What is your net worth?
To put it simply, if you were to sell everything you owned and pay off all your debts, the amount that you would be left with is your net worth. Purchasing assets and paying off debts are both ways you can increase your net worth.
Purchasing Assets
Not everything you purchase will help you build your net worth. For example, purchasing a new car doesn’t increase your net worth as it quickly depreciates in value. You may have paid $20,000 for it but within a year or two it could be worth four to five thousand dollars less.
If you want to build your net worth, you will need to purchase assets that will ultimately increase in value over time such as works of art, rare coins, handmade Persian rugs, etc. Investing in real estate is another way to build up your net worth, even if you do need to take on more debt in order to do so.
Paying Off Debts
Another way to build your net worth is to pay off your debts including car loans, student loans, credit cards, and your mortgage. It’s always best to pay off high interest debt first, as well as debt where the interest is not tax deductible.
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Pam Wealth
What does it mean to pay yourself first? Rather than taking care of your bills and expenses each month and
then seeing if you have any money left over to invest and save, paying yourself first means you put aside some money for saving/investing as soon as you get paid! If you do that, then you know you will be able to tuck some money away for retirement as well as build up an emergency fund.
An easy way to pay yourself first is to set up an automatic withdrawal from your checking account on the same day you get paid. That way you won’t even miss the money because it will be like you never had it in the first place.
Even if you are on a tight budget it is important to pay yourself first. It may seem impossible on paper, but you need to do it. In Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki talks about a time when he and his wife had almost no money but they still insisted on paying themselves before paying their bills. Their bookkeeper at the time thought they were nuts. But look at them now! They have successfully learned what habits contribute to building wealth.
If you’re not already paying yourself first, I recommend that you take some time to look at your budget and set up an automatic withdrawal each month to start saving and investing for the future, even if all you can do is put aside $25 per month. It’s better than nothing, and as you progress you can increase the amount you invest.
Pam Wealth
Building wealth has very little to do with how much you earn, and a whole lot to do with how you manage the money that you earn. People with six figure incomes can be living from paycheck to paycheck while people with modest incomes can be accumulating a great deal of wealth. Here are some behaviors that will help you to accumulate wealth:
1. Pay as little tax as possible by taking advantage of the tax breaks and tax rules.
2. If you have difficulty saving, think of creative ways to eliminate wasteful expenditures. The key is to always spend less than you earn.
3. If you get a raise, bonus, or a large tax refund, don’t spend it just because you have it. Instead, save it and invest it wisely. You don’t have to increase your expenditures just because you suddenly earn more money. Most millionaires live well below their means, driving older vehicles and living in modest homes.
4. Make contributions to tax deferred retirement plans so you can get some of your money back. Use that money to pay off a chunk of your mortgage or other debt.
5. Credit can either be used to set you back financially or it can be used to help you build wealth. Rather than racking up credit card debt to purchase consumer items (bad debt), use debt to finance an investment in real estate (good debt). It’s important to be mindful of the difference between good and bad debt. Good debt is debt used to purchase assets that can generate cash flow. Bad debt is used to purchase liabilities such as furniture that will depreciate in value.
Pam Wealth
What is your net worth?
