I was brought up in a lower middle-class family by a single mother that had three kids to feed. My mother was terrified about her ability to pull this off. Let’s face it most of us are overwhelmed and confused about the concepts of money. And it is not because we are dumb but actually because the information we have is false. Most of us have information about money that is not only NOT workable but leaves most of us slaves to money. The simplicity of economics is amazing. To create financial freedom you need simply need lots of money. Here are a few tips that will help you have more money. 1) End the Money Shortage Mindset Most people struggling with money think there is a shortage of money. The reality of money is plentiful. Look around and observe the abundance of money. If you notice more available money than you were thinking with simply fix your idea about money being scarce. This isn’t some esoteric new age concept but reality — money is everywhere. 2) Spend to Grow Put everything on a credit card or write a check so you have a complete record of every expenditure. Then look at them and notice how many are expenditures to consume rather than to grow your income. 3) Rate Your Expenditures Take the last 60 days and rate all your spending on a scale from 1–5, 5 being most important. Anything not rated a 3 or higher should be stopped or returned immediately. 4) Focus on a Financial Plan, not a Budget People spend most of their time budgeting the money (defense) rather than concentrating on a plan (offense) to create finances. I spend 90% of my time looking at ways to create income and only 10% of my time elsewhere. “Money is a game you win by playing offense not defense.” 5) All Debt is NOT Bad Debt Debt that produces income or builds your value is good debt, contrary to what financial pundits like Dave Ramsey and Suze Orman suggest. Debt that is paid off by others or debt that actually generates income is good debt. It is probably safe to assume all other debt is bad. 6) Create Emergency Accounts Add to your financial planning the creation of emergency accounts to take you through difficult periods. This would provide funding to operate for 36 months with no new income. Hopefully you will never need this. “Bad things happen to good people because good people don’t plan on bad things happening.” 7) Pay YOURSELF First When it comes to money, pay yourself first. Before you pay the mortgage or rent, fund your savings and emergency accounts. Almost everyone I have ever met makes this mistake. Simply add yourself as you would any other bill due, and pay yourself first. Send yourself an invoice each month until you get in the habit of paying yourself first. 8) Sacred Investment Accounts At the age of 25 years old I set up three investments accounts, one of which was for real estate. I didn’t buy any real estate for nine years. At the age of 34 I had an account with 100 months of money in it. When I finally had the knowledge necessary to invest I also had the money to do it with. 9) Income Formula To calculate the real income, you need take your monthly Desired Savings + Emergency Funding + Investment Funds + Current Spending. Most people simply calculate their income needed based on their current living expenses. Get real with how you set financial goals so you can get ahead. 10) Pay Attention Once a week on a set day I sit down with my wife and two children to discuss our finances for 30 minutes. This gets everyone on the same page and demonstrates the importance of having control over our finances. I came from nothing and figured out how to get my money right. Each of these steps above when put together will force you into one reality—the solution to economics is to simply get more money! If you have any questions post below and share with a friend that may be overcomplicating their economics. Grant Cardone