Hey Collin County Parents,
Aaron Miller here. I’m going out on a limb and trying something new, and I hope you’ll go with me. I know that you and I haven’t emailed much before, but starting this week I’m hoping that we can have a conversation.
You see, there hasn’t been an environment like the one we’re now facing in this economy and in our nation for quite a while. The fact is-I know you’ve got questions…about personal financial strategy, about legal specifics and about how to navigate your way through these challenging times we’re living in.
Not Just “Law Tips”…
I won’t pretend to have ALL the answers, but I’m going to do my best to give you information from the “real world”. Yes, there’s a lot of so-called “experts” out there (theorists, authors, or multi-millionaire “gurus”) who make it their job to spout opinion.
But more often than not, they don’t know what it’s like to face the things that we face-right here in Collin County.
And, because of the relationship that you and I already have, I also want to give YOU the chance to contact me about questions you’ve been having. I’ve found over the years that people generally want more (not less) from their trusted legal advisor in terms of communication and relationship. So you’ll be hearing from us a whole lot more going forward.
Bottom line: starting this week, I’ll be making a major effort to keep in touch with you on a weekly basis-offering “Straight Talk” Personal Strategy (not just pie-in-the-sky theory) and guidance for growing wealth, keeping sane in this world, and all-around personal development.
And it will NOT be just law tips or legal planning information. Sure, there will be items you’ll need to know about-which I’ll send your way-but I believe you’ll find these notes to be interesting and useful on a variety of levels.
So let’s get started, shall we?
Aaron Miller’s
“Straight Talk” Personal Strategy
True Wealth / Getting To Know You
In the coming weeks, I’ll add more to this space…but now, in this first week-a thought and a question for you:
Thought: Learning to be content in all circumstances is the foundation for generating real wealth, especially in this economy.
Why do I say this? Well, it’s my job to help people “ride out the storms” in their financial life. And I’ve noticed a very real difference between those that handle it well, and those that… well, don’t.
See, relative to their income, the very rich are frugal. They spend less than 65% of their take-home pay on day-to-day expenses. They put at least 10% in their retirement accounts and another 5% in taxable investments. They direct another 10% toward unknown big purchases. And they even live frugally enough to give another generous 10% to charities.
Now-remember when I said this would be “straight talk”? The fact is, I know that you may not be even close to this, and you could even be feeling guilty right about it right about now. That’s the LAST thing I want to do to you! But we’re in a crazy economic climate right now, and I want to be a person in your life who tells you what you CAN do!
Set it as your personal goal to increase (or start) your household cashflow moving in these directions:
1) investing
2) retirement
3) short-term (big purchase like a car or furniture) savings and
4) giving.
This week, choose ONE of these categories and move money there, however small the amount. Then, when you do so-let somebody know you did it. Not to brag, but to settle it into your mind.
You’ll find that taking a positive direction in one of these areas-even if it’s just a measly 5 bucks-will go a long way to increase your peace of mind.
And with THAT peace of mind, you’ll handle the upcoming storms real well. And if you’d like to find out more, check out “The Richest Man in Babylon” by George S. Classen. I highly recommend this book. I wish I could go back and tell 2002 Aaron (the Aaron just out of law school) about this! It is a lot easier to start out doing this than it is to cut back, but you CAN do it!
That’s shooting it straight, my friend.
To your family’s wealth, health, and happiness!
Aaron Miller