My story.
Beard and all.

Ever feel like, even if you earn more money every year, you have nothing more to show for it?

Like every time your income goes up, your bills go up to match it (and eat it all up)?

You know you need to be smarter with money, or you’re going to be trapped on the debt hamster wheel all your life.

You know you need to spend less, get out of debt, and build wealth for later.

But…

You don’t see what you could possibly give up and still enjoy life.

After all, It’s not like you’re out scarfing down caviar on a Lear Jet. You’re just spending on normal, everyday stuff.

What’re you going to do, start renting out a room in your house to backpacking drifters? Give up nice dinners and live on canned Goya
beans?

Good news: You don’t have to. Not when you work with me. Here’s why.

A) When you work with me, you’re not on a budget. You have a budget.

What’s the difference? I’ll explain: Being on a budget is restrictive. It’s about what you have to cut out. The words “I’m on a budget” usually follow the words “Sorry, I can’t.”

On the other hand, HAVING a budget is about knowing how much you have at your disposal to play with. It’s about using that discreet pile of dough for what’s important to you, so you can easily say no to what’s not.

B) I take out the guesswork.

Time and again, I’ve heard clients say, “Tell me what I can spend and I’ll stick to it.” It’s not that you have zero discipline. It’s that you’re spending blindly. And the opposite plan ends up being “just spend less.” That never works. I’ll deliver concrete spending guidelines so you always feel in control.

C) You can nail this money thing.

Yes, even if you weren’t born money-smart. Even if you feel you have naturally terrible habits, and think they’re ingrained for good.

Here’re two things most people are shocked to learn about me…

1. I wasn’t born with good money genes.

2. I wasn’t born Jewish. And I definitely wasn’t born with the beard.

Before I get into the whole Jewish thing — and no, you don’t have to be remotely Jewish to work with me — let me tell you about my finances.

For over a decade I worked as a financial advisor. People trusted my advice on financial matters all the time. But I was carrying around a dark secret…

I was bad with money.
Really bad.

The thought of my credit card bills scared me, and my line of credit was so big I would let the unopened envelopes pile up on my kitchen table.

I thought I had an income problem: If I make more money, I’ll be okay.

So for a year I lived on caffeine and worked crazy hours to boost my income. And it worked. I was making more money than ever. But the weird thing was, the more I made the more I went into debt.

I had no idea where my money was going. Even worse, I was clueless where to start to get myself out of this financial mess.

I tried to “just stop spending” but that didn’t last very long and my debt just kept growing.

One problem was, I had no idea how to budget.

My parents are awesome but never taught me how to budget and I definitely didn’t learn how to balance a checkbook in school.

I decided it was time to learn this thing on my own. I plopped myself down at Indigo (Canadian version of Barnes and Nobles, eh) and read books. A ton of books.

But most of the financial gurus’ books screamed “Give up your lattes, cut up your credit cards, and live out of money-stuffed jars and envelopes.” That’s crazy talk to me. Being in debt seemed more appealing than that.

Eventually I found a few books with advice that seemed more sound and doable and would let me still live a “normal life”.

But, as we both know, it’s one thing to read a book and it’s another to take action.

I’m debt free. I have a vacation savings (100% paid for before I leave, no more credit card surprises) and a big fat emergency account for things that break (bring it on, car mechanic). Not only that, my children are becoming “money smart” because they’ve watched me lead by example.

Most importantly, my wife and I never argue or worry about money and we both feel in control.

How’d I do it?

The trick isn’t in a spreadsheet, an app, or even a book. Sure, you’ll use those tools. But it’s not the main thing. The most important ingredient to financial control is to take action.

There’s an abundance of information out there (just Google “how to budget”). But there’s a real shortage of people who follow through on their knowledge.

Here’s the surprising way my becoming Jewish comes into play…

After college, I was getting tired of being out till last call, stumbling home, pigging out on Doritos, and crashing out while watching infomercials. I was looking for something more in my life than being a frat boy. Deep down I was hungry for spirituality.

That’s when I came across The Idiot’s Guide to Judaism. I got totally hooked on the book.

After I finished the last page, I put the book down and decided that I wanted to become a Jew.

(Side note, I’m not saying everyone should become Jewish. There are plenty of other ways to connect to a higher spiritual plane. This was my way.)

Converting to Judaism isn’t just about knowing your laws and holidays. It’s an all-encompassing lifestyle that requires taking action on what you learn.

Take eating kosher for example. It’s one thing to learn the dietary laws, and it’s another to resist the prime filet mignon at Keens Steakhouse while on vacation in NYC.

Eating kosher, learning Hebrew, fasting on Yom Kippur and keeping the Sabbath are just a few of the of hundreds of new behaviors I had to learn.

I became a master of change; not just in Judaism but with my finances as well. And believe me, I wasn’t born like that.

If you weren’t either, you’re in good hands. I’ll help you take smart action. (No religion involved.)

Want to become good with money (keep more of your hard earned money)? Click here to schedule your free call with me.