The 10 Steps To Financial Independence
There are ten steps to financial freedom. It involves focusing on self-development and personal finance to become financially independent.
Are you wondering how you can become financially independent? Society does not teach you these skills. These are the ten steps to financial freedom.
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Self-Improvement
This first section goes over self-improvement. You always want to find ways to improve yourself. Your personal life reflects other areas of your life, including finances.
Self-Development
Self-development plays a crucial role in being able to reach financial independence. There are three aspects of self-improvement to practice if you want to become financially independent.:
Self-discipline
Self-responsibility
Consistency
Self-discipline plays a vital role in personal finance. It would be best to learn not to be ruled by your emotions. You cannot just buy something if you cannot afford it. A good way to practice self-discipline with money is to list items you need to buy at the grocery store. You can see how closely you follow the list after you check out at the store. Did you purchase any additional items that were not on your list? You can expand this principle to your budget and eliminate unnecessary monthly purchases.
Money that you needlessly spend could have been money you could have saved or invested toward your financial future.
Self-responsibility complements self-discipline. You want to take responsibility for your finances as soon as possible. This will help you to know what your bare minimum expenses are. You will likely begin to add more as you age. You will pay more for healthcare since you become more susceptible to health issues. You will be responsible for more types of assets, such as a house or condo.
You want to save and invest consistently. You can save money once a month. You may be able to save money every week. You want to save money regularly. The power of compound interest can help you to increase what you have in your account. Once you have met your first savings account's goal, you could open another one for investments or to save for retirement. Consistent saving and investment can help increase your net worth over your lifetime.
Self-Education
Self-education is critical to financial independence. Many people wrongly assume that the education system teaches students what they need to know to succeed. The education system merely makes you regurgitate information. That is not an education. That is different from how you learn about finances. The opposite of the education system is self-learning.
Self-learning is vital to building wealth. Curiosity can help you understand things that most people may never question. A common trait among self-made millionaires is that they are always learning. They are always asking questions. They are pushing boundaries. They are curious. They always continue reading and learning from others.
You can always choose to explore a topic deeper. You can decide to learn about a new area once you have learned enough in one area to be competent. You do not need to be a master in everything.
A bonus of self-education is you will be interesting to talk to. This is because you can discuss a wide range of topics. Some may have a deeper understanding than others, but you can converse with people you may otherwise be unable to talk to.
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Health
Health is critical. Health is wealth. If you are unhealthy, you may pay more for doctor’s appointments, health insurance and won’t feel as good. Some simple ways to improve your health include regularly exercising, lifting weights, and choosing a diet that works best for you.
Many Americans do not get enough exercise. Much of the food sold in the grocery store is processed food. That is why finding a diet that works for you is good. A whole foods diet is a good starting point.
You can see your doctor for a yearly checkup. You can see a doctor in-person. You could also decide to have a virtual doctor visit using PlushCare.
Money Management
The second step to financial freedom is money management. Learning to manage your money is vital to becoming financially free.
Budgeting
You need to follow a budget. There are two main budgets that you can follow. There is the popular 50/30/20 budget. There is also the lesser-known 60/20/10 budget. It is critical to note that you budget your after-tax income.
You budget 50% of your income for your needs, 30% for your wants, and the last 20% you save using the 50/30/20 budgeting strategy. You can read more about the basics of the 50/30/20 budget in this post.
Another option is to follow the 60/30/10 budget. The budget is divided into three categories: fixed expenses, savings and investments, and precious metals. The 60/30/10 budget focuses on saving for investments instead of on wants. With this budget, you can include a small percentage for any wants under the fixed expenses category. The less you spend on wants. That is more money you can save, invest, and reinvest
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