Your Money, Your Future: A Basic Guide to Taking Control

Your Money, Your Future: A Basic Guide to Taking Control

Inspired by the wisdom of Dave Ramsey, Codie Sanchez, Alex Hormozi, Robert Kiyosaki, and the Sharks from Shark Tank

Whether you're just starting to budget, building wealth through investments, or dreaming of entrepreneurship, this guide will help you get organized and create a plan that works for you in 2025 and beyond.

Start Here: Core Concepts

Understanding Your Take-Home Pay
 Your take-home income is what remains after taxes, 401(k) contributions, insurance premiums, and other deductions are removed from your gross pay—not just what hits your bank account. Knowing this number is critical for accurate budgeting.

The Foundation: Budget, Save, Invest, Protect
 Every financial expert agrees: you need to know where your money goes, build an emergency fund, make your money grow, and protect what you've built. Start where you are, use what you have, and take it one step at a time.

Tools for Budgeting and Expense Tracking

Manual Options (Spreadsheets)

  • Google Sheets: Free, cloud-based, and accessible anywhere. Perfect for DIY budgeters. Google Sheets

  • Microsoft Excel: Robust features for detailed budgets and cash flow analysis. Microsoft Excel

Automated Expense Tracking Apps

  • EveryDollar: Dave Ramsey's zero-based budgeting tool. Free version available; premium syncs with your accounts. (doesn’t sync Credit cards - but premium can sync to bank accounts and give access to Financial Peace University lessons) EveryDollar

  • Rocket Money: Connects to banks, credit cards, investments, and mortgages. Helps identify subscriptions you've forgotten about.(can sync most bank accounts, credit cards, etc only struggles with Crypto) (don’t use their bill negotiation tool - not recommended by me)  Rocket Money

  • Monarch: Works with most major banks and Coinbase; clean interface, subscription-based.(very similar to Rocket but may do crypto accounts better)  Monarch

  • Origin: Tracks spending, investments, and net worth with AI-driven insights. Origin

Some additional budgeting tools: YNAB, Quicken Simplifi, PocketGuard, Honeydue, Empower, Tiller Money

Investment and Trading Platforms

Mainstream Investment Platforms - a lot of these run promotions where if you invest for 6-12 months they’ll give promotional monies too. Just have to keep an eye out for them.

  • Fidelity: Excellent research tools, no-fee index funds, strong customer service. Fidelity

  • Charles Schwab: Comprehensive platform with banking integration and robust research. Schwab

  • Other Options: SoFi, E*TRADE, Ally Invest, Webull

Copy and Social Trading Tools

  • DubApp: Research and learn from successful traders' strategies. DubApp

Retail and Fractional Share Platforms

  • Robinhood: Made fractional shares mainstream; easy interface for beginners. Robinhood

Crypto Platforms

  • Coinbase: Major exchange for established cryptocurrencies with insurance on larger accounts. Coinbase

  • eToro: Social trading features with broader altcoin selection. eToro

  • Other Options: Gemini, Kraken, Crypto.com, Binance, Uphold, OKX, Interactive Brokers, ByBit

Some additional tools: Acorns, Betterment, Wealthfront

Financial Calculators

Investment Calculators

Mortgage Calculators

Refinance & Amortization

Car Loan Calculators

Net Worth Calculators

Tools you can use to check your credit report:

Retirement / FIRE Calculators

Insurance and Risk Management

Protect what you're building with appropriate coverage:

  • Term Life Insurance: Income replacement for dependents

  • Umbrella Insurance: Extra liability coverage beyond home/auto limits

  • Disability Insurance: Short and long-term income protection

  • Health, Dental, Vision Insurance: Essential medical coverage

  • Identity Protection: Zander Insurance

Essential Books for Your Financial Journey

Personal Finance Foundations

  • Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey

  • The Richest Man in Babylon by George Clason

  • Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

Investing Wisdom

  • The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham

  • Security Analysis by Benjamin Graham

  • A Man for All Markets by Edward Thorp

  • What I Learned Losing a Million Dollars by Jim Paul, Brendan Moynihan & Jack Schwager

Business and Entrepreneurship

  • The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber

  • Main Street Millionaire by Codie Sanchez

  • Entreleadership by Dave Ramsey

Personal Development

  • Atomic Habits by James Clear

  • What Got You Here Won't Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith

YouTube Channels Worth Following

Personal Finance & Debt Freedom

  • The Ramsey Show (Dave Ramsey, John Delony, Ken Coleman)

  • Graham Stephan

  • Minority Mindset

Investing & Markets

  • Andrei Jikh

  • Meet Kevin

  • The Plain Bagel

Business & Entrepreneurship

  • Alex Hormozi

  • Codie Sanchez (Contrarian Thinking)

  • Shark Tank official channel

  • My First Million

Financial Independence

  • Our Rich Journey

  • Minority Mindset

  • Financial Education

Addendum: Acquisition Entrepreneurship

If you're interested in buying existing businesses rather than starting from scratch (an increasingly popular path championed by Codie Sanchez), these resources will help you explore this wealth-building strategy.

Essential Books

  • Buy Then Build by Walker Deibel

  • HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business by Richard Ruback & Royce Yudkoff

  • The Messy Marketplace by Brent Beshore

  • Small Giants by Bo Burlingham

Platforms and Marketplaces

YouTube Channels for Acquisition Entrepreneurship

  • Codie Sanchez - Contrarian Thinking

  • Walker Deibel

  • Brent Beshore

Final Thoughts

Financial success isn't about perfection—it's about progress. Start with a budget, build your emergency fund, eliminate high-interest debt, and then start making your money work for you through investing. Whether you're climbing out of debt, building wealth through the market, or exploring business ownership, the most important step is the one you take today.

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now." — Chinese Proverb (often quoted by investing legends)

I’m not a CFP or financial coach/advisor in terms of who’d be your overall investment advisor, so please do your own research on these tools and hope you find this info helpful.

Gabe OffermannComment