The 4 Stages of Money (And Why Most People Get Stuck in Stage 2)

37% of people making $250,000 a year are living paycheck to paycheck right now. Which means the thing keeping most of us stuck financially has almost nothing to do with how much we make. Linda and I have coached people pulling in $250k who are dead broke. We've watched a $20,000 raise get absorbed by lifestyle inside six months and leave them exactly where they started. The problem isn't income. The problem is that most of us are working hard on the wrong math problem. In this episode we walk through the four stages of money (surviving, stable, secure, and surplus) and the one mistake almost everybody makes when they try to jump from one stage to the next. We get into why "boring" is the actual investing strategy, why we wish we wouldn't have taken the raise, the bank-manager story that explains why the system is rigged against people in stage one, and the moment we finally figured out that the move that got us from stage one to stage two was the exact same move keeping us stuck in stage two for years. If you enjoyed this, we'd love to send you a free copy of our book. You just cover shipping. It has over 1,000 5-star reviews on Amazon. Grab it at seedtime.com/free.   WHAT WE COVER IN THIS EPISODE Here's a little of what we cover in this episode: The stat that proves your financial stage has almost nothing to do with your income The 4 stages of money and how to know which one you're actually in The one mistake almost everybody makes trying to jump from one stage to the next Why a $20k raise can leave you with the same $0 left at the end of the month The bank manager story that exposes how the system is rigged against people in stage one Why "boring" is actually the right investing strategy at stage three The Elon-Musk-doesn't-mow-his-own-lawn principle most people get backwards Why willpower-based budgeting always fails (and what to do instead)   BIBLE VERSES MENTIONED Matthew 14:13-21 (referenced. The five loaves and two fish. "You bring it to me and I'll multiply it.")   RESOURCES MENTIONED Mission-Driven Millionaire cohort Simple Money, Rich Life (the book) Free book offer   DISCLAIMER Obligatory legal disclaimer: I'm a financial educator, not your financial advisor, investment advisor, tax pro, or lawyer. This channel is for general education, not personalized advice, and nothing here should be taken as a recommendation to buy, sell, or use any specific investment, account, or financial product. I'm just sharing what I'm doing, what I'm learning, and what I find interesting. Markets can be humbling. Investing involves risk, including the risk of losing money, and my results are personal, may not be typical, and are not guaranteed. Do your own research, use wisdom, and talk with a qualified professional before making financial decisions. Some links are to our resources and some are affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. That helps keep the lights on around here, so thanks for the support.