10 Financial Tips To Help You Grow Your Wealth: Biliz Maharjan

Article by Biliz Maharjan

Photo by Micheile Henderson on Unsplash

Money is something we all want. If you have money, you can buy things and live the life of your dreams. A lot of people spend their time working for money. For most, the main source of income is their job.

If you have a job, you can do three things with the money you have earned. You can either spend it, save it, or invest it. The way you manage these three activities can determine your financial intelligence and how wealthy you will become in the future.

"Money without financial intelligence is money soon gone." —Robert Kiyosaki, Rich Dad Poor Dad

Growing your wealth and becoming rich has nothing to do with your education or degree. It has a lot more to do with your financial intelligence. It is about your behavior towards money that matters. More on that later.

Wealth can have a different meaning for each of us. What does becoming wealthy mean to you? Is it having a lot of money in your bank account? Is it the ability to afford the expensive things? Or is it having the freedom to do the things you like?

Whatever it is, we all want to become wealthy. So here are ten financial tips you can implement in life to grow your wealth.

1. Understand that it is not how much money you make. It is how much money you keep.

Earning a lot of money is not enough to become wealthy. You have to learn how to keep and grow the money you have earned. So it is not how much money you make. It is how much money you keep.

Suppose you won Rs. 1 crore in a lottery. You are very happy. You decide to spend the money buying things you want because you can afford them now. If you do this, soon you will be back to zero again. Instead, if you invest some of the money in the stock market, keep some in a fixed deposit, and others in a savings account, you could have a wealthier life in the next few years.

Getting money and keeping money require different skills. Getting money requires taking risks, hard work, and being optimistic. Keeping money requires you to mitigate risk, avoid greed, live below your means, and understand that things can be taken from you at any moment.

 2. Save more

Save more money. It is the most common financial advice. But saving is one of the most effective financial decisions you can make.

But, can saving money alone make you wealthy? No, it cannot. Saving money will, instead, decrease its purchasing power because of inflation. But here's a simple truth: the more money you save, the more money you have. Saving gives you financial freedom, financial security and allows you to take calculated risks.

The general rule of thumb is to save 10% of your income. But that is just a myth. There is no rule. You can save as much as you want—20%, 30%, or even 50%.

“Do not save what is left after spending; instead spend what is left after saving.” —Warren Buffett

Do not save to save. Save to invest. Learn how to make money from your money. That is what the rich do.

3. Change your psychology about money

Morgan Housel, the author of The Psychology of Money, says that making money is more about your behavior than your intellect. It is about how you behave in context to the three main money habits—spending, saving, and investing.

So being wealthy and having a lot of money has nothing to do with your knowledge, IQ, or how good you are at math. Instead, your thoughts and emotions about money play a big role. You can be wealthy regardless of your family background, past experiences, and academic degree.

You need to be optimistic about the future and start changing your attitude and actions towards money.

4. Money buys freedom

In the big picture, becoming wealthy is not just about having a lot of money and being able to spend on things you want. It is about freedom.

You want the freedom to spend your time doing the things you love. So being wealthy means having the freedom to do what you want, where, when, and with whom you want.

Every time you buy something, understand that you are giving up a bit of freedom and time. In other words, do not buy things you do not need because you could be giving up your chance to have freedom.

5. Invest early

Warren Buffet bought his first stock at the age of 11. It gave him the advantage to start early and learn about investments. Today, he is the richest investor in the world.

To understand the benefit of investing early, you will have to understand the magic of compounding. The more frequently your money earns interest, the faster and larger your money will grow. As interest is added to your account, you earn interest on the original amount plus the past interests.

So invest early. It will give you a chance to learn more and become financially free. Furthermore, your future will be financially secure.

6. Live below your means

If you want to be wealthy, frugality should be your new best friend. In modern terminology, living below your means is also called minimalism.

The logic is simple; track your expenses, keep them low, save as much as possible, don't spend on unnecessary things, and sell the things you do not need.

Minimalism refers to living with only the things you really need—a simple, distraction-free life.

7. Diversify your income

Never rely on a single source of income because you will never become wealthy with that. Instead, develop multiple earning streams. Every rich person has more than one income source. Research says that, on average, a millionaire has at least seven streams of income.

For most people, a 9-5 job is their only source of income. But, unfortunately, that is never enough to become wealthy.

Diversify your income sources. How? Learn new skills that can help you earn more money. Keep your day job and start a side hustle. Study rich people. Look for opportunities.

Popular examples of income sources, besides your day job, are dividends from stocks, interest income, blogging, YouTube, affiliate marketing, online tutoring, freelancing, selling online, etc.

8. Buy assets

Buying assets is one of the best ways to make money from money. Rich people buy assets that generate income. Then, they reinvest asset profits back into assets.

Assets include stocks, bonds, real estate, notes, intellectual property, etc. In Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki uses cash flow diagrams (shown below) to explain the importance of buying assets.

Credit: Rich Dad Poor Dad

According to Kiyosaki, the poor spend all their income on expenses. The middle class has liabilities that they cannot avoid, and they have further expenses. On the other hand, the rich have assets that generate income.

The larger your assets column, the richer you will become.

9. Set financial goals

Having financial goals help you track your income, expenses, investments, and savings. Setting goals will provide you a clear vision of where you want to be financially in life.

Write down your goals. Where do you see yourself financially in the next five or ten years? Then, develop a plan that is going to help you achieve your goals. Remember to keep a timeframe in mind when setting goals.

Make a plan for your earnings, savings, spending, and investments, and be strict with your money habits.

10. Keep learning

Learning never ends. Each day is an opportunity to learn and grow. Be curious about money. There are different ways to make money. Explore them.

Learn new skills that will help you make money. Build multiple streams of income. Learn about money management and develop good money habits.

Study the rich people and learn from their lives. There are endless ways to learn. Remember, the more you learn, the more you can earn.

Final Thoughts

We all have different money goals. Some of us want to be rich and famous, while others want to have enough to sustain a life without financial problems.

Following the above tips will solve your money problems and help you live with financial freedom. Take action today to make your future secure. Your savings and investments will prepare you for the future.

Small steps lead to bigger changes. Make small changes to your money habits. Stop spending on things you don't really need. Start saving. Invest. You do not need a huge amount of money to become wealthy. Invest small and do it consistently. Then, compound interest will take care of the rest.

Consistency leads to growth. Your money will surely grow if you are consistent with your investing habits. Lastly, be patient. Do not go after get-rich-quick methods. Instead, educate yourself about money and how it works.

Good luck with a wealthy life ahead.

About the author:

Biliz Maharjan is a writer, creator, MBA graduate in finance, and former IT/Investment Analyst at a renowned merchant bank of Nepal. He has a blog, bilizmaharjan.com, where he writes about personal development, finance, books, health, etc. Recently, he has written an ebook called 'The Basics of Investing in the Stock Market of Nepal' for beginners in the stock market. Download his free ebook here.