Financial adviser and author James Millard says his book will show you how to make the most of what you earn – and enjoy it more too. Photo: Supplied.
Almost all of us relate only too well to the concept of insufficient funds. It’s a super-common notion, but, in reality, many of us are familiar with the distress we experience and the rude shock of being unprepared for a financial emergency.
What about the discomfort this problem brings when we are abruptly confronted by it at a checkout or an ATM? Even the general feeling of disquiet we have when we are thinking about our money, our budgets, payment deadlines. Having insufficient funds is a place we’ve all been to, or are in.
“The scary thing is that, if left unaddressed, this predicament can ruin you,” financial adviser and author James Millard says.
“It can dampen your motivation, crush your lust for life and smother your chances of achieving all the good things you were born to achieve. If left to fester for too long, it can see you settling for a lesser life than the one you’re capable of living and ending up unhappy and unfulfilled.”
More than likely, as you begin to read this book, your starting point is insufficient funds, as defined by you. We all strive for financial wellbeing. While this will look different for each of us, in essence, it could be defined as ‘’having sufficient funds for your chosen lifestyle at a given point in time”.
“Sufficient Funds doesn’t mean being restricted to a low-cost, meagre existence and just getting by. Sufficient for you is about defining what your ideal life looks like then creating and implementing a plan to make it happen!”
Millard, who stands as a trailblazer in Australian financial services, points out: “Crucially, this will not always be obvious. You may not be swimming in debt or have a $0 bank account. Perhaps, it’s just a feeling that you’re not on track, or you find yourself comparing your life or your friends’ or family’s and wishing it was different.
“It could be you’re not happy with your financial progress or direction, you’re overwhelmed by options and decision fatigue. Perhaps you’re uncertain about how your current financial decisions will impact your and your family’s future.”
The director of award-winning firm Sufficient Funds has a goal he sets out in this book: “… to guide you far away from this place and ensure you never return.”
Insufficient Funds is a veracious guide to smart money planning at different life stages, from buying a home, having adventures, growing your family and funding your ultimate lifestyle – all while living well now.
Many of us have big plans and dreams, but get stuck trying to make the money part happen. With inflation and cost-of-living pressures impacting all of us, now is the time to figure out what you want from your money and how to make it work smarter.
Your ability to live the life you dream of is dictated by the two core components of making sound financial decisions and aligning these decisions with your ideal life. Millard delivers amicable and relevant financial advice to those with lots of living left before retirement.
Drawing on decades of experience helping clients of all ages achieve their financial goals, he shows how you can balance your spending while paving the way forward to financial security and freedom.
He cuts through the jargon, busts common money myths and delivers a simple framework for making better money decisions and aligning them with your ideal life. You’ll get lifelong strategies to help you achieve your personal goals and live your dreams.
Along with tactics to overcome money stress, money mess and a balanced approach to building wealth, inside Insufficient Funds you will find the five Ds: a proven framework to help you Define, Declutter, Develop, Defend and Deliver when it comes to your money.
With easy-to-follow steps toward a financially free future, Insufficient Funds helps you make the right decisions to achieve your goals.
This is the no-nonsense guide you need to help you build a better money mindset and a strategic financial plan. The more you align your money decisions with the outcomes you truly want, the more you’ll gain clarity, confidence and momentum ― for a happier, more fulfilling life ― today and tomorrow.
Insufficient Funds, by James Millard, Wiley, $32.95
