  By using this type of account you’ll ensure a guaranteed rate of return, gain tax advantages, and protect your money simultaneously. (Protection varies state to state) [NOTE: Some people believe that whole life insurance is a terrible place to put money. These people are correct IF you choose the wrong insurance company or if your agent doesn’t structure the policy correctly. You could say the same thing about nearly any financial vehicle if it is used improperly. Life insurance is a tool, and just like any other tool it can be used correctly or incorrectly. So you need to work with an agent (or team) that understands how to properly implement this strategy. Most agents build policies to maximize their commissions and minimize your advantages, so please beware! Structuring your plan effectively is not super difficult, but more than 90% of insurance agents and investment brokers don’t understand how to do it correctly, so you want to work with someone who specializes in Infinite Banking. Our firm, Big Life Financial, deeply understands this concept and can ensure that your plan is optimized to minimize fees and maximize your results correctly. If you aren’t sure or want to see what the numbers look like, simply reach out to us here, and we’ll be happy to show you.] Once the money goes into your life insurance it will begin to earn a guaranteed rate of return. At the time of this writing the companies we work with are guaranteeing a 4% rate of return which is 800-1000% higher than most bank accounts. That difference alone is huge over time. I compare this life insurance account to a savings account because as your money builds up in the life insurance it is liquid – similar to a savings account – and can be accessed in 3-7 days. Most other accounts that pay a comparable interest rate are highly illiquid making it difficult to access your money. Also, there is no waiting period or penalty for using the money, so it is readily accessible for whatever you might need. Being able to get to your money quickly and easily is VITAL to this strategy. In addition to the guaranteed rate of return, you’ll also earn a dividend from the life insurance company.  We only work with dividend paying Mutual companies and they share their profits with policy holders each year.  These dividends aren’t guaranteed, but we choose to work with companies that have paid for the past 100+ years in a row, so I believe they are a very safe bet. So if you got a 1% dividend, that would be added to your 4% guarantee and total 5%.  This will help your money to grow safely as you build it up.  Obviously, the more you save into the account, the faster it begins to grow. Once you have enough money in the account, you can begin using it as your own banking system. For example, you’ll begin using this account to fund larger purchases where you might have gotten a loan in the past. So instead of getting a loan from the bank, you’ll get a loan from your own account. Let’s use the example of buying a car to illustrate why you’d want to be your own banker for large purchases. When you buy a car (or any large purchase), traditionally you have 2 choices: 1)     You can get a bank loan. 2)     You can pay cash. OPTION #1: Bank Loan If you chose to get a bank loan you will borrow the money from a lender and then pay the principle back plus interest. So, if you paid $40,000 for a car and financed it over 5 years, you’d end up paying $46,398.72. That’s $6,398.27 in interest to the bank. You might think that means your cost for financing the car is $6,398.27, but in actuality it’s MUCH more. What you don’t realize is that you’ve now robbed yourself of the ability to earn money with that $6,398 FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.  In other words, you didn’t

What if you could succeed at anything you chose to do? What if it wasn’t going to be impossibly hard? What if all you need to succeed is the right systems in place? The answer to each of those questions is the same: YES YOU CAN. YES, you can succeed at anything you choose to do. YES, you can have success without it being impossibly hard. YES you can (and will) succeed if you have a the right systems in place. Reread those statements again. Let them serve as your new mantra. As you may have guessed, the secret sauce of success–achievable success–is having systems in place to support your growth. Why? Without systems you are inconsistent at best and, at worst, dead without knowing it.  The reality is the you probably believe we are making progress toward your desires, but if someone actually tracked your progress, they’d see you’re often going backwards rather than forwards. Here’s a common example: If you are like most adults, you don’t have a system for your health. You might be gaining weight, losing strength or both. You blame it on aging, your busy lifestyle, too many happy hours. You believe you are “mostly” eating healthy and exercising “as much as you can,” but your results are headed in exactly the wrong direction.  The closest thing you have resembling a system for success is getting on that scale in the bathroom from time to time, and doing “damage control” when the number goes up. The bottom line is this: If you don’t have a system, you’re going to get results… just not the results you want! Now contrast this with having a conscious system in place. Imagine you had an excellent trainer and met with them 3 or 4 mornings per week. Specifically, you met each Monday, Wed, Friday and Saturday at 7 AM. They took you through a comprehensive routine each week and you always showed up because you were paying them handsomely to be there. Then, when you got home you had a pre-planned, clearly stated plan for your food. You knew exactly what you were going to eat each week including snacks, coffee, water & wine, the whole works!  You had a shopping list for each week and went to your favorite health food store at 5 PM on Sunday and did food prep for the week while cooking dinner each Sunday evening. Six months from now, how do you think you’d be doing? Infinitely better, right? Now imagine if you created systems like that for your financial success, relationships, grooming, home maintenance, and more. Many people do. They are the ones we look up to as successful. They aren’t perfect. Not even close. But the systems they’ve implemented in their lives allow them to achieve incredible things by taking the guesswork out of necessary tasks. Everything is crystal clear, optimized, and consistent. Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg famously wear the same thing each day. It’s a system designed to streamline that part of their day and it works gloriously. I know dozens of self made millionaires and even a few billionaires. What they all have in common is that they use systems to keep them on track in every area of their lives. They don’t leave anything to luck, whimsy or chance. Take a minute to digest this. Success is predicated on systems. It’s not magic. It’s not talent. And it’s definitely not “luck”. Here’s where the majority of us get in trouble… It’s far too easy to try and explain away why a system isn’t necessary. Not for YOU. You’re the talented, rebellious unicorn. The exception. You can just wing it and do great! You might think something like, “I don’t need a system for keeping romance alive in my relationship. It should just happen naturally.” Or “I’m motivated and smart so I don’t need a routine for my health and fitness. I’ll just be more motivated and it will all work out.” Sorry, but in both cases it doesn’t work. Well, more accurately it works on a much lower level that it could. Just look at your own life and see if you can find any exceptions.  You might find some areas that are working “ok” without a conscious routine or habits, but given enough time most of those areas break down too. So I invite you to take a look. What works at a high level in your life?  Your health, your wealth, your relationships, or your business?  Break it down. What makes it function so well? Chances are you’ll find hidden systems in place you didn’t realize you had. Or maybe you’ll find systems you’ve developed out of necessity.  Your morning routine. Winding down before bed. How you plan meals or vacations. The order you use to brush your teeth, wash your face, and comb your hair. Systems, routines and habits govern your life.  The better the system, the better your outcome. They are the unsung hero of your Divine destiny. The good news is that you get to choose. You get to pick what systems you implement, the direction they point your life, and how effective they become. Don’t let this overwhelm you. It doesn’t mean you need to plan every drop of your daily blood. Most of that is already done automatically anyway. But if you focus on the most meaningful areas of your life, you can see huge changes with a little bit of intentional tweaking. “Little hinges swing big doors” ~ W. Clement Stone I firmly believe that if you can get a few things right, the trajectory of your life will skyrocket. Here are a few simple systems I use that have made a huge difference in my life and success. They require minimal cost or effort and best of all…they work. Feel free to take these and make them your own: Have a planned, healthy breakfast and lunch routine –   Most of us are in a rush at breakfast

What I am about to say is controversial. So called financial pundits don’t want you to know this. It eliminates your reliance on them. They become obsolete… So here’s the unspoken, but important truth… Nothing is more vital than investing in yourself. You are the key to everything in you life. Without you, no doors open. No opportunities are unlocked. If you are worthless, hopeless, and helpless then your results will be the same. Your finances. Your relationships. Your health. Without these, what is life? Worse yet, you’ll know that you suck. That can be crippling and keep you playing small. You can’t let it. You are the only one who can choose. Nobody else chooses this verdict or can take action for you. So what do you do? Becoming strong is the answer. Not so you can bulldoze or take advantage of others. The complete opposite. Strength to become so valuable that others don’t want to live without you and what you’ve created. You know you’ve accomplished this when it’s as if you’ve become a great lover in their life. Without you their existence doesn’t taste nearly as delicious. You are creating the music they dance to. At that point they will do whatever it takes to keep you around. You have become the soil where they want to lay their seeds and grow their life. This is the goal. It may start slow, but it doesn’t have to. Quantum leaps exist. Bu you’ll need to suspend your current beliefs to see them. You need to paint from a blank canvas, not the one with your current picture of life. It sounds scary but that’s why its a leap. As you get better, so does your life. It’s a simple equation and you are the key variable. The multiplier that expands everything in your path. In business this means becoming indispensable. The key asset. Strive to become “the wheel” rather than a “cog” in the wheel. Someone whose value is so powerful that you are not dependent on outside circumstances for your success. This is non-negotiable if you want freedom. Your primary business or income will dictate the lion’s share of your financial standing. This is your foundation. The bedrock upon which you’ll build your kingdom. You must master your craft so that you can access resources. Without proper resources it is difficult to become your Best Self. Your financial success will go a long way in paving a smoother road for your relationships and health. Money isn’t the answer, but it is far better than poverty if you want true success. If your goal is to be a contribution to the world. When you invest in yourself the possible returns are unlimited. Literally. Where else can you invest $5,000 and make six figures? I did it. You can too. I spent $60,000 learning to invest in real estate, and it has made me several million dollars. I’ve spent six figures in seminars, trainings, and self improvement & business courses. They’ve returned tripled digit returns. Even better, they continue to earn for me each day. More business income. Better relationships. Healthier & happier lifestyle. More intimacy with my creator. So this is your warning. Success isn’t somewhere “out there”, it is “in here”. Invest in your human capacity, your skills, and your business. You are the craftsman who will sculpt the picture of your life, so focus on being the best craftsman possible. Once you are performing at a high level and the money is flowing, then we can talk about the framework to take you to even higher. Optimize cash flow. Build assets. Save taxes. As you become more successful, you’ll need better systems for saving, growing and protecting your assets. We’ll help you take care of that. If you’re ready now, let us know… Until then, drop the distractions. Focus on the the most important thing: developing yourself and your business. Live the life you were meant to live. Pursue excellence in all you do. The world will reward you with a rich life… and not just financially. You’ll experience more love, appreciation, and gratitude. Best of all, you’ll sleep better knowing the world is better because you existed. LIKE WHAT YOUR READING? THEN YOU’LL LOVE OUR VIDEOS. YOU CAN WATCH AND SUBSCRIBE HERE>>> NOTE: Photo by Diego PH on Unsplash