I don’t know about you but it seems every self-help guru whose website I’ve ever visited now has me on their daily email list.
Mostly I ignore the emails or trash them.
But since they do have good stuff from time to time (probably a lot more often than I have time to read them), I’m reluctant to “unsubscribe.” Occasionally I read them and, when I do, they’re usually worth the read, even if it’s mostly an upsell to some other product. There’s usually a nugget of value to take away.
So it was a few days ago, when I read an email from the Rich Dad Company. The advice didn’t relate to my personal needs at this time, but I thought it was valuable for so many people struggling with getting debt under control, and so complemented my own coaching efforts, that I should pass it on to my readers. And the larger lesson relates to all of us.
This is a real life example of how Robert Kiyosaki himself, and his wife Kim got out of near bankruptcy. They’ve since become the financial gurus of our generation and claim an immense personal wealth and a global following. (If you haven’t read Robert’s book Rich Dad, Poor Dad, you should.) Here is an unedited excerpt from that email:
Here are six simple steps Robert and Kim used to eliminate personal debt:
“1. Keep your debt in check. If you have credit cards with outstanding balances, discipline yourself to use only one or two. But, any new charges must be paid off every month.
2. Increase your cash. Find a way to come up with an extra $200 per month. By increasing your income with a side job or by cutting back on doodads, this should be relatively easy to do.
3. Focus on one. With the extra $200 each month, apply that to your monthly payment on only one of your credit cards. For that one card you’ll be paying the minimum payment plus the extra $200.
4. Continue the pattern. Once your first card is paid off, continue that method on your next card. With each debt you pay off, apply the full amount you were paying on that debt to the payment of your next debt. As you pay off each debt, the monthly amount you are paying on the next debt will escalate.
5. Tackle all debt. Once all your credit card debt is paid off, continue the same methods with your car and mortgage debt. If you follow this procedure, you’ll be amazed at the shortened amount of time it takes to be completely debt-free.
6. Time to build your wealth. Now that you are completely debt-free, take the monthly amount you were paying on your last debt and put that money toward investments. Get your money now working for you.”
Well, there you have it! Doesn’t sound too tough, does it?
A major component of our rent-to-own program is coaching toward mortgage eligibility. This is usually directed primarily toward building credit worthiness. But we’re always prepared to broaden the scope of our coaching—after all, debt management and financial responsibility are critical components of your credit building program—and go behind the scenes of what appears on your credit report.
The first step is, of course, recognizing that you need help. That’s no different than any other area of life. I was not a successful entrepreneur until I realized that I needed help from mentors, coaches and colleagues. And I can say the same for probably every one of my colleagues.
Financial success is not a solo endeavor; it is a team sport. There is no shame in seeking support, advice, education and encouragement from others.
So, even if you’re not in a situation of needing help with getting out of debt, if this blog post reminds us how much we need the support and mentorship of colleagues and team members (online or otherwise) to be successful, it will benefit us all.
Myself included.
