How rich are you?

Of course, it’s bad manners to ask such a thing.

But for a few seconds, think to yourself about exactly how rich you are.

If you’re like most people, you’ll go straight to the idea of “net worth.” That’s the value of all your real estate, cash, stocks, gold, and possessions (minus debt). Net worth is a rough dollar estimate of how rich you are.

Truly rich people will tell you there’s a much more useful way to think about wealth. It’s not in terms of net worth or dollars, and I’m not talking about clichés like “rich in friends” or “rich in happiness.”

I’m talking about thinking in terms of how many “Days Rich” you are.

I know that might sound silly but suspend your judgement for a moment.

Let’s say you have a net worth of $200,000. That’s the total value of your assets. It’s a lot of wealth in America, so on the surface, you appear “comfortable.”

Let’s also say you have a lot of conventional bills to pay. You have a mortgage, a credit card, cable, a monthly car payment, and gym membership bills. You pay school bills (either yours or a child’s). You also buy groceries and go out to eat a few times a month. These expenses add up to $100,000 per year.

Oh, and if you stop working today, you and your family would have no money coming in.

In this example, you’re basically 730 Days Rich (or 2 years rich). You could stop working, sell everything, and live on the proceeds for 730 days. Your $200,000 in savings would pay for two years of spending at a rate of $100,000 per year.

Most Americans aren’t even close to being able to cover 730 days’ worth of living expenses with their savings and asset holdings. Most Americans are just 30 Days Rich or 60 Days Rich, or even “negative Days Rich” (more expenses than income and making up the difference with borrowing).

Whatever your number is, you can see the wisdom presented. Thinking of your wealth in terms of “Days Rich” is a more practical, more useful way to think about your income, assets, expenses, and level of financial freedom.

Instead of being one isolated number that doesn’t account for the big picture, “Days Rich” accounts for dozens of things in your life and gives you an accurate measurement of how financially free you are.

For example, someone with $500,000 in cash, no debt, and just $50,000 in annual living expenses is 3,650 Days (10 years) Rich. They’re more financially free than someone with $4 million in assets, lots of debt, and $1 million in annual living expenses.

If you want to increase your “Days Rich” number, the obvious thing to do is focus on earning more money but reducing your lifestyle expenses can be just as powerful.

For the ultimate in financial freedom and control of your life, the ideal “Days Rich” number is infinity.

Being an infinite number of Days Rich means you can stop working today. The passive income you earn on your savings and investments will more than pay for a lifestyle that leaves you content and fulfilled. You have so much income coming in from rents, interest, and dividends, that it covers your “monthly nut” and then some.

Your money works for you, instead of you working for money.

Ideally, your passive income grows so much larger than your expenses that it can be directed towards the purchase of more assets, throwing off more money, which can be used to purchase more assets, and so on. Your end goal is to have a money “snowball” that was set in motion years ago and grows larger and larger and larger as it rolls down the hill each year.

If you quit working today but have $50 million in the bank and modest living expenses, then you’re all set. You’re as many Days Rich as you can stay alive, but you’re very unlikely to be in this tiny group of people.

You’re much more likely to be somebody with a real shot at:

-Building an asset base worth $500,000 – $10,000,000.
-Managing the asset base so it throws off $50,000 – $1,000,000 in annual income.
-Being able to live modestly so you’re an infinite amount of Days Rich.

If you’re interested in being truly wealthy and truly financially free instead of a slave to having stuff, stop thinking in terms of “net worth” and start measuring your wealth in terms of “Days Rich.”

It’s an unconventional way of thinking that can bring you unconventional freedom and happiness.

Regards,

Brian