Money concerns are hitting many households as the economy is being disrupted, closing doors of many small businesses and people losing their job even working for bigger corporations. Despite financial struggles, people continue to exercise unproductive habits and unconsciously spending, leading them to increased chronic financial stress. While you are alive, I know you will do everything to survive daily and take care of your family, but have you asked yourself: “Would my family be financially secure if I were to die today?”
Unfortunately, death is something we do not want to think about but it is one thing in life we can not escape. I see too many “go-fund me” events created by families and friends to pay for their loved ones’ funeral. So I would like to share a story that might motivate and inspire you to take your financial health seriously. The story is about Jerry Dan Hunter, the father of my children who unexpectedly passed away four years ago. His decision to be financially responsible is still paying off, even during current, uncertain economic times due to Covid-19 for our family. Even if he is not physically with us, he continues to keep us financially secure allowing me to care for our kids without working full time. Also, allowing his daughter to continue her education at Syracuse University where she is majoring in Architecture, and his boys to attend private school that is providing them with a good foundation for their future. Jerry was the youngest of three children, raised by a woman of God who worked as a dentist’s assistant in her career. Losing his father at a young age, and living with his Mom who was struggling financially, Jerry was determined to break the cycle, as many other kids who had difficult childhoods.
Jerry did not own his own business, or had life insurance to keep a financial legacy behind after his passing. He was just an ordinary guy who worked a 9-5 job that he sometimes loved and sometimes hated. Even though he had insecurities of being poor, he did not get serious about building his financial wealth till his early thirties. He finally completed his bachelors degree at the age of 34 and got his first serious job in the Oil & Gas Industry, starting in their Accounting Department. Since then and over the years during his professional career, he worked in many roles and stuck with the same company until he retired, which is something that does not happen a lot nowadays. I always admired Jerry’s dedication to build financial security for himself and his family. What he taught us as a husband and father is to respect the money we worked hard to earn, implement a strategic plan to grow financial security, and achieve goals despite our fears and our past.
My only hope with sharing this lesson with you is to encourage and inspire you to be honest with yourselves and conscious about your counterproductive habits and wasteful spending. What are you doing today that will contribute positively towards your future, for yourself and your family, beyond your lifetime?
WE ARE BUSY BEING BUSY AND NOT PRODUCING ANY TANGIBLE RESULTS THAT WILL INSPIRE OUR GENERATION SO WE LEAD SUBCONSCIOUS LIFE DAY IN AND DAY OUT UNTIL IT IS TOO LATE.
What we can learn from Jerry is that you can start late and still succeed financially, you do not have to have a business or life insurance to leave a legacy behind, and that you can set an example for your future generations. We may not have financial debt to worry about after his passing, but we still have a responsibility to continue his legacy for him. If your kids remember you wasting money when they are growing up, that is what they are going to do when they are older. Set an example of proper balanced money management, spend when needed, and invest properly as needed to fit your desired outcome.
Culturally, many are raised not to discuss money. In addition, it is not taught at schools, so most define their Financial health and security by their past patterns. If you do not discuss and increase your financial literacy, then understanding your goals and creating a strategic action plan will be difficult. Most of the time, we want to copy somebody else’s actions but having your own action plans to align with your goals and values is always going to be a winner financially and personally.
3 Key Takeaways:
- Identify your goals and values to secure yourself and your family’s financial future
- Create a strategic action plan and take concrete steps to reach your financial security
- Exercise conscious busyness and money spending to make sure you are producing tangible results
If you are someone who is working hard building financial security while sometimes feeling you cannot have everything you want, just remind yourself your family can have financial security while grieving you instead of things you cannot have right now. In the end, you are living not only financially debt-free family but emotionally debt-free as well.
I would love to give you a free e-copy of my book “Currencies of Life” so you can discover The Wealth Accelerator Method℠, a 7-step process to start working towards building your wealth to lead a debt-free life inside out. Click here to download your copy.