The Roadmap to Financial Freedom (eBook)

BRENNAN SCHLAGBAUM is a veteran CPA living in Dallas, Texas and founder of Budgetdog Academy, an online financial academy helping people get financially fit and free from debt. After achieving financial freedom by 31, he now aims to help others achieve the same financial success.

Acknowledgments xi

About the Author xiii

Introduction xv

Part I: Track Your Money 1

Chapter 1: Who I Am: My Journey 3

Chapter 2: The First Step 15

Lesson 1: The Psychology of Money 15

Lesson 2: Looking into the Mirror 20

Lesson 3: Changing Your Habits 23

Lesson 4: Building a Support Team 28

Lesson 5: Staying the Course 31

Chapter 3: Evaluate Your Financial Situation: Getting Organized Through the Balance Sheet 37

Lesson 1: Know Your Starting Point 38

Lesson 2: Evaluate Your Debt and Focus on Your Goals 39

Lesson 3: The Breakdown of the Balance Sheet in Steps 41

Lesson 4: Understanding Your Net Worth 45

Chapter 4: Craft a Plan: Create Your Budget 49

Lesson 1: The Importance of Crafting Your Plan 49

Lesson 2: Organizational Tips for Tracking Your Money 56

Chapter 5: Getting out of Debt: The Triumph Before the Real Storm 61

Lesson 1: Say No to Spending 61

Lesson 2: Amortization Schedules for Debt Payoff Success 62

Lesson 3: Stay on Track 66

Part II: Grow Your Money 69

Chapter 6: Setting the Stage for Your Investments 71

Lesson 1: Compound Interest 72

Lesson 2: Investing 101: Understanding Stock Market Basics 78

Lesson 3: Understanding Types of Asset Classes 82

Lesson 4: Breaking Down Equity Asset Classes 87

Lesson 5: Diversification 89

Lesson 6: Target Date Fund Diversification 93

Lesson 7: Single Asset versus Mutual Fund versus Index Fund versus Exchange-Traded Funds 94

Chapter 7: Formulating Your Investment Plan 101

Lesson 1: Where to Buy Asset Classes 101

Lesson 2: Types of Investment Accounts 102

Lesson 3: Fees: What They Are and Why They Matter So Much 121

Lesson 4: When to Invest 128

Lesson 5: How Much to Invest 129

Lesson 6: Risk Profile for Investing 130

Lesson 7: Investing Framework 132

Part III: Protect Your Money 137

Chapter 8: Build Your Moat 139

Lesson 1: Protecting Your Money Through Insurance 140

Lesson 2: Protecting Your Money Through Tax Diversification 149

Lesson 3: Protecting Your Money Through Tax Planning and Tax Preparation 150

Lesson 4: Protecting Your Money Through Wills and Trusts 151

Lesson 5: Protecting Your Money Through Durable Powers of Attorney 154

Lesson 6: Protecting Your Money Through Credit 156

Chapter 9: Budgetdog, My Money Mindset, and My Passion 161

Chapter 10: Logan Lee, an Unimaginable Reality: My WHY 167

Conclusion 173

Glossary of Common Investing Terms 177

Resources 187

References 189

Disclaimer 191

Index 193