What would you do if faced with a massive $4 million debt? There’s not an iota of doubt that the amount is significant and it might take many, many years to repay it. But there’s one thing that it would most likely teach you - winning at money! While most dream of retiring in their 40s, what they lack is not just financial disciple but a plan to go about.
A self-made millionaire, widely recognised personal finance expert, and a best-selling author - Dave Ramsey - has famously talked about the simple formula for winning at money. It is not how much one has, not where one’s investments are, and not even how high returns you are generating. It is simply behaviour and awareness and understanding in your head.
Today, Ramsey is hugely popular for helping people clear their debts and build wealth, but once, he himself faced a massive $4 million debt and that too when he was just in his late 20s. In 1988, he had filed for bankruptcy when he was just 28 years old. He had a $4 million real estate portfolio at 26.
Following his tryst with debt, Ramsey recovered and developed his own theory for financial freedom. In this, he emphasises incrementally building savings and paying off debts in a systematic way. Ramsey has also made this into a formalized series of ‘7 Baby Steps’.
'Winning at money is 80% behavior and 20%...': Wealth wisdom from millionaire who once faced $4 mn bankruptcy
The $4 million debt caused Ramsey and his family to lose everything. On his website, the personal finance expert has narrated how he went on a quest to find out how money really works after losing everything.
Now a successful millionaire and big name in the finance world, Ramsey has famously said, “Winning at money is 80 percent behavior and 20 percent head knowledge. What to do isn’t the problem; doing it is. Most of us know what to do, but we just don’t do it. If I can control the guy in the mirror, I can be skinny and rich.”
He strongly advocates that if one can regulate the person in their mirror (themselves), they would win with money.
Following Ramsey’s idea, anyone can win with money. Think about 20 years from now, imagining where do you want to be financially. Ask yourself, what you're doing right now going to get you there? If not, where are you headed? “Until the pain of staying the same outweighs the pain of actually making a change, you won't turn things around,” Ramsey says.
Start telling yourself “no” to unnecessary things, spends and wants that would only drain you financially. The simplest first step is budgeting. Basically, you are the problem with your money. Fix yourself, align your thoughts with your financial goals and things will start to fall in place.
Money makeover challenge by Dave Ramsey
Financial videos aren’t your answer; you are, he says. “You are the king of your future, and I have a plan. The Total Money Makeover plan isn’t theory. It works every single time. It works because it is simple. It works because it gets to the heart of your money problems: you.”
Ramsey’s money makeover challenge is based on a series of prices that must be paid to win. All winners pay a price to win. Some losers pay a price and never win, and that is usually because they didn’t have the benefit of a proven plan for financial fitness. His motto is: IF YOU WILL LIVE LIKE NO ONE ELSE, LATER YOU CAN LIVE LIKE NO ONE ELSE.
If you wish to start on your journey of winning at money, start with Ramsey’s ‘7 baby steps’:
- Establish an emergency savings fund.
- Pay off all non-housing debts as quickly as possible, starting with the smallest outstanding balances (debt snowball method).
- Increase your emergency fund to cover three to six months' expenses.
- Invest 15% or more of your gross monthly income into a retirement account.
- Start college funds (if you have children).
- Pay off your mortgage early.
- Build wealth.
