Let’s be real for a minute. When you look at your paycheck, how much of it actually stays with you? After taxes, bills, groceries, gas, and all those “little” expenses that somehow add up to a mountain – what’s left?
Here’s where it gets interesting. I want you to think about three things and rate their importance to you on a scale of 1 to 10:
- Keeping more of your paycheck
- Eliminating your debt completely
- Finding truly safe investments for your future
Go ahead, give each one a number. Write it down, say it out loud, or drop it in the comments. This isn’t just some random exercise – this is about getting crystal clear on what matters most to your financial future.
Why This Challenge Matters More Than You Think
Most people never stop to actually rate these priorities. They just assume everything is equally important, which means nothing gets the focused attention it deserves. But here’s what I’ve learned after helping thousands of people build real wealth: clarity creates action, and action creates results.
When you force yourself to put a number on these goals, something powerful happens. Your brain starts working differently. It begins looking for solutions instead of just acknowledging problems.
The Reality Check Most People Need
Let’s talk about keeping more of your paycheck first. Financial experts recommend saving 15-20% of your income, but the average American saves less than 5%. That’s not because people don’t want to save more – it’s because they don’t know how to make it happen without feeling deprived.
Here’s the thing though: during the 2020 lockdowns, Americans proved they could save up to 33% of their income when they had to. That wasn’t magic – that was just cutting out the stuff that didn’t really matter.
So what’s your rating for keeping more of your paycheck? If it’s 8, 9, or 10, keep reading. If it’s lower, ask yourself why.
The Debt Elimination Game-Changer
Now let’s talk about eliminating debt. This one usually gets people fired up because debt feels heavy, doesn’t it? Every month, you’re sending money to credit card companies, car loans, student loans – money that could be going toward YOUR dreams instead of someone else’s profits.
But here’s what most people don’t realize: debt elimination isn’t just about the money you’ll save on interest payments. It’s about the psychological freedom that comes with not owing anyone anything. It’s about having choices again.
Think about it – if you had zero debt payments next month, what would you do with that extra money? How would that change your options?
What’s your debt elimination rating? And more importantly, what specific debt would you eliminate first if you had the strategy to make it happen fast?
Safe Investments: The Foundation Everyone Needs
Finally, let’s address safe investments. This is where a lot of people get confused because they think “safe” means “low returns.” That’s not necessarily true. Safe means you understand exactly what you’re getting into, you’re not risking money you can’t afford to lose, and you’re building something sustainable for the long term.
The problem is, most people are getting their investment advice from sources that make money when you trade frequently or take on risk you don’t understand. Real wealth building? That’s about consistent, strategic moves that compound over time.
Your safe investment rating tells me how serious you are about building something that lasts beyond your working years.
The Connection Between All Three
Here’s where this gets really interesting – these three priorities aren’t separate goals. They’re connected in a way that can either work for you or against you:
Keeping more of your paycheck gives you the fuel to eliminate debt faster and invest more consistently.
Eliminating debt frees up money that can be redirected toward investments and builds the habit of living below your means.
Safe investments create the passive income that eventually lets you keep even more of what you earn because you’re not 100% dependent on your job.
When you work on all three strategically, they create what I call a “wealth acceleration loop.” Each one makes the others easier and more effective.
Your Personal Action Plan Based on Your Ratings
If you rated keeping more of your paycheck as 8+ out of 10, you’re ready to implement some immediate changes. Start with the “give every dollar a job” approach – before you spend anything, decide exactly where each dollar from your paycheck is going. This isn’t budgeting in the traditional sense; it’s intentional money management.
For debt elimination ratings of 7+, consider this: what if you could eliminate your highest-interest debt in the next 6-12 months instead of the next 5-10 years? The strategies exist – most people just haven’t been shown how to implement them systematically.
For those who rated safe investments at 8+, you’re probably tired of hearing about stock market volatility and crypto crashes. You want something you can understand, something that has a track record, and something that won’t keep you up at night wondering if your money will still be there tomorrow.
Why Most Financial Advice Doesn’t Work
The financial advice industry has a problem. It’s designed to keep you as a customer, not to actually make you financially independent. Think about it – if everyone who got financial advice became wealthy and no longer needed that advice, a lot of advisors would be out of business.
That’s why so much of the mainstream advice is about managing money instead of multiplying it. It’s about budgeting instead of increasing income. It’s about picking stocks instead of building assets.
Real wealth building is about creating systems that work whether the economy is up or down, whether you’re having a good month or a challenging one.
The 1-10 Challenge Results That Matter
So, what were your ratings? More importantly, what’s the gap between where you rated these priorities and where your financial reality actually is right now?
If keeping more of your paycheck was a 9 but you’re living paycheck to paycheck, that gap is telling you something important.
If eliminating debt was a 10 but you’re still making minimum payments, that gap is costing you thousands of dollars and years of your life.
If safe investments rated high but you’re still putting everything in a savings account earning 0.1% interest, that gap is literally shrinking your purchasing power every year due to inflation.
The Next Step That Changes Everything
Here’s what I know after years of helping people close these gaps: information alone doesn’t create change. The right strategy, implemented with the right support system, creates change.
You can read every financial book ever written, watch every YouTube video, and listen to every podcast. But until you have a specific plan designed for your specific situation, with someone to help you stay accountable to that plan, you’ll stay stuck where you are.
That’s exactly why I want to invite you to schedule a no-pressure conversation about your financial goals. Not to sell you anything, but to help you see what’s actually possible when you have the right strategy and support system.
Schedule your complimentary 30-minute financial strategy call here – let’s talk about turning your 1-10 ratings into a real action plan that gets results.
This isn’t about generic advice or cookie-cutter solutions. It’s about understanding your specific situation and creating a path forward that actually makes sense for your life.
Your ratings told me you’re serious about these financial goals. Now let’s have a conversation about making them happen.
Ready to turn those numbers into real financial progress? Your future self is counting on the decision you make right now.
Take your financial future to the next level. Join thousands of others who are building real wealth through our comprehensive wealth-building membership at www.mwrfinancial.com/krnrstn21. Get access to proven strategies, expert guidance, and a community of like-minded individuals committed to making wealth real.
Tweet Draft: “Just took the 1-10 challenge 🎯 How important is keeping more of your paycheck to you? Eliminating debt? Safe investments? Your ratings reveal everything about your financial future. What’s your score? 💰 #WealthBuilding #FinancialGoals #MakeWealthReal”
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