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5

Calcula te W ha t

Y ou Need to Become

F inanciall y F ree

by
John R. Burley

ur financial habits determine whether—or if—we will succeed.
O People with negative habits get negative results, while people with
positive habits achieve positive results. That should be obvious, but I’m
constantly amazed by people who have very negative, or even self-destructive,
habits and then wonder why things don’t work out.
In this chapter, I want to begin focusing your attention on the healthy

financial habits you must develop to create wealth, which include eliminating
debt, investing successfully, and contributing to charity. Without these habits,

your biggest financial dreams will crumble and collapse.
First let’s understand the nature of habits. Simply understood, habits are

the routine behaviors that define what we do on a regular basis and dictate
how we will react to any given situation. Surprisingly, new habits are easy to

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