83 – March 24
“All my available funds are completely tied up in ready cash.”—W.C. Fields
The Balance Sheet. This is one of those important financial statements that bankers and accountants love. We need to love it too, because it is a snapshot of how we are doing financially at any one moment in time. It is basically just a list of the value of all the things you own, balanced against the money you owe to other people. This is its basic construction:
Assets (All the stuff you own)
Cash in bank accounts
Other cash
Stocks and bonds
Real estate
Automobile
Furniture
Art, Jewelry, etc.
Total $______
Liabilities (All the stuff you owe)
Credit card debt
Real estate mortgages
Car loan
Loans from family, friends, etc.
Total $______
Net Worth (Not as a human being, just financially) Total $______
(What’s left after you subtract what you owe from what you own.)
(Continued on page 83 of The Wealthy Spirit)
Today’s Affirmation:
“I accumulate assets that put more money in my pocket every day!”
When I have people in my classes start adding up their net worth, the tension rises appreciably.
“This isn’t reducing my financial stress!” they grumble.
“Not today, maybe,” I tell them, “but by the time you finish this class you’re going to be happy you’re doing this exercise. You’ll love counting your money when you have more money to count!”
Many people just never even get started on the road to financial health because they dread taking a realistic look at where they are now. But until you’re willing to look at the sum total of what you’ve been up to, you’re not going to know where you’re at. And really, hiding out from the truth just puts you under so much tension and stress. You’re always afraid that you’re seriously in trouble with the money game, and that’s going to affect everything in your life negatively.
Count it up! What if you’re better off than you thought and you’ve been spending all this energy and sleepless nights worrying and fretting for nothing?
I’ve had people come back to class after doing their balance sheet exclaiming that they had no idea they were doing so well – that their net worth was a lot higher than they expected. I’ve had people say their worst suspicions were confirmed.
It doesn’t matter what the number is today. It’s going to change for the better now, because you’re taking charge of it. You’re going to make new and better decisions about your money, because you’re working on it. I know you are because you’re reading this blog. Good job, everyone! Celebrate your richer future!
