HIGHER GROUND

The Basic Money Sense Newsletter

Issue No. 1

 

Welcome to the first issue of Higher Ground: The Basic Money Sense Newsletter.

I want to begin with an idea that will come up again and again in the weeks ahead:

Building wealth isn't only about how much money you make.

It's about what happens to the money after you make it.

That's an important distinction.

Because most of us have been taught to think about our financial lives primarily in terms of income.

Get a better job.

Earn a raise.

Work overtime.

Build the business.

Start a side hustle.

Earn more.

And there's nothing wrong with earning more.

More income creates more possibilities.

But here's the problem:

More income doesn't automatically create more wealth.

If it did, everyone earning six figures would be financially secure.

They're not.

 

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THE MONEY QUESTION

Think about the money you've earned over the last five years.

Maybe your income increased.

Maybe substantially.

Now ask yourself:

How much of that increase can you still see?

Is it in savings?

Retirement accounts?

Investments?

Business equity?

Reduced debt?

Something you own?

Or did most of the additional income gradually become part of your lifestyle?

That's not a judgment.

It's an observation.

Because income has an interesting characteristic:

It arrives—and then everybody wants a piece of it.

Housing.

Transportation.

Food.

Taxes.

Insurance.

Subscriptions.

Debt.

Entertainment.

Travel.

Convenience.

And before long, the paycheck is gone.

Then another arrives.

And the process begins again.

 

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THE MONEY SENSE

Here's the principle I want us to begin with:

Income isn't wealth.

Income is money flowing through your financial life.

Wealth begins when some of that money stays behind.

You keep it.

You protect it.

Eventually, you put some of it to work.

That's the transition we're going to explore together in Higher Ground.

Not:

"How do I become rich?"

But:

"How do I become financially stronger with the money passing through my hands?"

That's a much more useful question.

 

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YOU DON'T NEED TO CHANGE EVERYTHING

One reason financial change feels overwhelming is that we think we need to fix everything at once.

Create the perfect budget.

Eliminate every debt.

Understand investing.

Max out retirement accounts.

Build an emergency fund.

Increase income.

Cut spending.

That's too much.

Higher Ground is going to work differently.

We're going to make one useful financial move at a time.

Then build on it.

 

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YOUR FIRST MOVE

For this first issue, I don't want you to open an account.

I don't want you to cancel anything.

I don't want you to buy anything.

Just think about one question:

If nothing changed about my income for the next 12 months, could I still become financially stronger?

Don't answer too quickly.

Think about where your money currently goes.

Think about what you own.

Think about what you owe.

Think about what might be possible if some of the money already moving through your life started moving differently.

 

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BEFORE YOU GO

That's the question I'm leaving you with:

If nothing changed about your income for the next 12 months, could you still become wealthier?

Next issue, we're going to answer it.

And the answer may be hiding inside the lifestyle you're already living.

Until next time, keep climbing.

Clifton Vaughn
Higher Ground Financial Coaching
BasicMoneySense.com

What you do with money today creates the life you live tomorrow.