It was around thirty that I really started caring about money. Not just how to pay the bills but what I was actually doing with my money, where it was going, and how much I would need when I couldn’t work anymore. I noticed this happens to a lot of thirty year olds as well. The first money book I picked up was a great one. Robert T Kiyosaki talks about growing up with two dads. One, his biological dad who lives as most dads do. Nice car, nice house, nice lawn, but also drowning in debt, working straight through at a 9-5. Then he talks about his other dad… actually his friend’s dad… who he learned what he now knows about money from. His friend lived in what was perceived as a lower income house, his dad drove a car that backfried, but he also was building an empire.

Never forget that fear and desire can lead you into life’s biggest trap if you’re not aware of them controlling your thinking. To spend your life living in fear, never exploring your dreams, is cruel. To work hard for money, thinking that it will buy you things that will make you happy is also cruel. To wake up in the middle of the night terrified about paying bills is a horrible way to live. To live a life dictated by the size of a paycheck is not really living a life. Thinking that a job makes you secure is lying to yourself. That’s cruel, and that’s the trap I want you to avoid.

This book focuses largely on financial intelligence. That the only way to get “Rich” is to invest money in assets that keep putting money in your pocket. People say invest a lot… and I’ve learned that only means “Spend your money on.” So, spend your money on things that will put money in your pocket each month. Things that have a return.

I am constantly shocked at how little money talented people earn. I have met brilliant, highly educated people who earn less than $20,000 a year. A business consultant who specializes in the medical trade was telling me how many doctors, dentists, and chiropractors struggle financially. All this time, I thought that when they graduated, the dollars would pour in. It was this business consultant who gave me the phrase: “They are one skill away from great wealth.”

Kiyosaki has a wonderful way of writing so you feel directly spoken to. He wakes up parts of your brain that were sleeping so that by the end of his book, you feel empowered and on the right path. I think this is a book everyone should read at some point… maybe I’ll get it for you for your 30th birthday. 😉

Have you read this book? Or one like it you’d like to recommend in the comments? I’d love to hear from you! Thank you for being here and I’ll see you tomorrow for day 41: Self promotion.

Day 98 is currently reserved for any questions you have throughout the next 100 days. To submit a question, please click here!  If you’re interested in supporting this project, please share, PIN and comment! Any other questions, comments or ideas, please feel free to email me at denise(at)denisekaris(dot)com

Denise Karis is an Arizona photographer who enjoys musicals, Doctor Who and breakfast burritos. IG @denisekaris