The Money Advantage® Podcast | Infinite Banking Concept & Family Banking

Do you know if you’re maximizing your business tax deductions?  If the thought of the new year brings you tax anxiety, you’re not alone.

Many business owners fear tax season and the “day of reckoning” when they find out how much they owe to Uncle Sam.

No one likes to part with hard-earned dollars or wonder whether they may have overpaid.

To make matters worse, taxes seem like an endless maze of confusion.  Blindly trusting a professional and hoping they’re doing everything in your best interest is a sure-fire way to feel disempowered and out of control.

In our work with business owners, one question rises to the forefront of all financial strategy – how do I pay less in taxes?

Overpaying taxes is one of the most impactful money leaks we see for business owners because their money is flowing out of their control.

Instead, we’re leaning into that dysphoria.

We believe that education empowers you with the confidence to take action and make better decisions.

Where Taxes Fit into the Cash Flow System

Strategically (and legally) shrinking your tax liability is a huge part of fixing your money leaks.  But it’s just one small step of a greater journey of building time and money freedom.  

That’s why we’ve put together the 3-step Entrepreneur’s Cash Flow System.  

The first step is keeping more of the money you make.  This includes tax planning, debt restructuring, cash flow awareness, and restructuring your savings so you can access it as an emergency/opportunity fund.  This step frees up and increases your cash flow, so you have more to save, and consequently, more to invest.

Then, you’ll protect your money with savings, insurance and legal protection.  Locating and solving your money leaks is just a temporary bandaid if there’s risk that you could lose it.

Finally, you’ll put your money to work and get it to make more by investing in cash-flowing assets to build financial freedom and leave a rich legacy.

Plan for Your Best Tax Year Yet

2018 is a brand-new year.

Instead of taxes being something that makes you cringe, we want to empower you with a mindset, tips, knowledge, and strategy to help you keep more of your money by leveraging the tax code and maximizing your tax deductions.

In this interview with Mark Schreiber, CPA and Tax Strategist with e3 Wealth, we discuss the best way to start 2018 prepared to make it your best year for tax savings.

Mark’s Background

Mark has worked in public accounting for 35 years.

In his work with small businesses and entrepreneurs, he focuses on doing taxes, tax planning, and estate tax planning.  He’s been with one of the “large eight” CPA firms and joined e3 2 years ago.

Interview Highlights:

A lot of Tax Planning is Reactive:

At the end of the year, you hand over your books, your CPA crunches the numbers and gives you a tax return.  It’s not often proactive, forward-looking tax planning that takes into consideration your specific business and plans with an objective to minimize taxes this year and every year going forward.

Tax Deferrals, Deductions, and Credits:

Tax deferrals reduce taxable income this year by postponing a portion of income to pay tax in the future instead.  On the other hand, tax deductions reduce taxable income this year, and never come back to be taxed again.  Tax credits shrink your tax bill dollar-for-dollar.

How to Save 15.3% on Your Taxes With 1 Strategy:

Many self-employed people are Sole Proprietors.  They file a Schedule C and pay ordinary tax, PLUS 7.65% for the employee portion of FICA and Medicare, PLUS another 7.65% for the employer portion of FICA and Medicare.  This additional 15.3% is referred to as the self-employment tax, and business owners pay it on top of regular income tax.   A business entity taxed as an S Corp has a way to minimize the self-employment tax.  After paying a reasonable salary to the business owner at the full self-employment tax rate,

Prosperity Economics has begun its renaissance as an alternative to typical financial planning.  An increasing number of courageous, conscious, independent thinkers have outgrown typical financial planning.

They resonate with a different financial philosophy that provides more control, certainty, and permission to use their money now.

For them, the financial status quo has been losing its luster.

Its unfulfilled promises and failure to produce economic security have grown increasingly apparent.

Where Your Mindset Fits into the Cash Flow System

At The Money Advantage, we are a community of wealth creators.  We are entrepreneurially-minded business owners who are taking control of our lives and financial destiny.  We have a compass that always points back to the principles of wealth, not just to strategies or products.  You need the right mindset, philosophy, and principles of abundance, expansive thinking, creation, cash flow, and control in place first before any financial tactics can genuinely benefit and serve you.

In the Cash Flow System, you first increase cash flow by keeping more of the money you make. Then you protect your money.  Finally, you increase and make more.

This conversation on the mindset, philosophy, and principles of wealth creation fits right into the very first step of the first phase.

Typical Financial Planning Is Planning to Fail

All around, you notice people who have socked away money in retirement plans who are unable to retire.  They’re working longer because they have to, giving up on the lifestyle they’d hoped for, or fearing running out of money.

You’re told it’s their fault because they haven’t saved enough.

But even the most diligent and disciplined savers have had wealth indiscriminately erased by the fickle tide of the market.

It seems impossible to get ahead, much less to win the financial game.

The incongruences are shocking.  Many tried to ignore it, but you couldn't.  No matter what you do, it seems like you’re swimming against the tide in a system that’s rigged against you.

If you put less away for the future, you end up not having enough in the future.

If you put more away for the future, you end up more worried about losing what you’ve built because of uncertainty and the risk of loss.

Unsettled About Unanswered Questions

You have many looming questions about what you've heard from the media, Wall Street, and the financial planning industry.

You’re not content with feeling out of control.  You don't like closing your eyes and hanging on for the ride, hoping for the best.  You want guarantees and certainty that put you in the driver's seat of your life and destiny.

Isn't that why you started a business in the first place?  To create your future and take the bull by the horns? 

Prosperity Economics has begun its renaissance as an alternative to typical financial planning.  An increasing number of courageous, conscious, independent thinkers have outgrown typical financial planning.

They resonate with a different financial philosophy that provides more control, certainty, and permission to use their money now.

For them, the financial status quo has been losing its luster.

Its unfulfilled promises and failure to produce economic security have grown increasingly apparent.

Table of contentsWhere Your Mindset Fits into the Cash Flow SystemTypical Financial Planning Is Planning to FailUnsettled About Unanswered QuestionsThe Unstable Premises of Typical Financial Planning, DemystifiedTypical Financial Planning Assumption #1: You desire to feel great about your money means you want a plan for retirement.Typical Financial Planning Assumption #2: You can create a plan that will work, based on guesses about the future.Typical Financial Planning Assumption #3: You have to take on risk to earn higher returns.Typical Financial Planning Assumption #4: You hate your job, and want to retire.Typical Financial Planning Assumption #5: You are not smart enough to handle your own money.Typical Financial Planning Assumption #6: Investing means putting money in the stock market.Typical Financial Planning Assumption #7: Having access to your money isn’t important.Typical Financial Planning Assumption #8: You should build enough net worth so you can live off the interest in retirement.Typical Financial Planning Assumption #9: Everything works out exactly as you plan it.Typical Financial Planning Is not Supported by Simple MathematicsYou’ll Need Way More Money Tomorrow Than You’d ExpectYou’d Need to Save 97% of Your Income TodayEvery Unknown Requires More Money to Make Sure the Future Works OutYour Financial Dreams Are Lightyears Outside These LimitationsHere Is What You Didn’t Realize You’re Looking ForThe Antidote Is A Return to the TraditionalFour Primary Differentiators1) Can I Trust Myself?Take Control by Modeling the Bank2) Is Financial Freedom My Goal?Having Cash Flow Today Is the Starting Point of Having Cash Flow in the Future3) Do I Want to Retire?Retirement Is OutdatedWould You Retire if You Love Your Life, Just the Way It Is?4) How Do I Maximize My Whole Personal Economy?Listen to the PodcastEpisode ResourcesShare Your Thoughts and QuestionsCreate Your Time and Money Freedom

Where Your Mindset Fits into the Cash Flow System

At The Money Advantage, we are a community of wealth creators.  We are entrepreneurially-minded business owners who are taking control of our lives and financial destiny.  We have a compass that always points back to the principles of wealth, not just to strategies or products.  You need the right mindset, philosophy, and principles of abundance, expansive thinking, creation, cash flow, and control in place first before any financial tactics can genuinely benefit and serve you.

In the Cash Flow System, you first increase cash flow by keeping more of the money you make. Then you protect your money.  Finally, you increase and make more.

This conversation on the mindset, philosophy, and principles of wealth creation fits right into the very first step of the first phase.

Typical Financial Planning Is Planning to Fail

All around, you notice people who have socked away money in retirement plans who are unable to retire.  They’re working longer because they have to, giving up on the lifestyle they’d hoped for, or fearing running out of money.

You’re told it’s their fault because they haven’t saved enough.

But even the most diligent and disciplined savers have had wealth indiscriminately erased by the fickle tide of the market.

It seems impossible to get ahead, much less to win the financial game.

The incongruences are shocking.  Many tried to ignore it, but you couldn't.  No matter what you do, it seems like you’re swimming against the tide in a syst...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYURsXmE2lc

Robert Murphy discusses an out-of-the-box strategy, Infinite Banking, that complements the entrepreneur.  He is an economist in an unconventional wrapper. His sense of humor and straight-talk help him convey the most difficult concepts with elegance and simplicity we can all understand. He’s a free market thinker with the courage to be contrarian.

He goes against the grain of the financial and economic status quo that marginalizes entrepreneurs and disregards their primary needs.  Instead, he salutes the nobility of entrepreneurship.  He gives clear-cut guidance on how to fortify their financial footing with cash flow and control of capital.

Where Infinite Banking Fits into Your Cash Flow System

Infinite Banking (Privatized Banking) is just one step in the greater Cash Flow System.

Infinite banking is sandwiched between Stage 1, where you’re being more efficient and keeping more money you already make, and Stage 3, where you’re increasing cash flow from your investments.

While it’s nestled into Stage 2, Protection, it also improves everything else around it.  Infinite Banking helps you keep more of the money you make in Stage 1, amplify your cash-flowing asset strategy in Stage 3, and accelerate your Time and Money Freedom.

Robert Murphy Has Credentials That Have Earned Him Wide Respect

Robert P. Murphy is an austrian economist and Research Assistant Professor with the Free Market Institute at Texas Tech University. Along with Tom Woods, he is co-host of the popular podcast “Contra Krugman.”

Robert has a Ph.D. in economics from New York University. He is also Senior Economist with the Institute for Energy Research, Senior Fellow with the Fraser Institute, Senior Fellow at the Mises Institute, and Research Fellow with the Independent Institute.

He’s a prolific author and speaker on Austrian economics.

Robert Murphy has testified before Congress on energy markets and monetary policy and has given numerous interviews on TV and radio. He is the author of hundreds of articles and several books on economic topics created for the layperson.

He publishes (with Carlos Lara) the Lara-Murphy Report, and is co-creator of the IBC Practitioner Program.

He’s a member of the board at the Nelson Nash Institute.

His works have been published in:

* The Austrian* Mises Daily Article* The Journal of Libertarian Studies* Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics* Mises Review* The Free Market* Review of Austrian Economics* Speeches and Presentations

Robert Murphy Interview Highlights

The Human Element That Makes Economics Unpredictable

Robert Murphy makes economics simple and relevant to everyday people making everyday life decisions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYURsXmE2lc

Robert Murphy discusses an out-of-the-box strategy, Infinite Banking, that complements the entrepreneur.  He is an economist in an unconventional wrapper. His sense of humor and straight-talk help him convey the most difficult concepts with elegance and simplicity we can all understand. He’s a free market thinker with the courage to be contrarian.

He goes against the grain of the financial and economic status quo that marginalizes entrepreneurs and disregards their primary needs.  Instead, he salutes the nobility of entrepreneurship.  He gives clear-cut guidance on how to fortify their financial footing with cash flow and control of capital.

Table of contentsWhere Infinite Banking Fits into Your Cash Flow SystemRobert Murphy Has Credentials That Have Earned Him Wide RespectRobert Murphy Interview HighlightsThe Human Element That Makes Economics UnpredictableAustrian Economics Celebrates the EntrepreneurThe Austrian Business Cycle Theory Informs the EntrepreneurProtect Your Ability to Innovate by Controlling Your CapitalHow Robert Murphy Connects Austrian Economics with Infinite BankingRobert Murphy and Carlos Lara Host the Night of ClarityThe Entrepreneurial MindsetInfinite Banking Is the Perfect Savings System for EntrepreneursBob Murphy Went From Whole Life Insurance Skeptic to EvangelistRobert Murphy on What Makes the Infinite Banking System Good for Business Owners

Infinite Banking Is Your Tool to Emulate the Most Powerful Business Model in the World: The BankRobert Murphy Says You Can Seced from the Banking SystemAn Infinite Banking Policy Is Like a Swiss Army KnifeA Good Rate of Return, Compared to What?Infinite Banking Is Most Powerful as an “AND Asset”Our Personal Story Illustrates Why Whole Life Is an Ideal “AND Asset”It’s No Secret That Banks and the Wealthy Store Reserves in Cash Value Life InsuranceThe Mindset Shift Required to Take Control of Your CapitalConnect with Robert MurphyCreate Your Time and Money Freedom

Where Infinite Banking Fits into Your Cash Flow System

Infinite Banking (Privatized Banking) is just one step in the greater Cash Flow System.

Infinite banking is sandwiched between Stage 1, where you’re being more efficient and keeping more money you already make, and Stage 3, where you’re increasing cash flow from your investments.

While it’s nestled into Stage 2, Protection, it also improves everything else around it.  Infinite Banking helps you keep more of the money you make in Stage 1, amplify your cash-flowing asset strategy in Stage 3, and accelerate your Time and Money Freedom.

Robert Murphy Has Credentials That Have Earned Him Wide Respect

Robert P. Murphy is an austrian economist and Research Assistant Professor with the Free Market Institute at Texas Tech University. Along with Tom Woods, he is co-host of the popular podcast “Contra Krugman.”

Robert has a Ph.D. in economics from New York University. He is also Senior Economist with the Institute for Energy Research, Senior Fellow with the Fraser Institute, Senior Fellow at the Mises Institute, and Research Fellow with the Independent Institute.

He’s a prolific author and speaker on Austrian economics.

Robert Murphy has testified before Congress on energy markets and monetary policy and has given numerous interviews on TV and radio. He is the author of hundreds of articles and several books on economic topics created for the layperson.

He publishes (with Carlos Lara) the Lara-Murphy Report, and is co-creator of the IBC Practitioner Program.

He’s a member of the board at the Nelson Nash Institute.

His works have been published in:

The AustrianMises Daily ArticleThe Journal of Libertarian StudiesQuarterly Journal of Austrian EconomicsMises ReviewThe Free MarketReview of Austrian EconomicsSpeeches and Presentations

Robert Murphy Interview Highlights

The Human Element That Makes Economics Unpredictable

Your financial life should have come with the instructions: "For best results, abundance thinking required!"  Your financial results are a direct product of your way of thinking about money.  While it's tempting to jump right into strategies and products and investments, you'll never outperform your mindset.  You are your greatest investment, therefore exponential results are created by an abundance mindset.

In the famous Indian fable of the Blind Men and the Elephant, six blind men described an elephant from their perspective.  One said it was like a rope, and another said the elephant was like a tree.  A third said it was like a spear.  The fourth, a snake.  The fifth, a fan.  And finally, the sixth man said it was like a wall.

Each man had touched a different part of the elephant, and his experience shaped his understanding.

Their limited thinking is evident to us.  But all too often, we, just like each blind man, are unaware of our own finite mindset.

Our mindset is intangible and tucked away out of sight, so it’s easy to think it doesn’t require your attention.

You can be unaware of it, ignore it, pretend it’s something different, or choose it.

Regardless of your level of consciousness around your mindset and beliefs, your mental programming is driving your life.

Where an Abundance Mindset Fits into the Cash Flow System

At The Money Advantage, we are a community of wealth creators.  We are entrepreneurially-minded business owners who are taking control of our lives and financial destiny.  We have a compass that always points back to the principles of wealth, not just to strategies or products.  You need the right mindset, philosophy, and principles of abundance, expansive thinking, creation, cash flow, and control in place first before any financial tactics can genuinely benefit and serve you.

In the Cash Flow System, you first increase cash flow by keeping more of the money you make. Then you protect your money.  Finally, you increase and make more.

This conversation on the mindset, philosophy, and principles of wealth creation fits right into the very first step of the first phase.

How We Learn

If you want different results than you see today, it’s not enough to change your actions.  You need to expand your mindset.

In the elephant story, each man was beholden to his perspective.  They each believed that their own experience was the full interpretation, and it led them to severe errors of judgment.  Not one was willing to learn from each other to broaden his understanding.

When it comes to our understanding of the world, we’re each like the blind men.

Of all of the available facts in the world, each of us knows some of them.  None of us know them all.  The limited set of facts we have and our interpretation of them form our unique map.  Of the 7 billion people in the world, all of them have a map, and none of them look like yours.

This is your belief system.  Unless you're willing to expand your map, nothing new exists for you.

Your financial life should have come with the instructions: "For best results, abundance thinking required!"  Your financial results are a direct product of your way of thinking about money.  While it's tempting to jump right into strategies and products and investments, you'll never outperform your mindset.  You are your greatest investment, therefore exponential results are created by an abundance mindset.

In the famous Indian fable of the Blind Men and the Elephant, six blind men described an elephant from their perspective.  One said it was like a rope, and another said the elephant was like a tree.  A third said it was like a spear.  The fourth, a snake.  The fifth, a fan.  And finally, the sixth man said it was like a wall.

Each man had touched a different part of the elephant, and his experience shaped his understanding.

Their limited thinking is evident to us.  But all too often, we, just like each blind man, are unaware of our own finite mindset.

Our mindset is intangible and tucked away out of sight, so it’s easy to think it doesn’t require your attention.

You can be unaware of it, ignore it, pretend it’s something different, or choose it.

Regardless of your level of consciousness around your mindset and beliefs, your mental programming is driving your life.

Table of contentsWhere an Abundance Mindset Fits into the Cash Flow SystemHow We LearnWe Don’t Know EverythingWhat We Do Know is ThisScarcity: Limiting Beliefs and Where They Come FromConsider an Abundance View of MoneyAbundance Principles That Lead to Creating More MoneyAbundance Principle 1: Dollars Follow ValueAbundance Principle 2: People Have Intrinsic Value; Money Does NotAbundance Principle 3: Principles First, Strategies SecondA Strategy Is Not a PrincipleAbundance Principle 4: Reaching Your Full Potential Requires Full ResponsibilityThe 7 Principles of ProsperityLive the Principles of Abundance to Create WealthThe Podcast Has More on AbundanceEpisode ResourcesCreate Your Time and Money FreedomIn Closing

Where an Abundance Mindset Fits into the Cash Flow System

At The Money Advantage, we are a community of wealth creators.  We are entrepreneurially-minded business owners who are taking control of our lives and financial destiny.  We have a compass that always points back to the principles of wealth, not just to strategies or products.  You need the right mindset, philosophy, and principles of abundance, expansive thinking, creation, cash flow, and control in place first before any financial tactics can genuinely benefit and serve you.

In the Cash Flow System, you first increase cash flow by keeping more of the money you make. Then you protect your money.  Finally, you increase and make more.

This conversation on the mindset, philosophy, and principles of wealth creation fits right into the very first step of the first phase.

How We Learn

If you want different results than you see today, it’s not enough to change your actions.  You need to expand your mindset.

In the elephant story, each man was beholden to his perspective.  They each believed that their own experience was the full interpretation, and it led them to severe errors of judgment.  Not one was willing to learn from each other to broaden his understanding.

When it comes to our understanding of the world, we’re each like the blind men.

Of all of the available facts in the world, each of us knows some of them.  None of us know them all.  The limited set of facts we have and our interpretation of them form our unique map.  Of the 7 billion people in the world, all of them have a map, and none of them look like yours.

This is your belief system.  Unless you're willing to expand your map, nothing new exists for you.

When we come into a conversation with people who see differently, it's important to recognize that if we both had the same map, we'd think the same way.

When we each defend our own interpretation of the facts,

With naivety that makes me laugh now, after having my first child, I thought I'd have so much free time, why not start a business?As much courage as it takes to tell one’s story, it’s also tremendously freeing and empowering.

I heard it said that the most important gift we can give is our story.  Every story we hear is a gift because we find ourselves in each other’s stories.  We receive the gift of permission to live out our own story bravely, own it, and share it.

I’ll share how I, Rachel Marshall, became a cash flow coach, how it’s a part of my family, why I keep going, and why I want to keep growing for my entire life.  More importantly, I’ll tell you about the mindset breakthroughs along the way.

I’ll tell you about the ugly mistakes I made during the process.  I hope to encourage you not to give up.  I hope to show you that there are lessons on the other side that are worth every gut-wrenching tear.

And I’ll show you how consistently taking action, no matter how imperfect, has been the secret to growth, confidence, and progress.

I hope to give you the permission to think differently and grow along with like-minded entrepreneurs.

In case you missed it, in the prior episodes, we covered How The Money Advantage Began, and my co-host Bruce's backstory in The Mindset Shift.

My Core Strengths Illuminated By an Eclectic History

I grew up the oldest of 4 on a farm in Minnesota.

Everything I did was with my whole heart, with a grand, epic meaning.

I was involved in 4-H throughout grade school. At 12 years old, on one of my project folders I defined 4-H:

… a window into greater levels of knowledge, determination, personal development, perseverance and effort which involves making friends, learning new skills, and having fun.

I rode horses and competed at the state level in barrel racing.  This taught me alot about dedication, hard work, and being coachable.

At 17, I moved 1,300 miles away from home to join a ministry training program.  We traveled across the nation, leading youth conferences.

I joined the administrative staff of my church and led a team of 90 volunteers, and learned that I loved inspiring people to work together.  Through writing training curriculum, I developed the ability to teach.

After I married Lucas in 2006, I finished out a bachelor’s degree in psychology and business.  I was drawn to marriage and family therapy.  In college, I discovered my aptitude for accounting and was offered a paid scholarship to make it my major.  I turned it down, thinking I wouldn’t be interested in “crunching numbers.”

Out of college, I landed a career in business and human resource management.  Training and development was my strength, and I thrived in building relationships that drew out the potential of others and inspiring teamwork.  I learned that leadership and influence didn’t have to come from a company title or a supervisory position.

With naivety that makes me laugh now, after having my first child, I thought I'd have so much free time, why not start a business?As much courage as it takes to tell one’s story, it’s also tremendously freeing and empowering.

I heard it said that the most important gift we can give is our story.  Every story we hear is a gift because we find ourselves in each other’s stories.  We receive the gift of permission to live out our own story bravely, own it, and share it.

I’ll share how I, Rachel Marshall, became a cash flow coach, how it’s a part of my family, why I keep going, and why I want to keep growing for my entire life.  More importantly, I’ll tell you about the mindset breakthroughs along the way.

I’ll tell you about the ugly mistakes I made during the process.  I hope to encourage you not to give up.  I hope to show you that there are lessons on the other side that are worth every gut-wrenching tear.

And I’ll show you how consistently taking action, no matter how imperfect, has been the secret to growth, confidence, and progress.

I hope to give you the permission to think differently and grow along with like-minded entrepreneurs.

In case you missed it, in the prior episodes, we covered How The Money Advantage Began, and my co-host Bruce's backstory in The Mindset Shift.

Table of contentsMy Core Strengths Illuminated By an Eclectic HistoryThe Intrigue of EntrepreneurshipThe Silly Idea That Got Us StartedPersonal Financial Failures and the Lessons We Learned as a ResultHow a Personal Financial Mindset Shift Changed Our BusinessThe Transformation from Just Sticking with ItHow I Serve Business Owners TodayThe Elevated Mindset in BusinessWhy I’m Still GrowingMaking Sense of It AllThe Podcast Has MoreEpisode Resources

My Core Strengths Illuminated By an Eclectic History

I grew up the oldest of 4 on a farm in Minnesota.

Everything I did was with my whole heart, with a grand, epic meaning.

I was involved in 4-H throughout grade school. At 12 years old, on one of my project folders I defined 4-H:

… a window into greater levels of knowledge, determination, personal development, perseverance and effort which involves making friends, learning new skills, and having fun.

I rode horses and competed at the state level in barrel racing.  This taught me alot about dedication, hard work, and being coachable.

At 17, I moved 1,300 miles away from home to join a ministry training program.  We traveled across the nation, leading youth conferences.

I joined the administrative staff of my church and led a team of 90 volunteers, and learned that I loved inspiring people to work together.  Through writing training curriculum, I developed the ability to teach.

After I married Lucas in 2006, I finished out a bachelor’s degree in psychology and business.  I was drawn to marriage and family therapy.  In college, I discovered my aptitude for accounting and was offered a paid scholarship to make it my major.  I turned it down, thinking I wouldn’t be interested in “crunching numbers.”

Out of college, I landed a career in business and human resource management.  Training and development was my strength, and I thrived in building relationships that drew out the potential of others and inspiring teamwork.  I learned that leadership and influence didn’t have to come from a company title or a supervisory position.

The Intrigue of Entrepreneurship

I can point back to an eighth-grade introduction to Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad Poor Dad, and the Cashflow Game, as the first seed of entrepreneurship in my life.

I wanted to understand investing and business ownership that made money and created financial freedom.

The desire lay dormant for several years and resurfaced when Lucas and I were dating.

We’d have long conversations about what we wanted to do in the future.  We weighed and researched many options, from starting a computer services company, to a coffeehouse,

At 25 years old, Bruce Wehner had chest pains and thought he was having a heart attack.  The crisis caused him to face his own mortality.  He re-evaluated the nobility of hard work, pushing himself, and hustling.Bruce’s backstory highlights two strategic mindset shifts that have developed him into the person he is today. Because of his experience, he has become a giver with the keen ability to add value to his clients’ lives.The first shift was a decision not to be dependent on another person or entity for his livelihood.The second shift was the move from transactional selling to truly delivering value.Bruce’s early life experiences in business and entrepreneurship led him to embrace business ownership as a way of life.  Because he understands the business culture and unique challenges owners face, he serves them with tremendous value.

His perspective and insights are what have allowed him to personally take thousands of clients through a financial discovery process.  His objective is to put the client in control of their own financial destiny.

We hope that you will find yourself in his story and that his transparent honesty will validate your own experiences.

In case you missed it, in the prior episode, we discussed How The Money Advantage Began.

The Prevailing Culture of Dependence

Bruce grew up during the ‘60s and ‘70s.  During the years of the Vietnam War conflict in the '60s, the US economy was struggling.  This was an influential time for Bruce as he watched the birth of entitlement programs.

Additionally, in the pre-World War II timeframe, as the industrial revolution began, the economy shifted from being dominated by small businesses, to one driven by corporations and employees.

Together, these changes caused people to develop a mindset of dependence on the government and corporations.

The Early Influence of His Father’s Business

Despite the backdrop of dependence that surrounded him, Bruce learned about business ownership at a very young age.

He was the child of German immigrants. His father, like many others in the immigrant community, owned a business.

From working in his father’s Shell Service Station, Bruce learned about the value of hard work and the necessity of innovation.

He watched his Dad build a self-sustaining business.  His dad developed a team and had the flexibility to leave the business and have it continue to operate.

As a child, he remembers working long hours in the gas station, often from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The Need for Innovation During Creative Destruction

The Oil Embargo of 1975-1976 and Missouri’s Blue Laws restricted his father’s ability to operate his business.

This brought about creative destruction, shifting the industry from true service to self-service and convenience.  Service stations used to include pumping gas for people, tire rotation, windshield washing, checking the radiator and fan belts.  To stay competitive, merchants had to mark down the gas.  They provided gas as a loss leader and added convenience items to bring in profit.