"8 Ways to Prepare to Become a Millionaire"

Written by Sam

Today I went to lunch with a very wealthy person. I don’t know exactly how wealthy , but based on his frequent trips to Maui, the fact that he earns a free plane ticket every month through his frequent flier points, and the fact that the other day he decided to go out and buy a truck just because he’s never had one before, there’s good reason to believe he’s close to a seven-digit earner.

As I talked with him, it raised a lot of questions in my mind about how managing my finances will change as my wealth grows.  If I were a millionaire would I still need to budget? Would I still want to track all my spending? Would I still need to negotiate with my wife about finances?

It seems logical that with an income over $1,000,000 a year you wouldn’t need to plan as vigorously. But in the end that’s a lie. Millionaires that manage their money irresponsibly can quickly lose it all and fall from grace (MC Hammer comes to mind).

Financial management principles are the same for millionaires and low-income-earners alike. Certainly the numbers your dealing with will change, but the basic principles and processes are still the same.

In fact, by following sound financial management principles and optimizing your frame of mind, you can accelerate the process of building wealth and know how to keep it when you arrive. Here are 7 ideas that will help you think about and manage money like a millionaire, regardless of your income.

1. Be Who You Want To Be    Earning more money amplifies who you are.

I’m going to borrow my first idea directly from my lunch partner who said “earning more money really just amplifies who you are.” While that might seem initially like a good thing, it really is a double-edged sword.

For some, becoming a millionaire leads to a life of over-indulgence and decay. We catch glimpses of this in the popular media and entertainment world; drug addiction, abuse, and infidelity. Blemishes in your character will still be there if you become wealthy.

Don’t fool yourself into thinking that having more money will solve your problems. It could make them worse.

On the other hand, if you have a mindset of serving and making a postitive contribution to your family and community now, you will be able to manifest those contributions with even greater power and effectiveness when you’re rich.

By focusing on the positive contribution you want to make in your life, you will be prepared to expand and amplify your contribution as you earn more money.

2. Build Your Relationships   Earning more money amplifies your relationship dynamics.

Let me tell you a secret: earning more money does not solve your relationship problems. Even though my income has increased significantly over our 10 years of marriage, we still tend to argue about the exact same financial issues.

If you have bad arguments over $100, just think of the how intense they will get arguing over $10,000 or $100,000. Working out your finances as a couple isn’t about the dollars, it’s about your values.

By making all your spending and budgeting explicit, and by working as a team, you can address those values differences before they get out of control. As you become more wealthy, you’ll have a trusted, agreed-upon system in place to manage your increase.

3. Spend Money Consciously, But On A Macro Level

Even as a millionaire you should know where every dollar is spent, but you don’t necessarily need to know line-item detail. Rather, you need to know how much is spent within broad, macro-level categories.

To continue reading, please go to the original article here:

http://www.gettingfinancesdone.com/blog/archives/2007/01/8-ways-to-prepare-to-become-a-millionaire/