Why Most People Fail at Financial Planning! It's not what You Think! | Mo Hasan | TEDxAshburnSalon
Summary
TLDRIn this speech, Melissa addresses the common financial struggles people face, emphasizing that hard work and intelligence alone do not guarantee financial success. She highlights the problem of debt, lack of financial security, and misconceptions about money. Melissa asserts that true financial planning should focus on creating 'sustainable happiness,' ensuring that individuals thrive regardless of external circumstances. She introduces the idea that financial success stems from making spiritual and intellectual decisions about money, shifting perspectives, and taking responsibility for one's financial future through education and informed decision-making.
Takeaways
- 💼 Most people take some steps towards financial planning, but few feel financially secure or wealthy.
- 📊 Young people often start their careers with significant credit card debt, adding to other financial burdens like student and car loans.
- 🚨 Two-thirds of Americans would struggle to cover a $1,000 emergency, indicating widespread financial instability.
- 💰 Many Americans, regardless of income level, live paycheck to paycheck, suggesting that simply earning more isn't the solution.
- 🧩 The speaker argues that we are solving the wrong problem by focusing only on earning money, instead of understanding what money is and what it means to create wealth.
- 🛡️ Sustainable happiness, not just financial wealth, should be the goal of financial planning. This means being able to thrive regardless of economic conditions.
- 🧘 Financial success involves balancing the physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual aspects of life.
- 💡 Money is a concept in the spiritual realm, representing confidence and trust, rather than just a physical currency or a number on a screen.
- 🔄 Many financial problems are the result of indecision and procrastination. Deciding to take action can transform one's financial situation.
- 🏦 There are three paths to financial security: doing the minimum, hiring a team of experts, or fully committing to learning and managing one's finances like a bank.
Q & A
What is the primary problem preventing people from achieving financial success, according to Melissa?
-Melissa suggests that the primary issue is not just about making more money but misunderstanding what money is and failing to create sustainable happiness. Many people focus on income rather than building lasting financial security.
What financial challenge do young people in college face, as mentioned in the speech?
-Many young people in college accumulate significant credit card debt. According to Melissa, half of them will have $5,000 in credit card debt, and a third will have over $10,000, not including student or car loans.
Why do many Americans struggle to save for emergencies?
-Melissa points out that two-thirds of Americans would struggle to come up with $1,000 for an emergency. This suggests that many people are living paycheck to paycheck and are not financially prepared for unexpected costs, such as car repairs or medical emergencies.
What misconception do people have about increasing income as a solution to financial security?
-Melissa explains that even though many believe earning more money will solve their problems, 70% of Americans, regardless of income, still live paycheck to paycheck. The issue is not solely income but understanding and managing money effectively.
How does Melissa describe the purpose of financial planning?
-Melissa asserts that the purpose of financial planning is to create 'sustainable happiness.' This means being financially secure and happy in the long term, regardless of external economic factors such as market fluctuations.
What are the four elements of a person that Melissa believes are important in achieving financial success?
-Melissa identifies four elements: physical body, emotions, intelligence, and energy/spirit. She argues that addressing all these aspects is essential for creating lasting financial security and happiness.
How does Melissa explain the concept of money in a spiritual context?
-Melissa suggests that money is not just a physical entity but exists in the spiritual world as an idea backed by confidence. Transactions like using credit cards are examples of how confidence in value is transferred, making money more of an energy exchange.
What is Melissa's solution to solving money problems?
-Melissa argues that money problems arise from indecision. She suggests that making firm decisions, particularly spiritual decisions, about money can lead to financial success by aligning one's actions with long-term goals.
What are the three options for retirement planning that Melissa offers?
-Option 1 is doing the minimum, like filling out paperwork and using employer benefits. Option 2 involves hiring a financial team after learning enough to make educated decisions. Option 3 is taking full responsibility for your financial success, educating yourself extensively, and adopting the mindset of a bank instead of a consumer.
What does Melissa recommend for individuals who choose Option 3 in her financial plan?
-For those who choose Option 3, Melissa recommends a lifelong commitment to education. The first year involves learning financial fundamentals, the second year focuses on specialization and personal growth, and the third year involves seeking mentorship before making significant investments.
Outlines
💼 Why Financial Success Seems Out of Reach
Melissa opens by introducing the key question of why intelligent, hardworking people fail to achieve the financial success they desire. She discusses how many individuals have taken steps to improve their financial situation, such as starting budgets or retirement plans. However, most are still not financially secure, with many living paycheck to paycheck. She raises the idea that we may be trying to solve financial problems the wrong way, and invites the audience to consider that misunderstanding money itself could be the core issue.
📊 The Financial Challenges Facing Americans
Melissa elaborates on the financial struggles facing different demographics in the U.S. She shares that many young people graduate with significant credit card debt, while a large portion of the general population cannot afford a $1,000 emergency expense. She uses a personal story about a family member’s medical costs to highlight the burden of unexpected financial emergencies. The main takeaway is that making more money doesn’t necessarily lead to financial security, as the majority of Americans, regardless of income, are still living paycheck to paycheck.
🔍 Shifting Focus from Wealth to Sustainable Happiness
Melissa introduces the concept that financial success should not solely be about making money, but rather about creating sustainable happiness. She argues that the goal of financial planning should be to ensure that individuals and their families are secure, no matter the state of the economy. The aim is not just to be wealthy but to thrive, even when faced with health crises, accidents, or financial market downturns. Melissa emphasizes that achieving true financial freedom means securing both physical and emotional well-being.
🏋️♂️ Four Elements that Shape Our Lives and Financial Success
Melissa breaks down the four elements that constitute a person: the physical body, emotions, intellect, and spiritual energy. She discusses the importance of maintaining physical health to enjoy wealth and warns against neglecting one's body. The emotional and intellectual components also play a significant role in financial decision-making, as stress and ignorance can influence how we manage money. Finally, she describes how spiritual energy, or the life force that animates us, can align with our purpose, bringing true fulfillment. Financial planning must address all these aspects.
💡 Solving Financial Problems Through Spiritual Decisions
Melissa explains that most financial problems stem from indecision, particularly from people delaying important financial actions. By putting off decisions about budgets, retirement, or investments, people create ongoing financial issues. To solve these problems, Melissa suggests making decisive spiritual decisions, much like the decisions made when choosing to be in a committed relationship. Spiritual decisions, once made, allow the physical world to realign, leading to financial success.
🧠 Three Choices for Achieving Financial Success
Melissa presents three pathways to retirement and financial success, leaving the decision up to the individual. The first option is to do the bare minimum, such as contributing to a 401k and buying insurance. The second involves hiring a financial team while educating oneself on finance to avoid being taken advantage of. The third, and most profound, is a mindset shift: becoming the bank rather than a consumer, and taking full responsibility for one’s financial destiny. This choice requires lifelong learning and a spiritual decision to view oneself as financially successful.
🏦 The Banker’s Mindset: Taking Full Responsibility for Financial Success
Melissa delves deeper into the third option, which involves adopting a ‘banker’s mindset.’ She explains that banks always win financially because they approach money with a different viewpoint. By choosing to be 100% responsible for one’s own financial security, individuals can solve their financial issues through education, learning from mentors, and making spiritual decisions about their financial future. This path requires commitment to lifelong study and continuous improvement, but it leads to true financial abundance and lasting happiness.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Financial Security
💡Sustainable Happiness
💡Living Paycheck to Paycheck
💡Emotional States and Money
💡Spiritual World
💡Indecision
💡Retirement Planning
💡Confidence in Money
💡Bank vs. Consumer
💡Spiritual Decision
Highlights
Melissa introduces the topic of why people are unable to achieve financial success despite efforts like budgeting and saving.
Explains that young people are graduating with high amounts of credit card debt, making it harder for them to start their financial lives successfully.
Melissa points out that two-thirds of Americans would struggle to come up with $1,000 for an emergency, highlighting the financial vulnerability of many.
Addresses the misconception that simply earning more money will solve financial problems, revealing that 70% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck.
Mentions that by 2033, the Social Security trust fund will begin to deplete, further exacerbating financial insecurity for future retirees.
Proposes that people have been playing the wrong game by focusing solely on making money instead of creating sustainable happiness.
Defines the ultimate goal of financial planning as creating 'sustainable happiness,' ensuring financial security for both now and the future, regardless of external circumstances.
Emphasizes the importance of taking care of physical health in financial planning, noting that health issues can diminish the ability to enjoy wealth.
Highlights the connection between emotions and financial stress, asserting that emotions around money, like stress and excitement, affect decision-making.
Introduces the concept that money is a spiritual construct, an idea backed by confidence rather than just physical currency.
Asserts that all financial problems stem from indecision, and that making clear decisions is the solution to these problems.
Discusses the power of making spiritual decisions that impact the rest of life, using the example of falling in love to illustrate how decisions transform circumstances.
Offers three simple choices for financial success: do the minimum, hire a financial team, or take full responsibility for one's financial education and decisions.
Explains that in option three, adopting a mindset of being 'the bank' versus 'the consumer' is crucial to long-term financial success.
Outlines a three-year plan for financial mastery, emphasizing continuous learning, specializing in financial strategies, and getting coaching for long-term wealth.
Transcripts
hi I'm Melissa and I have the privilege
of tonight having the opportunity to
teach you about what has people stopped
in their life and what has them not
achieved the financial success that they
want in their life just a quick show of
hands have you taken any steps in your
life to forward your financial plan
either starting a budget saving money in
an IRA a 401 K a work plan sure most of
us have taken some sort of step now the
next question for you you don't have to
raise your hand for are you financially
secure right now are you wealthy and in
this time if the answer is yes fantastic
congratulations and well done and if the
answer is no you have a lot of company
not just in this room but you have
company all over the United States and
all over the world so what's happening
in the world why is it that we have
perfectly intelligent hard-working
people unable to achieve the retirement
that they want and the financial goals
that they want well I'd like you to
consider that maybe we're trying to
solve a problem in a way that doesn't
really make sense maybe we don't even
understand what the problem is well
let's take a look at what's actually
happening out there what's happening in
the marketplace with the young people
that are still in college right now
according to Sallie Mae half of them are
gonna have $5,000 of just credit card
debt before they graduate from college
and 1/3 of them how will over $10,000 of
credit card debt that's not including
car loans student loans or anything else
of that sort so we've got young people
literally coming into life with a high
amount of revolving credit card debt
well what about everyone else that's out
there well gosh 2/3 of Americans would
struggle to come up with $1,000 for an
emergency do you think that there's some
emergencies you might experience in life
there'd be at least $1,000 here like a
car breaking down or maybe something
related to health and wellness my future
father-in-law recently found out that he
was diagnosed with hepatitis C a curable
illness that takes only 3 months to cure
and it only takes 90 days worth of pills
but at $1,000 a pill per day it can be
devastating to most families
fortunately he had health insurance
which significantly reduced the cost but
what would a $90,000 medical bill do to
your family you see oftentimes we
believe that oh maybe if I just made
more income then life will be okay well
it turns out 70% of US citizens
regardless of income are living paycheck
to paycheck so even when you see people
driving nice cars working very very nice
jobs and earning a lot of money the vast
majority of Americans are still living
paycheck to paycheck so what's going on
here why is it that most people are
struggling financially the issue is
we've been trying to solve the wrong
problem all along we've been trying to
just make a lot of money and create
financial wealth but the reality is most
of us have no idea what money even is or
what it means to create wealth so I
rather assert to you that if you think
about the future what is security will
the government give you security well as
it turns out according to the Social
Security Administration by the year 2033
the Social Security Administration's
trust fund starts to go broke that means
if you're 46 years old today by the time
you're 62 the earliest you're eligible
to start collecting Social Security not
all the money will be there so what do
we do what have we been chasing that's
not right well maybe we've just been
playing the wrong game in the world
maybe we've just been trying to make
money instead of trying to focus on
creating sustainable happiness you see I
assert that the entire purpose of
financial planning or retirement
planning or whatever you call it the
whole point of it is to create
sustainable happiness and what I mean by
that is that you're not just happy right
now you didn't just make a little bit of
money but you'll be happy and you'll be
ok and your family will be ok
regardless of the economy whether the
housing market or the stock market goes
up or down your family will not only be
ok but you'll be able to thrive you'll
be able to survive at a very high level
and what about you could be incident
proof and you could be accident proof
and you could be illness proof that no
matter what happened you could have
complete and utter financial security I
invite you to consider that that's the
point of financial planning is to create
that type of happiness in your life to
take care of you your family and
everything that's important to you so
how do we get there how do we get there
to a place where we can actually create
this level of sustainable happiness that
we can create financial abundance in our
lives well it's kind of start off by
looking at what are the areas in your
life that make you happy and would it be
a good idea for us to examine a little
bit about who we are before we figure
out how to solve the problem doesn't
that just make sense so I invite you to
consider a new way for you to look at
yourself and let's now look at the four
elements that make up me and that make
up you and that make up all of us first
let's talk about what we're used to what
we can point to which is our physical
bodies we have our physical bodies in
this room you can point to your body
right and it exists in mass it exists in
space and time and it exists in a
universe that we call the physical
universe one that we can measure one
that we can see one that we can point to
with the objects in the room so if
you're gonna live a long time and you're
gonna be financially successful might it
make sense to take care of your physical
body so that you're around to enjoy it
because what's the point of having a
whole lot of money if you're fat sick
and nearly dead or you make a whole lot
of money you retire just to die within a
couple of years and unfortunately this
is a very common occurrence so we have
to take care of and look at in our
financial planning that we have to take
care of our physical self but we also
exist as a series of emotions as a
series of contiguous of nonstop one
right after the other a series of
emotional states were happy were sad
were bored were excited were intrigued
we are as human beings a series of
emotional states so point to that in the
room where are you with your emotional
state can you find it is it on the floor
is it on the ceiling is it on the screen
we can see evidence of it maybe you're
happy you can point to your smile but
that emotional state that exists
actually existed what we refer to as the
spiritual world now this isn't a
conversation about religion but this is
a conversation about we need language to
describe the things that exists that are
not in the physical world
and so anything that doesn't have mass
that we can't measure in space time and
distance we are going to consider
in the spiritual world so our emotions
are one thing that exists in the
spiritual but there's more what about
your intelligence the sum of all things
that you know point your that in the
room where's the sum of everything that
you've learned where's the sum of all of
your errors all of your mistakes
everything that you've learned
everything that you've mastered every
mistake that you've made that exists
somewhere too and that's also in the
spiritual world and when we combine the
two has anyone here ever had an emotion
around money have you ever been stressed
for the bank account sort of a little
bit low or when the debt balance gets a
little high or been a little excited
when the bank balance gets a little hot
so we all experience emotions around
money and do you think what you know
about money affects how much you get to
have of it do you think if you're
ignorant about money you get to be
wealthy absolutely not
so your intelligence and your emotional
state play a huge part in your money but
you see that's not the only way you
exist it's not just your physical your
emotional your intellect you also exist
as energy you see you've got a body
right and you've got energy that
animates your body or else you'd be a
bag of dead meat and bones and the
energy that animates our body let's call
that the spirit it's what gives us life
it's what animates us and aren't there
things in the universe that work through
our spirit think of your purest self
think about the things that you love
think about all the things that are good
about you all of those things are your
spiritual self and so your spiritual
self also plays a purpose in the world
do you think that those people in this
world who are fulfilling on their true
purpose are they happier than those that
are not what do you think are they
happier than the drones that are going
through just trying to collect another
paycheck
one week after another so there's
something to be said for honoring all of
the parts of you to insure that your
financial plan includes everything
because there's things for us to solve
in the spirit and things for us to solve
in our emotions our intellect and our
physical body so we still have the money
Providence all well there's a really
good question what is money is money
something that exists in the physical
world is that the dollar bills that
we've exchanged when we were children
back and forth what is money is it
Xero's you see on your computer screen
or the app but rather money is something
that exists in the spiritual world and
what money is money is just an idea
money is just an idea backed in
confidence so that when I give you a
dollar you have the confidence that that
dollar can be exchanged for something
else of equal value and how do we convey
confidence in one place to another you
think about a credit card right when you
pay here at this place or any other
venue you simply give them a piece of
plastic you're no longer exchanging
dollars in that sense but the vendor
they have confidence that your credit
card is worth something and the bank
they have confidence that the other bank
is gonna give them money and so it goes
round and around and around that money
exists as an idea and what we're
actually transferring is that confidence
in the way we transfer that energy is
literally by transferring energy and you
see we've been trying to solve the money
problem all wrong all along we've been
trying to solve the money problem in the
physical universe
so therefore to solve the spiritual
issue of money we have to find the
source of the problem and this is where
the good news comes in seeing the
spiritual world problems are much easier
to solve than they are in the physical
world in the spiritual world when you
want to get from point A to point B it's
actually a lot easier because all of
your problems all of your problems every
single one of them all manifest it all
came from one particular place and all
of your problems are simply the
manifestation of your indecision you see
all of your money problems exist because
you at some point in time and maybe more
than once had a someday conversation
I'll take care of my budget someday I'll
write that will someday I'll start
learning about mutual funds someday I'll
start retirement planning someday I'll
sit down with the wife or the husband
and we'll both get caught up someday you
see all of the problems in your life are
literally just a manifestation of your
indecision so if that's the case if what
indecision is keeping you from get to
the other side how do you think you
could solve that problem what do you
think you could make a decision
hot-diggity it's literally that simple
you could make a decision because in
every aspect of life everywhere you sit
on the
you create problems so why not make a
decision why not choose a new viewpoint
from which you can operate in life I'm
talking about decisions you make in the
spiritual world that alter the rest of
your life please raise your hand if
you've ever been in love if you've ever
been in love and been in a loving
relationship and a long term
relationship
so before you fell in love with that
person you were probably already busy
right you had a lot so a lot of stuff to
do you had friends you were busy with
work all of a sudden you fall in love
with this person you declare that you're
gonna spend time with them and now your
schedule is completely free like you've
been able to completely and utterly
reorganize your universe because of this
new truth because you made a spiritual
decision you see that is the power of
making a spiritual decision because for
most people long before they buy a house
together they get married or they have
babies or whatever order you do all of
that long before all of that you
typically made a spiritual decision to
be with that person and then the
physical universe simply caught up I
invite you to consider that the decision
you make in money is absolutely no
different so what are your choices
what can you decide about money that
would have you manifest financial
success and wealth well let's start by
making it very very easy
we'll start with three simple choices
all three choices will get you to
retirement there's no right answer
there's no wrong answer
it's literally up to you to pick are you
ready are you ready for the easiest
choice you're ever gonna make and that
the end result of this choice is you
will be financially successful well here
it goes
choice number one you do the minimum you
literally do the minimum when what that
means is you fill out all of your
paperwork properly if you have an
employer who does a 401k match or a
thrift savings plan or any type of
employer match and contributions take
advantage of it if you need insurance
for your family buy some insurance just
do the bare minimum and you will reach
retirement now will you be rich now
probably not now here's the thing if you
ended up with a life incident that cost
you a quarter million half a million
could you survive that incident ooh
that's a whole nother story so that's
option number one and if you don't want
to think about money
by all means choose this and you will at
least get your retirement option number
two is that you decide to hire teamm you
realize there's a lot to learn about
money and you say you don't I could use
a little bit of help maybe I need some
financial planners some tax advisers
some accountants I need some people on
my team that are actually gonna be able
to do the thing to manage the money but
in order for you to do that you need
some education so that you don't get
taken advantage of and to get that
education so that you can hire a team
what you have to do is you become
qualified so that you can qualify the
people that you're hiring and this
normally is about a three to six-month
education process this requires you to
learn the minimums about how mutual
funds work what is the GDP how does the
economy work how does insurance work you
literally go through and learn the
minimum things the basics of all of
those areas of Finance so when you go
hire the experts no one takes advantage
of you you'll be able to hire the
experts because you now know what there
is to know what's very common is a lot
of people who go out to hire a team they
end up being swayed by yummy steak
dinners and pretty offices and then
there's a few of us out there we kind of
look at the universe and go how in the
world am I not financially successful
what is going on here and I'm willing to
do whatever it takes I'm willing to
learn I'm willing to grow and I'm
willing to be 100% responsible for my
money and so therefore I'm going to
choose option number three an option
number three is a spiritual decision
where you say now I'm going to take a
new viewpoint in the world but now I'm
going to take the viewpoint that I will
no longer be a consumer but I would
rather take the viewpoint and be a bank
why did I say that an option number
three you have to take a viewpoint of
being the bank versus being the consumer
because in the world of money who's
winning consumers are the banks you tell
me like the banks are winning like a
hundred percent of the time right the
banks ruining if consumers are winning
most people would be rich but most banks
are rich see in the world we have a ton
of education out there are ton of
education is available so you need a
field
by which you can look at the education
and the filter is your viewpoint it is
the position that you choose to apply in
the world to plant your flag down in the
ground and said this is who I am so when
you take option number three you make
the spiritual decision that who you are
right now is financially successful and
who you are right now is to be 100%
responsible for your economy so that no
matter what happens no matter what goes
wrong you are responsible there's no
more complaining and everything in your
life can be solved through your own
education you see bankers ask very very
different questions so the education
bankers get is very very different so
when you choose option three that that
is the way you're gonna live your life
and you make that decision instantly and
you take on that viewpoint your entire
universe transforms around you the
resources that you need the people that
are important to you are all going to
show up so where do you get started
first you have to choose to make a
spiritual decision and if you choose
option three here's what life looks like
life looks like studying for the rest of
your life but only until you die don't
worry about it okay you're only going to
learn until you die and the first year
you're gonna learn all the fundamentals
in the second year you're gonna
specialize in something and what you're
going to specialize is not just an
investment strategy and an investment
tool or an investment product you're
also going to specialize in you you're
gonna learn how to unlock your mind
you're gonna learn how to unlock your
ability to learn so that you can learn
faster harder and better than you've
ever learned before and in the third
year you become a mentee you get
coaching and you get professionals you
get people with mastery and you learn
from them and after you've learned after
you've committed those three years to
being a student only then do you start
investing your money you'll find that
because you got education because you
increased your emotional intelligence
you'll find that your returns will grow
your risk will drop and you will create
financial security in your life and you
will be able to create sustainable
happiness for the rest of your life
thank you
[Applause]
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