The Makings of “Finding Financial Freedom”

Finance Sarah's Thoughts by Sarah | Diamonds N’ Denim

My Obsession

On July 1st, my very first book, “Finding Financial Freedom: How you Can Create an Abundance of Wealth in Small Town America” will go up for sale to the public!

Though I’ve been working on this project for only three months, the idea for it has been an ongoing thought that I’ve entertained for years.

I have always had a fascination with money. Though I love the wonderful general outdoor activities of riding horses, hiking, biking, camping, and kayaking- I have to admit that making money is probably my favorite hobby. I tell extremely few people about this hobby of mine for obvious reasons (I don’t want to look like a greedy schmuck).

When Devin and I got married, we jumped in the truck to travel full time. This has allowed me to spend lots of time with my husband, see the lower 48 States, and blog during the day. At night, I read books, blogs, articles, research papers, and the finance sections of Google and Quora. I also networked with brilliant people, watched informational videos, listened to podcasts, ran my own tests (took my own risks), and I have taken non-credit-earning courses. All of this research of mine has been based on varying types of finance: personal finance (self help), micro and macroeconomics, wealthy men (and women)’s autobiographies, global economics, and socio-economics.

I read (and listen, and watch, and taken courses) for an average of 4 hours a day, 7 days a week. I take approximately 1 week off every month, and I’ve been in this truck since late October/Early November. This means that I’ve studied for about 84 hours a month, for eight months, for a grand total of 672 hours. Now I want to give you the key information I’ve learned, without making you undergo all the efforts I have.

Finding Financial Freedom by Sarah Hamelman Jones

Readers aren’t Stupid

During all this time, I’ve noticed one recurring theme in the ‘self help’ section of finance. Authors, bloggers, enthusiasts, gurus, and a large majority of experts seem to assume that their readers are downright stupid. They push three main topics:

  • make all the spending cuts that you possibly can
  • reduce your debt
  • and learn to live within whatever your current financial situation is
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I strongly feel as if this undermines your potential, and who you are as a person.

Those are the  basic steps to having more money, but not to becoming financially free. To be financially free, and self fulfilled, you need to make investments that you’re comfortable with (whether they’re safe or high risk, does not matter), you need to cut spending from areas of your life that don’t matter to you.  You also need to enjoy every good moment that you’re able to.

Making all the spending cuts that you possibly can just means you have more money, which is good. But, having money for the sake of having money, is essentially worthless to you. You need to determine what drives you, and what makes you happy. Once you have your priorities straight, you need to have a plan to earn enough to support this happiness curator of yours.

You should learn what you personally desire from this life, and act accordingly. If you truly love drinking $7 cups of coffee, you should drink that coffee, and give the middle finger to every financial expert who tells you that you’re being wasteful.

Finance gurus urge you to make safe investments, pinch your pennies, and cut almost all the fun from your life. Those are the steps to having more money, but not to becoming financially free. To be financially free, and self fulfilled, you need to:

  • Make Big Goals. What do YOU want out of your life?
  • Track your income. See how close you already are financially to supporting your ideal lifestyle.
  • Make a Budget. And find a method that helps you stick with it.
  • Reduce your spending habits. It’s not about saving money, so much as just learning what you personally value, and what you don’t. This is never about making cuts in areas of your life that you value.
  • Recognize exploitation. Avoid it, and help others avoid it.
  • Earn Extra Cash. Passive income, side hustle, start a business, be an entrepreneur.
  • Take Risks. Invest. Make bad choices. Lose a little. Make good decisions. Win a little. Repeat.
  • Change your Mindset. Think like a 1%er. I interviewed wealthy people for your benefit.
  • Not give up. Live your Life to the Fullest.
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Small Town People are Taken Advantage of

I love my hometown so much. I grew up in an awesome, supportive community, with lots of opportunities, and beautiful landscapes. As I grew older, I watched my friends and neighbors, who make great money, fall on hard times. I saw a recurring cycle, and I started to see all the ways that others were taking advantage of these people. These are really intelligent, really hardworking people too. It’s just a massive flaw that our small towns and public schools provide its people with very few (if any) resources to build financial knowledge. As a result, people are brilliant, yet financially illiterate.
 
Large businesses and crooked entrepreneurs know this. And unfortunately, many leverage this to their own advantages (and profits).
I’m going to point out schemes, pandering, and methods that they’ve been using to trick you. Then, I’m going to help you learn the signs, so that you can avoid these problems on your own.

What’s Inside?

Introduction
 
Defining “Financial Freedom”
 
The Motivation for Money
 
Assessing your Personal Situation
 
What to do when you literally have $0
 
How to Build an Effective Budget
Keep More of what You Earn
Combat Spending Temptations
 
How to Quickly Boost your Credit
 
Net Worth isn’t Worth as much as you Think
 
The Side Hustle You Absolutely Need
 
Why your Current Job isn’t Helping You
 
How to Avoid being Exploited for Profit
 
Financial Advisors & Mutual Funds aren’t your Friends
A Better Investment
 
The Secret to Absolute Financial Freedom
 
The Millionaire’s Secret
 
A 1%er’s Advice to You
Closing Words + Contact Information
A Bonus Workbook

The Purpose of Finding Financial Freedom

From the actual straight-to-the-point contents of the book, to the money it will raise for a worthwhile charity, this is intended to help people in their financial endeavors.

I’m not going to:

  • treat my readers as if they’re stupid
  • withhold key information because it’s too ‘advanced’
  • charge a ridiculous rate for the book
  • Run once I have my reader’s money. I have 100% Money Back Guarantee, and my contact information will be available in the back of the book for questions, comments, and discussion
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I am going to:

  • Share key information
  • Be quick, and to the point. I know people are busy, so I won’t repeat myself or add any unnecessary info
  • Donate 10% of my profits to Feeding America. This is a worthwhile charity that I love and support so much, especially because it specializes in helping Americans who are struggling.
  • Include a FREE workbook to help keep your financial life organized, and more efficient.

Get your free chapter here, and be on the lookout for Finding Financial Freedom to release on Sunday, July 1st, 2017. If you’d like to be updated on the book, get freebies, or be notified when it comes out, sign up for the Diamonds N’ Denim Newsletter at the top of the page (it’s a red banner).  All I need is your first name, and email address. I will never share or spam your email.

The book will be available as an eBook (via Apple iBooks, Amazon Kindle, and in PDF) and a hardback that I’ll have for sale on Diamonds N’ Denim, as well as unannounced brick and mortar book stores.

What are your favorite financial resources? Do you have a book, blog, or course you love? Are you excited to see my first book release? Let me know down in the comments section, and as always, thank you for reading!