The Most Important Things You Need to Know About Building Wealth and Financial Stability
By Floyd Saunders, Founder at Really Simple Investing
Learn more about Floyd at his author's website
I recently talk with Matt Paradise, author of "Financially Capable: A Friendly Guide to Building Whole Health Wealth" about the most important things you need to know about building a mindset for wealth in my podcast, Really Simple investing.
In the podcast, Matt shares his background and work in financial literacy education, emphasizing the importance of budgeting and financial accessibility. He has earned multiple licenses and certifications in the financial education field, including the Association for Financial Counseling & Planning Education (AFCPE©) Accredited Credit Counselor, Certified Educator in Personal Finance (CEPF©), and Certified Identity Theft Risk Management Specialist (CITRMS©).
Matt didn't get started with a lot of resources or help. He struggled as a teenager, becoming homeless and working at a number of odd jobs, before starting to work at the American Consumer Credit Counseling. You could easily say, Matt found his passion in helping others with credit counseling and financial literacy. Matt helped establish credit counseling and financial education departments with American Consumer Credit Counseling, which grew to support approximately 140 employees with an annual revenue in excess of $14 million. He is now an active board member leading the organization to greater growth.
Matt has become a renowned financial educator who is passionate about transforming lives with financial education.
He has empowered more than 100,000 people to improve their credit scores, pay off their debt, and save enough money to achieve their financial goals.
As a highly sought-after speaker, he has taught people in all walks of life, from Harvard University’s lecture halls to homeless shelters throughout New England. His unique programs have been featured in the Massachusetts State House, Fidelity Investments, the Department of Corrections, many nonprofits, and corporations large and small.
His leadership helped establish the Massachusetts Financial Education Collaborative, a statewide financial literacy office that created K–12 financial education legislation.
Matt also co-authored publications with the Massachusetts State Treasurer, Federal Reserve Bank, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
Matt has provided expert commentary for many media outlets, including Fox, New England Cable News (NECN), NBCUniversal, Wall Street Watchdog, Street Insider, Telegram & Gazette, Benzinga, Credit Union Insight, and Credit Union Today.
He also discusses the psychology of money, the importance of knowledge and education when building wealth, and the role of credit and debt management. Paradise's book provides strategies for building wealth and living a whole health wealth life, and he offers free resources on his website to promote accessible financial literacy.
Are you tired of living paycheck to paycheck and feeling financially stressed? Then listening in on this interview with Matt Paradise, author of "Financially Capable: A Friendly Guide to Building Whole Health Wealth" and an expert in financial literacy education may help. his book includes chapters on:
How values, mindset, and behaviors affect your finances
How to develop a budget that works for you
How to grow your savings
How to avoid predatory loans, scams, fraud, and identity theft
Strategies for building wealth and living a rich life
Practical tips to help you manage debt and improve your credit score.
You can listen to the podcast here:
According to Matt, “73% of the people in the country feel an incredible amount of stress, right. Primarily because of their finances.”
As Matt says, "Personal finance is a personal matter." Let's take control of our finances and live a rich life in all aspects.”
Matt shares his personal story of how he got into the field of financial education and his passion for helping people get out of credit card debt and build a solid financial future. He also discusses the importance of budgeting and financial accessibility, especially in underserved communities.
Matt shared his non-linear journey into the field, helping people get out of credit card debt and bring financial literacy to underserved communities. He was instrumental in establishing the Massachusetts Financial Education Collaborative, which created standards for financial literacy education in K-12 schools.
Matt emphasized the importance of budgeting and financial accessibility, acknowledging that personal finance is not accessible to everyone, especially when considering race breakdowns in the United States.
Matt defines a rich life as one that includes physical, spiritual, and mental well-being, in addition to financial stability.
Matt also provided strategies for building wealth emphasizing the importance of knowledge and education.
His book, "Financially Capable", is available on Amazon in e-book, paperback, and hardcover formats, and he offers free resources on his website.
Let's celebrate financial literacy and building a better financial future for ourselves! If you have't started, there is no better way than reading Financial Capable.
We dive into the psychology of money and why some individuals may struggle with managing their finances while others do not. Matt emphasizes the importance of knowledge and education when it comes to building wealth and living a whole health wealth life.
We also touch on the topic of credit and debt management, with Matt providing valuable insights on how to build a good credit score and avoid debt.
When it comes to investing, Matt has some key points from behavioral finance to make:
“And investing being part of that is that balance of our presence, self, versus future self. Our presence self wants to be safe and secure and comfortable, but that comes at a cost to our future selves. And finding that balance really is important.” – Matt Paradise
You can find even more information about personal finance, investing, protecting your credit and just about any topic in the financial education space from Matt's website, which includes the most complete set of financial resources I have found.
Thanks for tuning in, and remember to subscribe to our podcast for more valuable insights on personal growth and development. I would love it if you would leave a review.
Key Words
Matt Paradise, Financially Capable, financial literacy, budgeting, financial stability, retirement planning, wealth building, credit management, debt management, credit score, personal finance services, financial education, underserved communities, predatory lending, financial insecurity, whole health wealth, compound interest, psychology of money, hot tips, generational traumas, Floyd Saunders, Really Simple Investing Podcast.
