{"id":663,"date":"2022-05-24T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-24T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qa.simplifimoney.com\/blog\/3-simple-questions-for-8-figure-wealth\/"},"modified":"2022-10-14T10:43:55","modified_gmt":"2022-10-14T17:43:55","slug":"3-simple-questions-for-8-figure-wealth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quicken.com\/blog\/3-simple-questions-for-8-figure-wealth\/","title":{"rendered":"The 3 Simple Questions That Led Us to 8-Figure Wealth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The following is adapted from Find Your Financial Freedom.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When my wife, Ashley, and I were in our early 20s, we were buried in debt\u2014$40,000 of debt, to be precise. But we were determined to get out of it and find Financial Freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seven years later, we had a net worth of $1 million. Just a few years after that, our net worth was into eight digits. We had achieved our goal, and we had done it faster than we had dreamed possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we did it, you can, too. You just have to make sure your mindset is right. The best way to do that? Ask yourself three all-important questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1: What do you want?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To start things off, allow yourself the chance to explore the following question: What would you do if you didn\u2019t have to trade your time for dollars? Answering this question\u2014in other words, focusing on can<\/em>, not can\u2019t<\/em>\u2014is your opportunity to sort out how to play the game of life, your way<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some people would actually do much of the same. They\u2019ve focused their efforts, gained skills, improved their character, developed relationships, and arrived at a kind of work that brings them joy and adds value to others. But even in this case, wouldn\u2019t you want to have the freedom to continue working because you want to<\/em> and not because you have to?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, people struggle to answer this question. If that\u2019s you, maybe try answering what you would do if money were no object, or what wealth looks like to you, or what you would do with more freedom. Answering this question isn\u2019t about identifying short-term goals. This is about the biggest things you want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another way to enter this thought process is to envision your life in three to five years. Take a moment to dream. Is that what you want in the future or do you want something more, something different? Could you get there and be living that way sooner than what you may have unconsciously been programmed to think?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start by organizing your finances<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2: By when?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This next question is crucial: By when will you be financially free? Write down a year and even a month if you\u2019d like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s one thing to want it, but saying when<\/em> you want it will begin to shape your thought patterns to shrug off obstacles and notice tools immediately available to you. Robert Kiwosaki said that in life it\u2019s often not the smart, but the bold, who get ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you\u2019re thinking about this question, don\u2019t let societal norms get in the way. It\u2019s hard to escape them completely, but see if you can stretch yourself here. It\u2019s impossible to achieve Financial Freedom earlier in life if you don\u2019t actually believe it\u2019s possible, if you don\u2019t set a goal to get there, and if you don\u2019t have an ideal time frame of when you actually want it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When my wife, Ashley, and I asked ourselves this question, we eventually settled on age 45. We found 45 because we thought that we would have kids of a certain age. Plus, even if we still liked our jobs, we would at least be giving ourselves options by having attained Financial Freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turns out, we achieved Financial Freedom well before the age of 45. But still, picking that number was important, because once we\u2019d decided on 45, any investment that didn\u2019t fit into that vision was no longer a good investment for us. Real estate became a good investment for that vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Track your goals<\/a> and reach them with confidence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3: What\u2019s your intensity level?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve established when<\/em> you want to achieve your vision, it\u2019s time for the final, most important piece: How intensely are you prepared to seek that vision? With what focus can you apply yourself? What sacrifices are you ready to make?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Write down an intensity level from 0 to 10. Your partner should as well. This should be the number that measures how badly you really want Financial Freedom. Are you driving under the speed limit on cruise control? Then you\u2019re probably at a 2 or 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re hovering around the speed limit, but still on cruise control\u2014this is what society tells you to do\u2014maybe you\u2019re in the 4 to 6 range. You make smart decisions and still like to go on enjoyable vacations. Above the speed limit gets you into the 7 to 10 range where you feel the sacrifices a bit more and are even more disciplined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, answering this question requires a conversation about the willingness to make sacrifices in the present for the future with your decisions. Listen to your spouse and share what is on your mind. Talk about what makes you have a different intensity level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is normal that you and your spouse might start out in different spots. What\u2019s critical is that you get aligned prior to getting started. Communication and accountability through this entire process is key.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find new places to save<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Create a monthly routine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now that you\u2019ve answered these questions, I strongly recommend a routine. Committing to a routine will help you to build the physical and mental habits that exercise your decision-making and improve your discipline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every month, sit down with your partner and talk about how the last 30 days went. Read aloud your vision. Your timeline. Your intensity. For example: I want to be financially free by 45, and my intensity level is a 7.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By sitting down each month, you can gauge your progress. Do you feel that you put this goal first? Do you feel that you focused on it? Do you feel you made decisions the past month that align with your more important goal, Financial Freedom?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just like people fall off diets because diets don\u2019t work, you can fall off your Financial Freedom diet if you make it simply a diet instead of making a big change in your approach to life. You will make better decisions consciously (and unconsciously) by being honest with yourself about these three questions once a month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stay motivated with a routine that works for you<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get ready to embrace the days ahead<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Many small decisions over a long period accumulate to your benefit or detriment. This is why it is essential to slow down every month and review the decisions you made in the last 30 days and truly ensure they align with your ultimate goal, timeline, and most of all \u2026 intensity level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you didn\u2019t find perfect alignment, that\u2019s okay. You\u2019re human. Just take time to discuss what you\u2019ll do differently in the next 30 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most people believe they are making sacrifices each month. In reality, though, it\u2019s either you sacrifice these small meaningless things now, or you sacrifice your ultimate goal, aspirations, and dreams later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, take the time to work through these questions, and revisit them every month. If you do, you will set yourself on track to embrace the days ahead!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In their mid-20s, Logan and Ashley Rankin were buried in debt. A decade later, they were worth millions. These 3 simple questions changed everything.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":666,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"The 3 Simple Questions That Led Us to 8-Figure Wealth | Quicken","_seopress_titles_desc":"In their mid-20s, Logan and Ashley Rankin were buried in debt. A decade later, they were worth millions. These 3 simple questions changed everything.","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[108],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-budgeting-savings"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.quicken.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/very-happy-couple.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quicken.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quicken.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quicken.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quicken.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quicken.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=663"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.quicken.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/663\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4169,"href":"https:\/\/www.quicken.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/663\/revisions\/4169"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quicken.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/666"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quicken.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quicken.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quicken.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}