Personal Finance for Lawyers | How to Budget, Get Out of Debt, Save Money, Manage Money, Build Wealth, Financial Freedom

After a year of podcasting, I’ve shared a lot of information, made a lot of mistakes, and heard from a lot of you about how you’re applying this information to your life. I’ve also learned a few things over the last year. In this episode, let’s talk about where the podcast stands after a year, some things you’ve accomplished this year because of the podcast, and 4 lessons I've learned that you can apply to your money and your life. Head to https://www.rhothomas.com/56 for the full episode show notes.

Three words have become an almost automatic response to challenging or new situations. They lead to confusion and inaction, and they're holding you back from what you want. In this episode, let's talk about what these three words are, why we say them, and what we can say instead. Head to https://www.rhothomas.com/55 for the full episode show notes.

We talk a lot about money mindset, but we don't give as much attention to the role emotions play in managing our money. How we feel has a lot to do with the results we have with our money. In this episode, we explore how emotions affect our behavior, the importance of recognizing our emotions in relation to our money, and common emotions around money. Head to https://www.rhothomas.com/54 for the full episode show notes.

We know that some people set and achieve their goals, while others keep talking about (but never actually doing) the same things year after year. The people who accomplish what they say they want to do are committed. Those who don’t may only be interested. In this episode, we talk about the difference between interest and commitment, the characteristics of each, and some questions to ask yourself as you consider your goals. Head to https://www.rhothomas.com/53 for the full episode show notes.

Many of us are living on autopilot, making decisions and taking action based on what feels good or what's comfortable. This is reactive living, and it’s hard to make the progress you want to make in any area—especially with your money—when you’re being reactive. In this episode, we talk about what "reactive" means, the role our brains play in being reactive, how reactivity shows up in our money, and how you can be more proactive with your money. Head to https://www.rhothomas.com/52 for the full episode show notes.

How often have you said the statement "I can't afford it"? It's almost an automatic statement when we're presented with something that we perceive to be expensive that we don't typically buy or we're not used to spending money on. But it's often not true. In today's episode we discuss why "I can't afford it" is a harmful way of thinking and look at two alternative perspectives you can consider. Head to https://www.rhothomas.com/51 for the full episode show notes.

Friendly reminder that money has no inherent meaning. Whether it's your salary, how much debt you have, the balance in your checking or savings account, or something else, they're all just numbers. Different people will think about those numbers differently, and ultimately, the way you think about them shapes your financial results. In this episode, we explore a few real-life examples that illustrate this point and go through an exercise to help you uncover some of your thoughts about money. Head to https://www.rhothomas.com/50 for the full episode show notes.

Often in life we resist our current circumstances, looking ahead to some point in the future when we imagine life will be better. Resistance is a choice, and it causes you to feel more discomfort and make less progress than if you accepted your current circumstances. In this episode, we dive into resistance to current circumstances and why acceptance is the better option. Head to https://www.rhothomas.com/49 for the full episode show notes.

Our society is big on multitasking. But when we try to do multiple things at once, we're not able to do any of them in the best way. This includes our money goals. In this episode, we talk about why focus is the best way to make progress on any particular goal. Head to https://www.rhothomas.com/48 for the full episode show notes.

There's no shortage of personal finance advice out there. If you want to learn how to manage your money and build wealth, there are plenty of resources available to you. But many of those resources have the same thing in common. And it's a problem. In this episode, I share the problem I have with traditional personal finance advice and the best money advice I received over 10 years ago and have taken with me ever since. Head to https://www.rhothomas.com/47 for the full episode show notes.