19,99 €
Mehr erfahren.
- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Ratgeber
- Sprache: Englisch
Embark on a journey to financial freedom and personal well-being
Are you striving to live the life you've always envisioned? Do you wonder how retirement will reflect the dreams and luxuries you desire?
In Wealth in the Key of Life: Finding Your Financial Harmony, Dr. Preston D. Cherry, an Accredited Financial Counselor, Certified Financial Therapist, and Certified Financial Planner delivers a unique perspective on harmonizing your financial and personal life.
Dr. Cherry's comprehensive Life Money Balance approach focuses not only on wealth accumulation but also emphasizes the importance of well-being in achieving a fulfilling life. In this book, you'll find:
- The "Six-A Alignment System": A revolutionary framework to understand and improve your relationship with money
- The Four-T's: Self-Audit, including Trial, Triumph, Transition, and Transformation, aiding in the seamless integration of finances into your life
- Strategies to navigate financial noise and conflicting advice, fostering mindfulness and resilience in your wealth-building journey
This book is a must-read for anyone looking to create a balanced, prosperous life. It's perfect for professionals, families, individuals with adult children, homeowners, renters, employees, and small business owners.
Whether you're just starting your financial journey or looking to enhance your current path, Wealth in the Key of Life provides the insights and tools necessary for aligning your financial decisions with your personal goals and well-being to help you flourish. Discover how to unlock your financial potential and live the life you've always envisioned.
Sie lesen das E-Book in den Legimi-Apps auf:
Seitenzahl: 267
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024
Ähnliche
Table of Contents
COVER
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE
COPYRIGHT
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INTRODUCTIONA PERSONAL JOURNEY TO HOLISTIC WEALTH: FROM BANKRUPTCY TO BALANCE
YOUR STORY GIVES YOUR FREEDOM
MOVING FROM DARK TO LIGHT
FINDING LIFE MONEY BALANCE
LIFE MONEY BALANCE
FINDING HARMONY
GRAB YOUR LIFE MONEY BALANCE
GRAB YOUR LIFE MONEY BALANCE
LIVING WEALTH IN THE KEY OF LIFE
LIFE-CENTERED UTILITY
MONEY PSYCHOLOGY UTILITY
LIFESTYLE UTILITY
LIFE STAGE VITALITY
THE MUSIC OF YOUR MONEY
SHUN SOCIAL MONEY STIGMAS
KEY TAKEAWAYS
CHAPTER ONE: ADMITTING WHERE YOU ARE
WRITE YOUR LETTER
BETTER TO ADMIT THAN AVOID
AVOIDING MONEY IS AVOIDING YOUR LIFE
MONEY IS MORE THAN A TOOL – IT’S REPRESENTATIVE
STAGES OF CHANGE
REFLECT TO RESTART
WHAT DOES ADMITTING HAVE TO DO WITH THE MONEY?
COGNITIVE DISSONANCE
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Journaling Page
CHAPTER TWO: ACKNOWLEDGING HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT MONEY
ACKNOWLEDGING HELPS CLEAR YOUR SOUL TO ACT
COURAGE OPENS CLOSED DOORS
JOURNAL YOUR JOURNEY
IMAGINE THE POWER OF JOURNALING
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Journaling Page
CHAPTER THREE: SURVIVING FINANCIAL TRIALS WITH RESILIENCE
WORKING THROUGH MONEY TRAUMA
UNCERTAINTY IS CERTAIN
YOUR FINANCIAL STATEMENTS MATTER
WHAT DOES RESILIENCE HAVE TO DO WITH THE MONEY?
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Journaling Page
CHAPTER FOUR: TAKING MINDFUL ACTION
OPTIMISM
ACTIVATE YOUR LIFE’S COURSE
BRING MINDFULNESS TO YOUR LIFE MONEY BALANCE
LMB REFRAMES REGRET
MASTERING YOUR MONEY MINDSET USING THE ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE
START YOUR SOLUTIONS-BASED STRATEGY
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Journaling Page
CHAPTER FIVE: ALIGNING MONEY WITH VALUES
GOLDEN TIME OF DAY
THE SCIENCE OF SELF
ALIGNING THE PERSON WITH PROSPERITY IN YOUR FINANCIAL PLAN
UNDERSTANDING THE MONEY’S SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN YOUR JOURNEY
WANTS ARE NEEDS, TOO! STATUS IS A WANT
WEALTH AND WELL-BEING ARE DIFFERENT
STEERING YOUR LIFE MONEY BALANCE WHEEL
LIFE-CENTERED UTILITY + LIFESTYLE UTILITY
WEALTH IN THE KEY OF LIFE
LIFE-CENTERED UTILITY
LIFE-STYLE UTILITY
BE YOU WITHOUT EXPLANATION WHILE WORKING YOUR PLAN
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Journaling Page
CHAPTER SIX: ASPIRING FOR FINANCIAL FREEDOM
LIVE YOUR ASPIRATIONAL LIFE
QUESTIONS TO LIVE ASPRTNLYTM
FINDING YOUR WHOLE IDEAL SELF
MONEY BUYS HAPPINESS
THE LMB
Ⓡ
WHEEL AND THE 8 DIMENSIONS OF WELLNESS
THE ENOUGH PARADOX
BELIEVE ABUNDANCE IS FOR YOU: FLOURISH WITH YOUR FINANCES
LIVE FULLY NOW AND RETIRE CONFIDENTLY: IT’S
AND
, NOT
OR
!
FREEDOM IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER
DEFINE WHAT FREEDOM MEANS TO YOU
ABUNDANT WEALTH AND WELL-BEING ARE FOR YOU!
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Journaling Page
CHAPTER SEVEN: MASTERING FINANCIAL TRIUMPH
NO ONE IS SELF-MADE!
THE ROLE OF LIVING GENERATIONAL WEALTH TRANSFERS IN YOUR ROAD TO TRIUMPH
SELF-AGENCY AND SELF-ECONOMY HELP FUEL YOUR TRIUMPHS
YOUR WHOLE SELF IS THE SOURCE OF YOUR TRIUMPHS
PRACTICE AND PASS ON GOOD MONEY HABITS
UNDERSTANDING THE ROOTS OF TRIUMPH CAN TRANSFER TRIUMPH YOUR WAY
SELF-WORTH, SELF-VALUE, AND SOCIAL CAPITAL ARE COMPOUND ASSETS
CONCENTRATED INVESTMENT IN YOURSELF CAN BE LUCRATIVE
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Journaling Page
CHAPTER EIGHT: ACHIEVING FINANCIAL MILESTONES
GET GOING WITH YOUR GOALS
YOUR ASPIRATIONS AWARD THE ACHIEVEMENT AND REWARD THE JOURNEY
USE THE LMB WHEEL TO FIND THE ASPIRATIONS YOU VALUE MOST
YOUR ASPIRATIONAL LIFE DOESN’T REQUIRE DEPRIVATION FRUGALITY
SPEND SHAMING TO SPENDING SUCCESS
THE RETIREMENT ACRONYM SALAD
DISPELLING MONEY MYTHS
GOING ABOUT BUILDING WEALTH
THE CONFLICTION OF BUSINESS CONCENTRATION RISK SUCCESS
BE CONFIDENT IN YOUR WEALTH BUILDING
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Journaling Page
CHAPTER NINE: TRANSITIONING WITH WILLING TRANSFORMATION
THE VOLTRON LIONS
87
AND THE VICTORY OF YOUR JOURNEY
TRANSFORMING YOUR LIFE AND MONEY WITH POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
THE PERMA MODEL OF POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY AND YOUR FINANCES
POSITIVE EMOTION
ENGAGEMENT
RELATIONSHIPS
MEANING
SECURE YOUR BAG!
MY LMB TESTIMONY TO HELP INSPIRE YOUR JOURNEY
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Journaling Page
CHAPTER TEN: FINANCIAL PLANNING FOR A FULFILLING LIFE
FINANCIAL COMPASSION
FINANCIAL EDUCATION
FINANCIAL LITERACY
FINANCIAL WELLNESS
MONEY IS MORE THAN A TOOL; IT’S A PARTNER
YOUR FINANCIAL PLAN IS YOUR LIFE PLAN
THE ALCHEMIST
IS THE BEST PERSONAL FINANCE BOOK!
COLLABORATE WITH COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL PLANNING
THE COST OF FINANCIAL ADVICE
FINANCIAL PLANNING ADVICE IS COMPREHENSIVE
DECIDING YOUR GOOD FIT FOR SERVICE AND FEES – IT’S ABOUT THE VALUE AND QUALITY OF ADVICE
FINDING YOUR IDEAL FINANCIAL ADVICE RELATIONSHIP
PEOPLE WHO COLLABORATE WITH IDEAL ADVICE ARE THRIVING
PEOPLE ARE SEARCHING FOR TRUSTED SOURCES AND SERVICES
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Journaling Page
CHAPTER ELEVEN: GENERATION X CAN HELP UNLOCK FINANCIAL HARMONY
THE SILENT GENERATION
101
,
102
THE BOOMER GENERATION
103
GENERATION X
105
,
106
,
107
WHAT DOES GENERATIONAL INTELLIGENCE HAVE TO DO WITH THE MONEY?
THE EXPERIMENT GENERATION
THE WEALTH TRANSFER
111
GENERATION X IS WORRIED ABOUT RETIREMENT
WHAT DOES THIS ENTIRE CHAPTER MEAN TO YOU AS A GEN XER AND TO YOUR LIFE, FINANCES, AND FUTURE?
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Journaling Page
CONCLUSION YOUR KEYS TO HOLISTIC WEALTH
FURTHER READING
INDEX
End User License Agreement
Guide
COVER
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE
COPYRIGHT
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INTRODUCTION A PERSONAL JOURNEY TO HOLISTIC WEALTH: FROM BANKRUPTCY TO BALANCE
BEGIN READING
CONCLUSION YOUR KEYS TO HOLISTIC WEALTH
FURTHER READING
INDEX
END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT
Pages
iii
iv
vii
viii
ix
x
xi
xiii
xiv
xv
xvi
xvii
xviii
xix
xx
xxi
xxii
xxiii
xxiv
xxv
xxvi
xxvii
xxviii
xxix
xxx
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
WEALTH IN THE KEY OF LIFE
FINDING YOUR FINANCIAL HARMONY
PRESTON D. CHERRY
Copyright © 2025 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved, including rights for text and data mining and training of artificial technologies or similar technologies.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Published simultaneously in Canada.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 750-4470, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permission.
Trademarks: Wiley and the Wiley logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.
Arc of Financial Wellness, FREEDOM Stage, Honest Self-Audit, Humanity of Money, Life Money Balance, Sea of C’s, Six-A Financial Harmony System, Teas of Life, and Teas of Money are trademarks or registered trademarks of Preston D. Cherry and may not be used without written permission.
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Further, readers should be aware that websites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read. Neither the publisher nor authors shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.
For general information on our other products and services or for technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at (800) 762-2974, outside the United States at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002.
Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic formats. For more information about Wiley products, visit our web site at www.wiley.com.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is Available:
ISBN 9781394268665 (Cloth)ISBN 9781394268672 (ePDF)ISBN 9781394268689 (epub)
Cover Design: WileyCover Image: © Adrian/Adobe Stock PhotosAuthor Photo: Courtesy of the Author
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I firmly believe people are not self-made even if they didn’t receive an inheritance. Yes, hard work and choices matter, and so do access and resources, which include living and post-life transfers – financial and otherwise. Why does that matter? Because people have believed and supported me throughout my journey, I’m grateful for their investment.
You’ll always hear me say, “Faith as you define it” because I respect people having their own relationship with Faith. My first acknowledgment is God. He is the most merciful and most gracious, and all praise be to God. There are so many instances in my life where He brought me exactly what I needed and, many times, what I wanted into my life. I thank God for accepting my imperfections, forgiving my transgressions, and allowing me to maximize myself and others with what He has given me.
Next, I want to thank my parents, Charles Jr. and Carla Cherry. They gave my sister and me the greatest gifts you can give human beings: love, self-worth, and self-value. These are the compoundable assets I often speak of, and I received them and the ideas from them. Their intentional decisions to invest in us gave us the opportunities we have now, either directly or indirectly. Also, their wisdom and example of love and life can’t be overstated. I received my confidence to be myself, assuredness in life’s decisions, leadership, personal style, and more from my father. I received the gift of humanity from my mother. I received all my financial psychology intuition and intelligence from her – vulnerability, compassion, courage, willingness, and wanting to be understood. I could go on, but I tell them this stuff every chance I get. Pops and Mother dear, I love and appreciate you more than you know. Thank you.
Next are my sister, brother-in-law (whom I call my brother), and beloved niece – Jennifer, Ryan, and Maddison. My sister and I are the late-stage Millennials and Gen Xers who lived the Latchkey Kid life, coming home after school to a household with only us young people until our parents came home from work. We have a special bond of brother-sisterhood that only we can understand, and we share countless life experiences, memories, and lessons that we carry forever – along with a library of movie quotes! My brother, Ryan, is a fantastic husband and father, and as a brother to a sister, there’s no one better I could have chosen for my sister. He’s that dude, and he’s a true friend of mine. Then there’s my Maddie Mae! Wow, this little girl, now a young woman, was part of saving my life and helping me stay in my willingness to change and on a transformational journey. Maddison is a true joy, a kindred spirit filled with talent and a big heart. Jennifer, Ryan, and Maddison, I love you dearly. Thank you.
Everyone in this acknowledgment is valued in their unique way. There’s a special and indescribable place for wife, friend, soul mate, and business partner Dr. Eiman Osseilan-Cherry and our recently born son, Laith. I met Eiman at Texas Tech University while pursuing our personal financial planning degrees. That’s relevant because, when I entered that pursuit and based on previous life experiences, I concluded that I wasn’t going to pursue or meet, by chance, anyone I could consider my life partner. God made sure I was wrong and blessed me with a person who is so right for me – and I am forever grateful! Eiman and I have a story that can fill another book. Just know that I knew from the start I wanted to spend my life with her, and I greatly appreciate how she has believed and supported me and helped lead our family on how to be a phenomenal and brave person and to pursue your dreams on your own path. Eiman, “thank you” doesn’t fully say what I need it to, but thank you for taking life’s journey with me. First, you and I, and now us with a son. Thank you, and I love you beyond and forever! And to my Saudi family – the Osseilan family – thank you for loving me and supporting me, Eiman, and now Laith to thrive in life with love. I appreciate how God has blessed me with two families in different places on this Earth; our families are connected through God’s grace. Thank you for everything.
Laith, my boy, all of this work and input placed into me is now for you. God blessed me (us) with you at the perfect time in life. I wanted you earlier in life, but God knows best. I am deeply connected with you and aim to try my best daily – you are my purpose. One day, you will read this book and these acknowledgments and see that I’ve been blessed with all this human capital investment and spiritual guidance from God. Outside of me (us) telling you, you have a public source here. I love you with a love I’ve never experienced. I am someone’s son, but I’ve never been someone’s father. I am yours. I love you!
A special shout-out to my Houston and Kansas City families, the former being my hometown and the latter my birth town. To my Kansas City family – rest assured, some of our family dynamics are the same for many families worldwide. Some are to be celebrated and transferred; others need healing and change. Let’s continue to grow. Thank you to my grandparents Charles Sr. and Cleo Cherry, Uncle Chris, Aunt Gwen, and all the Wesley, Lewis, and Williams families. Houston, you hold a special place in my heart for how I came up and developed. Thank you to all my Houston friends, colleagues, and associates. You know who you are. H-town!
My dear friends, mentors, and colleagues. My best friend, Dr. Ajamu Loving – much love, my brother; there are no words for how much I feel blessed to have you as a friend. My dear friend Chauncey Bogan, I value our friendship more than you know. Thank you, and I love you. Raheem Merritt and family, I love you, you already know. Sean Richards and the Richards family, having a family and friends to grow up with and through life is immeasurable. I thank you and love you.
When I say no one is self-made, this entire acknowledgment section is proof of that. Here are cheers to more of my mentors, colleagues, and friends who have been invaluable to my life. Dr. Jan Jasper, Lazetta Rainey Braxton, Saundra Davis, Dr. Freddie Richards, Dr. Vickie Hampton, Dr. Bill Gustafson, Dr. Dorothy Durband, Dr. Mitzi Lauderdale, Deena Katz, Harold Evensky, Steve Sanduski, Anthony Stich, Dr. Mark and Melissa Evers, Dr. Philip Gibson, Dr. Sarah Asebedo, Jamie Hopkins, Caleb Silver, Dr. Nathan Harness, Dr. Craig Lemoine, Christine Benz, Chloe Moore, Jim Pavia, Angela Moore, Jonathan Jones, Dominique Henderson, Mark Tibergien, Walter Booker, Dr. Meg Lurtz, Dr. Alex Melkumian, Emlen-Miles Mattingly, Rickie Taylor, David Linton, Roz Davis, Katie Cullen, Micheal Lane, Wayne Resch, Sherri Trombley, Trudy Turner, Victor Jones, Dean Mathew Dornbush, Cordero and Erin Barkley, Josh Brown, Jarvis Johnson, “Mike D.,” Sean and Brenda Miller, Texas Tech School of Financial Planning, Prairie View A&M University, Cypress, Texas, Cy-Fair High School, Financial Therapy Association, CFP Board, Financial Planning Association, AFCPE, CNBC, Schwab Network, the Charles Schwab Foundation, Schwab Advisor Services, the University of Wisconsin of Green Bay, and all students I’ve had the pleasure of teaching.
I’ve always wanted to be a writer, and being an author with a major publisher is a dream. A few of the people who helped to spearhead introductions and ideas were Ellen Rogin, Brian Portnoy, Suzzane Siracuse, Lynnette-Khalfani Cox, and Earl Cox. Speaking of publishers, I want to thank Judith Newlin, Vithusha Rameshan, and the Wiley team. Thank you for believing in my voice and vision and for your support.
I promise I could list hundreds of others in these acknowledgments; if I missed you, please blame my mind and not my heart and know that I cherish your contribution and our relationship.
To all the readers of this book, clients, and followers of my contributions to the world – my mission is to advance the human condition through personal finance and life testimony – thank you for allowing me to be a part of your life through this book, and I hope it helps in some way. Here’s to you finding your Wealth in the Key of Life!
INTRODUCTIONA PERSONAL JOURNEY TO HOLISTIC WEALTH: FROM BANKRUPTCY TO BALANCE
If you drive, you know how your car feels when the front-end alignment is out of whack. The car drifts left or right and becomes hard to steer, leaving you powerless. Instead of steering the car where you want it to go, your car controls your course. Then you repair your car, aligning it to achieve your desired driving experience so it can safely take you to your destination. Now, you and the car are working harmoniously on your travel journey. For several years, my life and money felt like a car with its front end out of alignment, steering me off course and leaving me with no control.
Excessively drinking alcohol to addiction nearly killed me. The journey through alcoholism also saved my life. The resilience to survive the trial helped me figure out what I didn’t want to do any longer and unlocked what I did want to do. Moving from trial to triumph was not easy or linear, but the transformation and resulting transition needed first simply to start. Personal transformation can start with a trial event or a triumphant event; the flashpoint moment is unique to the individual. The key to transformation is using that moment to reflect upon where you are and where you want to go and using that discovery as motivation to change your course. The motivation serves as an inspiration to avoid or to work through pain points to achieve your version of flourishing.
YOUR STORY GIVES YOUR FREEDOM
Your stories are your gateway to achieving financial freedom and the life you envision. When you tap into your story, you tap into your money. Let me tell you mine; I hope you find encouragement to embrace yours.
I graduated with a master’s in personal financial planning from Texas Tech in the winter of 2006, and from 2007 to 2008, I thrived. I secured two career-defining positions, new money heights, and personal accomplishments. The first was a respectably high salary for my life stage, and I felt secure enough to purchase a condo. The second position was a breakthrough career position with a generous six-figure compensation package with junior executive–type benefits like signing and performance bonuses, relocation expenses, and home-selling subsidies. I was in my late twenties and felt like I was progressing ahead of my expected personal life and money schedule.
The next seven years were what I call the “fog” years. I embarrassingly lost that second career position quickly, followed by losing the condo, ultimately leading me to bankruptcy. My financial regret is that I had a well-off tenant in their early 60s who paid rent in six-month installments in advance, and the condo had a prime location, so I missed out on real estate income and appreciation. But that’s not the worst of it; I lost sight of my aspirational life – an essential theme to life and money prosperity in this book. The sting of failure brought by the guilt and shame of self-destruction engulfed me. Wasting the gift of precious time coupled with not maximizing life’s opportunities fueled an onslaught of self-medication at best, abuse or addiction at worst.
Craving mind- and spirit-altering substances transforms into chemical dependency. Artificial chemicals that connect with the brain’s natural chemicals devilishly capture reason, which uncontrollably replaces reality with an alternative state of being: a false, yet at times euphorically calm state of well-being that is unsustainable. There was never going to be enough to feed my subsidized state that froze my inner conflicts and current issues so that my soul could function warmly. The only two outcomes were to admit and address or continue toward a certain death. Reaching this conclusion and finding what was killing me should have been the worst, but it wasn’t.
Much worse was discovering that a complete disconnect from my values, a total loss of self-identity and worth, and lacking the hope of ever understanding and healing my pain was killing me more than the substances. I didn’t know that traveling a pathway toward rock bottom would lead me to admit I was sparking a process to pursue the freedom to transform and transition to the life I want. You’ll read how admitting during your Honest Self-Audit kicks off finding the information you need to guide the senses and strategy of your financial life plan.
MOVING FROM DARK TO LIGHT
I was doing well professionally, but I was dying personally. How I used my lifestyle to cope led my money down the drain. My life and finances were markedly disconnected, displaying no concurrent partnership. My money financed reactions to my life; I did not allow my life to direct the purpose of my money.
During the “fog years,” the clouds during the day and the dark of night felt good because the weather matched my soul. I was comfortable there – until I wasn’t. The old-schoolers would say I was “broke, busted, dusted, and disgusted!” I was ready for the sunshine to shed light on me, for reflection, and in me for inspiration. I was ready for change. It was one of my final benders that moved me from darkness to light.
Outside my condo, there was a streetlight for a transit stop, which shone through my window at night, even with the blinds drawn. I required blackout curtains, which I did not have, to achieve pitch-black darkness. So the room was dark but not pitch dark. I arrived home around 4:00 a.m., worn out from drunkenness. After entering, I dropped to the floor, crawled to my bedroom, and lay on my back. I was exhausted not just from that night but from life. I did not want to end my life, but had it ended at that moment, I wouldn’t have minded. Figuratively, I felt dead.
Because the streetlight was coming through the window, the room wasn’t dark enough to match the darkness inside of my soul. I didn’t have enough coordination to walk, so I crawled to the windowless bathroom so I could achieve darker darkness, so I could be more comfortable in my guilt and shame.
There was a crack at the bottom of the bathroom door, letting light inside. Spread out on the floor, I didn’t think I was worthy of the sliver of light, so I had to find a darker place to feel more comfortable. I crawled into the closet and shut the door from the inside. The bottom of the closet door gripped the carpet tight, letting in no light; I found that I required it to be even darker still. I parted the clothes and crawled behind them into a corner, finally achieving the darkness and emptiness of my self-worth and value. At this moment, I realized what I didn’t want to do and what I wanted to do; I wanted more light, and I wanted more life – the life I envisioned.
FINDING LIFE MONEY BALANCE
With tears of desperation, I crawled from the closet toward the light and made two phone calls – one to my family and another for professional help. In that instant, I held my first Honest Self-Audit of my current situation, an essential step toward staging change and working toward sustainable action for an aspirational life.
After courageously and honestly admitting where I was, three things became apparent. First, my life situation was an emergency, with the current direction guaranteeing death. Second, my life was not where I wanted it to be. Third, I wanted to begin the journey of moving toward where I wanted to go. Unbeknownst to me, this was the moment when the Life Money Balance (LMB) philosophy was born.
LIFE MONEY BALANCE
Let your life lead your money, instead of your money leading your life; your life and money should work concurrently to create your life design.
The LMB system lets you partner your finances with the life you want. It requires engaging in vulnerable and bold steps and requires that you apply frameworks to help achieve life and money alignment by giving your money assignments to what you value most. The chapters in this book will help you apply LMB to your life’s course.
It took years for me to recover. Step two in the Honest Self-Audit is to compassionately acknowledge how you feel about where you are, to process the Humanity of Money, clearing the path for healing that will jumpstart you toward action. Tea drinkers know there are types of tea for different moods and health conditions. Timely sipping your proper tea can promote better outcomes in your target area of health or mindset. There are “teas” (“T’s”) for your life and money flashpoints, life stages, milestones, and mindsets. Through faith, family, friends, and professional help, I was compelled to travel the Teas of Life – Trial, Triumph, Transformation, and Transition toward abundant living, full of thriving well-being and consistent wealth-building.
Self-investment started with first surviving to heal, then moving towards investments in thriving. Connecting my current and future self was essential to allowing my whole self to thrive across my life’s course. In other words, my current self caring for my future self’s preferences and purpose – and vice versa – is an essential element to the Integrated Life Stage Well-Being aspect of LMB, which we will discuss shortly.
I set on a course to transform my life’s design and transition to the next stages of my life course. Through my testimony, I want others to gain the courage and vulnerability to live the life they want now and in their future. By using LMB, you can advance your human condition, pairing the Humanity of Money with sound financial insights to achieve what you value most.
FINDING HARMONY
Not addressing my emotional health was stunting my financial health at a great cost. The burden of not having answers to life’s past and present was coming at the expense of my future, a price too expensive to pay. You can’t find financial harmony with years of misalignment; your music notes of life will be off-key. The music of wealth has one producer – you – and your album will not flourish without your production.
The technical definitions of harmony are rooted in music and psychology. Harmonious music comes from combining notes playing together in chords, forming a holistic song that pleases your senses when you listen – heart, mind, and soul. Some songs sound like perfect harmony, and while there’s no such thing as perfect, progress toward that perfection starts to sound like bliss. Harmony in psychology is a positive state of inner peace, calm, and balance within your social circles, between individuals, or within yourself.1
Much like mine, flashpoint moments require you to ask what life and financial notes will play together to create a song that will bring you peace, calm, and balance. These notes will allow you to build wealth, the key to living your aspirational life. Your life becomes the leader of your money, providing the connective glue that binds you to what you value most and a financial plan you will stick with. You find as much you don’t want to do, so much as you do.
My “ahh” moment happened in 2016 after I came out of the fog. I asked myself, “Preston, what do you aspire to do?” The answer was “to help others advance their human condition, delivering financial education and advice through multiple platforms, such as an advice firm, global speaking, and academia.” That alignment kicked off my aspirational journey, helping me assign my energy and dollars toward what I want to achieve. That’s why I am writing this book. You, too, need to find and follow a framework to identify your ideal aspirational life, funded with wealth strategies that bring you fulfillment and help you flourish.
GRAB YOUR LIFE MONEY BALANCE
The LMB philosophy finds its inspirational roots in Dr. Martin Luther King’s 1967 speech to junior high schoolers titled “What Is Your Life’s Blueprint?” Dr. King asked,
What is in your life’s blueprint? This is the most important and crucial period of your lives. For what you do now and what you decide now may well determine which way your life shall go.
In 2018, I sought inspiration to create a guiding philosophy to help people find their blueprint
