DEBT vs FINANCIAL FREEDOM

I served as a teacher and administrator for public schools for 24 years and another 6 years working  at post-secondary universities. Twelve of those years, I taught middle school Math. During those later years, I developed the concept Math is Money. Math is Money because “if you can do Math, then you can put money in your pocket.” I found that although I had a passion for teaching Math and number sense, I realized that the required standards were not teaching my students the fundamentals for building wealth. In addition, my professional leadership experience was serving students in Title 1 schools. As you know, Title 1 schools serve students that are economically disadvantaged or living in poverty. Wherefore, I found myself inspired to link both basic Math skills with building wealth. Again, Math is Money because “if you can do Math, then you can put money in your pocket.” 

This workbook is a supplement to my published book, Lessons that I Learned from My Father and Brother. My book highlights life skills that will support goal setting, confidence, self-esteem, accountability, and finance. Chapter 5 addresses finance by providing some lessons for growing your money, learning ways to invest, and understanding the difference between assets and liabilities. More importantly, you do not have to be rich, “super-smart” or come from a family with a lot of money to build wealth. Building wealth, simply, is about making the better financial decision(s), putting your money in the right places to grow, being patient (“playing the long game”), and keeping your debts and liabilities low.  

At an early age, we are taught, “to go to school, make good grades, go to college, and get a good job.” The unfortunate truth is that there is no such thing as a “good job” when you work for someone else. This workbook, along with my book, is to motivate and inspire you to be your own boss. There is nothing wrong with working for someone. As a matter of fact, at times, it is necessary in your development as a worker, as a boss, and as a leader. There are levels to the game. However, at some point, when you become unhappy and dissatisfied with being an employee, what are you going to do next? Do you have the skills to be your own boss? Do you have the confidence to lead others, or yourself for that matter? Do you have the belief that you can become an entrepreneur? I say that you need three fundamental characteristics to build wealth. First, be book smart. You do not have to be the smartest, just know how to read and comprehend. Second, be street smart. No, you do not have to be a gangster, robber, or hoodlum. Just know how to maneuver and move in different communities and neighborhoods. Lastly, have common sense. Common sense is simply knowing things that are deemed to be simplistic and appropriate. Hence, despite the way or ways that wealth appears on television, billboards, and social media, you can achieve financial wealth! 

In closing, the basic skills of adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing are essential skills to master. Mastery of these skills will expand to the use of fractions, decimals, percent, exponents, and statistical equations. Therefore, mastering the fundamentals of Math, being book and street smart, with common sense will afford you the opportunities to not only build wealth, but also transfer wealth down to multiple generations of your family name.