What’s your wealth equation? The roadmap toward becoming a millionaire

Have you ever started reading a book that made you feel uncomfortable and pushed you to reassess your business or your life? When I picked up “The Millionaire Fastlane,” I expected it to be unconventional in its advice and its style, and I am grateful that the author MJ DeMarco allowed his style to be unleashed throughout the book. I am also thankful that I was able to absorb his wealth of knowledge about creating a life of wealth and abundance.

Let me dive into why this book is spot on in so many areas of wealth creation, and why most people are broke and leading lives of desperation. DeMarco starts out by talking about a roadmap, a financial belief system and a person’s preconceived notions about wealth and money.

These are the three roadmaps:

1. The sidewalk
2. The slow lane
3. The fast lane

Each roadmap contains a psychology about money. The sidewalk is predisposed to a life of poorness, the slow lane to mediocrity and the fast lane to a life of wealth.

The sidewalk

The defining characteristics of the slow lane are:

1. Pleasure today.
2. No plan.
3. Use credit to buy things.
4. Disregard for the value of time.
5. Education (no thanks, I’m done with school).
6. Show off.
7. Wealth formula: Wealth = Income + Debt.

DeMarco goes on to list several facts and figures that highlight the life of a sidewalker and how they are doomed if they don’t change their ways.

The slow lane

The slow lane exhibits these characteristics:

1. Debt is no good.
2. Money is scarce and to be hoarded (This one hit me in the gut a bit).
3. A job is the primary income source.
4. When it comes to work: work hard, save and invest until you’re 65.
5. Wealth equation: Wealth = job + market investments
6. Five days of servitude (job) for two days of freedom (weekend).

I can sympathize with the slow lane roadmap because I was in the slow lane for the majority of my adult life. I owned a small business and traded time for money, and when the “job” became unbearable, I sought the fast lane unconsciously. I would have arrived much sooner if I had read DeMarco’s book sooner in life.

The fast lane

Are you in the fast lane?

1. Use debt to grow my business and systems.
2. Time is the most valuable asset I have.
3. You NEVER stop learning.
4. Money is everywhere. DeMarco highlights this fact by telling the reader that over $3 trillion change hands in the world currency markets every day! You could spend $1 million per day for 8,000 years and have money left over. Governments will just keep printing it.
5. You are responsible for your own life and your actions.
6. Wealth equation: Wealth = Net Profit + Asset Value.
7. The goal is to build passive income through businesses or investments.

Investments and businesses can provide you passive income. (Source)

All throughout the book, DeMarco gives the reader equations and strategies on how to implement fast lane thinking. One of my favorite parts of the book is his Five Fast Lane Commandments and the Law of Effection (to make millions, you need to impact millions): Need. Don’t start a business because you are passionate about something. Try to solve a need or create value.

1. Entry. Look for a business with a higher barrier of entry.

2. Control. You need to control your asset. Some depend on affiliate marketing, but who is really in control of that revenue?

3. Scale. The ability to expand your business from local to worldwide and affect millions. I was in violation of this commandment with my one restaurant in NY!

4. Time. The ability to automate and systematize your business and to hire others to help you grow.

The multifamily real estate has created countless millionaires in this country, and DeMarco’s commandments describe how multifamily real estate is an excellent vehicle to generating wealth and passive income.

(Featured image via Deposit Photos)

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DISCLAIMER: This article expresses my own ideas and opinions. Any information I have shared are from sources that I believe to be reliable and accurate. I did not receive any financial compensation in writing this post, nor do I own any shares in any company I’ve mentioned. I encourage any reader to do their own diligent research first before making any investment decisions.