It's been just over a year since I started writing my first book. Officially, I began writing Wednesday evening, May 24, 2017 while sitting on my apartment patio overlooking the mountains in Salt Lake City. It was an inspiring view. Perhaps I was a little ambitious since I wanted to have it finished and printed by December 31, 2017. I tend to be a little optimistic and naive at times.
While I planned to write a book at some point in my life, I didn't plan on doing it now at age 47. However, looking back over the past year, it was a perfect time. I recently left a premier job where I worked for 15 years ending my career at the executive level. I then took a brief one year break to buy some real estate and explore some new opportunities. When May 2017 rolled around, the timing just felt right, and our family was in a good financial spot. And with that setting, I began formulating a plan for my book, a book about money and helping people shape their financial future.
Writing the Book
I've been a student of personal finance since I was 25. Studying and working in the financial industry for 20 years led me to write a book on personal finance. Not much of a surprise since my expertise is in the personal finance space.
As I continued thinking about the money problems people are facing, I really wanted to come up with a way to turn the personal finance industry upside down. There are a lot of people doing great work, but it still seems like we're barely scratching the surface in financial literacy and education. About 10% of American households are millionaire households. That means 90% of households have a net worth of less that one million dollars. In simpler terms, there are roughly 110 million American households and about 10 million millionaire households according to the US Census. However, that doesn't tell the whole story. Many Americans net worth is far less than one million dollars. In fact, many Americans net worth is less than $100,000. I think that is terribly sad.
After wrestling through various titles, I landed on The Millionaire Choice: Millionaire or Not. You Can Choose. I believe becoming a millionaire is a choice. Whether or not we become millionaires is based on the life and financial choices we make.
As I began writing the evening of Wednesday, May 24, 2017, I felt compelled to write with urgency. During an overnight layover in Denver on my Friday evening flight home to Nashville, I spoke with my wife about the book and the progress I was making. Somewhere during the conversation, the idea of completing the book in 30 days came up. At the time, that seemed like an impossible task considering our work and family circumstances. However, occasionally circumstances change and amazing can things happen. In June 2017, I penned 60,000 words and completed 90% of the book's first draft. Yea. I was shocked too!
Now one year later and after several revisions, multiple reviews by friends, family and other professionals, the manuscript for my first book is finished and off to the publisher. I never imagined writing a book was so difficult!
Inside the Book
In The Millionaire Choice, I share my story of growing up in a financially messy home where money struggles were common, and a lack of good financial knowledge and habits reigned. At age 25, I began to change.
I was 25 years old when I realized I was headed into a financial disaster if I didn't change, so I began studying money. After about 90 days, I realized that I could become a millionaire by the time I turned 40...if I made the right financial choices. That was when I made what I call The Millionaire Choice and formed my own personal millionaire plan, my plan to become a millionaire. Hence the purpose and goal of my book, The Millionaire Choice. To inspire and help people become millionaires regardless of their family background or financial circumstances.
The backbone of The Millionaire Choice are the 10 Keys of the Millionaire, the 10 principles that helped me to break my family's generational cycle of financial mismanagement and become a millionaire by age 40.
For now, it's available now for pre-order on Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Books-A-Million and other bookstores. The official store date is November 13, 2018. You can learn more about my upcoming book at themillionairechoice.com.
My Inspiration for Writing The Millionaire Choice
During my time in the financial world, working for two different personal financial education, and talking with people, I learned a few things that both saddened and challenged me.
I realized that there are entire segments and people groups in our country that aren't receiving the financial training and education they need. Why? The reason is simple. They don't have money. Businesses can't make money off of broke people, and so very little effort is being made to help the people who need financial education the most. I don't have all the answers, but I hope that I can make some small difference to help those in need of financial help and education.
I'm excited to be able to help people get their finances in order. Although our family has been able to break the cycle of financial mismanagement, so many of the people I meet are not there yet. They need guidance, help, and encouragement.
In time, I really would like to find a way to turn the personal financial education industry upside down to help all those who need and want it. It's not just about a book or making money. It's about making a difference in the lives of others, transforming families, and changing the world.
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