The Mortgage Myth: Why Taking Longer Could Be Smarter

Are you tired of the constant drumbeat telling you that paying off your mortgage as fast as possible is the key to financial freedom? Let’s challenge that notion today.

In our society, debt has been villainized, especially when it comes to mortgages. The common advice is to opt for a shorter-term mortgage, like a 15-year one with a lower interest rate, or to pay extra on a 30-year mortgage to get it paid off sooner. But is this really the best strategy?

Let’s delve into the tactics banks use to make us believe that shorter-term mortgages are in our best interest. They entice us with lower interest rates, making it seem like we’re saving money. But in reality, they benefit more from getting their money back sooner to lend it out again.

Consider this: a 15-year mortgage typically has a lower interest rate but higher monthly payments compared to a 30-year mortgage. This seemingly advantageous rate is just bait to get you to pay back the loan faster, putting more money in the bank’s pocket sooner.

Moreover, putting extra money towards your mortgage doesn’t necessarily forgive your next payment, increase your home’s value, or make that money easily accessible to you. You’re essentially locking away your cash in a way that benefits the bank, not you.

So why consider taking longer to pay off your mortgage? Here are a few reasons:

  1. Cash Flow Control: Opting for a longer-term mortgage gives you more control over your monthly cash flow. You can keep more of your hard-earned money accessible for emergencies or investments without seeking permission from the bank.
  2. Inflation Hedge: Over time, the value of your mortgage payment decreases due to inflation. Paying with dollars that have less purchasing power benefits you in the long run.
  3. Flexibility: Life is unpredictable. Having a smaller monthly mortgage commitment gives you flexibility in your financial planning without being tied down to hefty payments.

In conclusion, don’t fall for the myth that a faster mortgage payoff equals financial freedom. It’s about strategically managing your cash flow and keeping control in your hands, not the bank’s. Remember, it’s not about how much money you make, but how much money you keep that truly matters.

Home Equity Lines of Credit (HELOCs): Risks and Considerations

In today’s fast-paced world, access to cash can often be the difference between seizing an opportunity or facing a financial setback. For many homeowners, a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) presents a tempting solution to tap into their home’s equity quickly. However, before diving into a HELOC, it’s crucial to understand the risks involved.

One of the primary risks associated with HELOCs is interest rate volatility. While initial rates may seem attractive, they can fluctuate significantly over time. Consider the scenario of a client who secured a HELOC at 2% interest only to find themselves facing a staggering 9% rate years later. This drastic increase in interest costs can catch borrowers off guard, impacting their financial stability and monthly budgeting.

Another critical factor to bear in mind is the lack of control inherent in HELOCs. Unlike traditional mortgages where borrowers have a fixed rate and repayment structure, HELOCs grant considerable discretion to banks. These credit lines can be called at the bank’s discretion, exposing borrowers to sudden changes in their financial obligations. Instances during the 2008-2009 financial crisis, where banks called in credit lines, serve as stark reminders of this risk.

In contrast, conventional mortgages offer a more stable and controlled approach to financing. With a cash-out refinance, for example, borrowers lock in a fixed interest rate for the loan’s duration, shielding themselves from interest rate fluctuations. This control over interest rate risk and repayment terms empowers borrowers and provides greater financial predictability.

Ultimately, the choice between a HELOC and a conventional mortgage boils down to control. While HELOCs offer quick access to cash, they come with inherent risks and potential loss of control over financial decisions. On the other hand, conventional mortgages provide stability and empower borrowers to navigate market fluctuations on their terms.

In the realm of personal finance, understanding the nuances of financial products like HELOCs is paramount. While these credit lines offer flexibility, they also pose significant risks, particularly concerning interest rate volatility and control. By weighing these factors and considering conventional mortgage options, homeowners can make informed decisions aligned with their long-term financial goals.

If you’re interested in learning more about our system and securing a better financial future, hop on our calendar and schedule your FREE strategy session today! And remember, it’s not how much money you make, but how much money you keep that really matters.

The Myth of Account Minimums: Why Starting Where You Are Matters More

Are you eager to dive into investing but feel discouraged by hefty account minimums set by financial advisors? This predicament is not uncommon. Many individuals, like a couple I recently spoke with, encounter barriers due to these minimums, often set at astronomical figures like $1,000,000. However, let’s debunk this myth together and explore why starting where you are can be the key to financial success.

The misconception lies in the industry’s focus on poaching large accounts rather than fostering growth from modest beginnings. Our approach differs significantly. We prioritize empowering individuals to build wealth from their current financial standing. It’s not about how much money you have right now but rather how efficiently you utilize it to secure your financial future.

Efficiency is the cornerstone of our strategy. We emphasize making your money work smarter, not harder. This means identifying and plugging leaks in your financial bucket, such as unnecessary interest payments or tax inefficiencies. By redirecting these resources back to you, we help accelerate your wealth-building journey without compromising your lifestyle.

Our process revolves around putting you in control of your money. Unlike traditional institutions fixated on fees and returns, we focus on optimizing your cash flow and minimizing risk. This personalized approach allows you to achieve greater financial security and pass on a guaranteed legacy to future generations.

Starting where you are is crucial. Whether you’re a seasoned investor or just beginning, our team tailors strategies to fit your unique circumstances. We believe in using every dollar efficiently, ensuring that each one contributes to your long-term financial goals.

To kickstart your journey towards financial freedom, schedule your Free Strategy Session today. Additionally, explore our free webinar, “The Four Steps to Financial Freedom,” to delve deeper into our proven process.

Remember, it’s not how much money you make, it’s how much money you keep that really matters.

Rethinking Financial Lessons: Why Cash Isn’t Always King

Are you a firm believer in the mantra that “cash is king”? It’s a common adage, deeply ingrained in many of us, advocating for the virtues of paying cash and avoiding debt at all costs. We’re told to clear our mortgages, credit cards, and student loans as swiftly as possible, freeing ourselves from the clutches of external financial burdens. But what if this belief, seemingly prudent on the surface, is actually holding us back?

The financial landscape is complex, and often, the seemingly straightforward advice of paying cash for major expenses needs a closer examination. Yes, there’s merit in reducing debt and not being beholden to lenders. However, the larger financial picture demands a nuanced approach.

We challenge the notion that financial success hinges solely on owning products or being debt-free. The reality is far more intricate. How you use your money and financial tools is what truly determines your long-term wealth accumulation, financial stability, and the legacy you leave for future generations.

Let’s delve deeper into the concept. Paying cash for purchases might seem like a sound strategy to avoid interest payments to financial institutions. However, it’s crucial to recognize the opportunity cost of paying cash – the interest you could have earned on that money if it were strategically invested or utilized differently.

Every financial decision involves a trade-off. By paying cash, you may save on interest paid to lenders, but you’re forfeiting the potential interest you could have gained. This unseen interest, lost unknowingly, could have been a valuable asset for your financial future and that of your heirs.

Our approach focuses on maximizing your financial potential while maintaining flexibility. Financing purchases intelligently, leveraging specially designed whole life insurance policies for cash accumulation, allows you to benefit from the power of compound interest. Instead of depleting your resources with each purchase, you’re continuously growing a pool of money that works for you.

With a structured financial strategy, you can navigate life’s inevitable expenses – whether it’s a vacation, major household purchase, education costs, or unexpected emergencies – without compromising your long-term financial well-being. By understanding the intricacies of interest, borrowing, and wealth accumulation, you can make informed decisions that align with your financial goals.

We’re here to guide you through this financial journey. Our personalized strategies empower you to optimize your cash flow, make strategic purchases, and build a robust financial foundation for yourself and your family.

Don’t just settle for financial security – strive for financial prosperity. Schedule your free strategy session with us today and discover how to make your money work smarter for you.

How to Use Life Insurance for Future Financial Flexibility

Are you looking to secure your financial future but unsure where to begin? One avenue worth exploring is utilizing a specially designed whole life insurance policy tailored for cash accumulation. This strategy empowers you to plan for both known and unforeseen financial needs with flexibility.

Life is full of uncertainties, but one thing remains constant: the need for purchases. Whether it’s starting a business, clearing student loans, taking vacations, or investing, financial transactions are inevitable. The key is to be prepared and have the financial means to seize opportunities or handle emergencies without financial strain.

Many people view purchasing in binary terms: either paying cash or financing. However, there’s a third, often overlooked option: leveraging a specially designed life insurance policy for cash accumulation. This approach allows you to build a pool of cash that you can access through policy loans.

What sets policy loans apart is their flexible and personalized repayment structure. You have the freedom to decide how, when, and if you repay the loan, aligning with your cash flow and financial goals. Additionally, as you repay the loan, your cash value rebuilds, providing ongoing access to funds for future needs.

The advantages of using policy loans for purchases are manifold. Your cash value continues to grow unabated, as the borrowed amount never leaves your policy. Moreover, each loan repayment increases the equity available for future borrowing, enhancing your financial flexibility over time.

This approach is about more than just making purchases; it’s about strategically managing your cash flow to build wealth and secure your financial future. If you’re interested in exploring this financial strategy further, consider consulting with experts who specialize in specially designed whole-life insurance policies for cash accumulation.

At Tier 1 Capital, we provide tailored strategies to help individuals navigate financial decisions and achieve their long-term financial objectives. Schedule a free strategy session today to begin your journey and take financial control. Remember, it’s not about how much money you make; it’s about how much you keep that truly matters.

From Entrepreneurial Challenges to Success: John St. Pierre Shares His $100 Million Journey

Episode Summary

In this episode of the Control Your Cash Podcast, host Tim interviews John St. Pierre, author of ‘The 100 Million Journey’ and a coach to entrepreneurs. John shares his unique entrepreneurial journey, starting from his college days running a painting franchise, to building and eventually being fired from a $50 million sports business, which led him to successfully grow another venture to over $100 million. He discusses the significant lessons learned through his failures and successes and emphasizes the importance of self-reflection, strategic planning, and maintaining control of one’s business financials. John also talks about the value of learning from others’ experiences to avoid similar pitfalls and advises on having ‘patient ambition’ for building a business the right way. Additionally, John offers insights into his book and a free workbook with tools and templates for entrepreneurs seeking to navigate their business growth effectively.

Guest Info

John’s website

His book

Key Takeaways

Entrepreneurial Journey:

  • John St. Pierre shares his journey from being an entrepreneur in college to running his own painting company and then transitioning to other ventures in contracting and sports business.

Lessons from Failure:

  • John discusses the pivotal moment of being fired from his own company and the lessons he learned from that experience. He emphasizes the importance of self-reflection, learning from failures, and connecting personal life plans with business plans.

Cash Flow Management:

  • Both Tim and John stress the significance of managing cash flow effectively in business. They highlight the dangers of over-reliance on external financing and the importance of generating sufficient cash flow internally to fuel growth.

Patient Ambition:

  • John advises entrepreneurs to have “patient ambition,” balancing ambitious goals with patience in building and growing their businesses. This approach prioritizes sustainable growth and resilience over rapid expansion at the cost of financial stability.

Transcript

Tim: Today, it’s our honor to have John St. Pierre, author of The $100M Journey. John is a coach to entrepreneurs. He also has a podcast called Entrepreneurs United, which can be found on all your, favorite podcast channels. John, welcome to the Control Your Cash Podcast.

John: Thanks, Tim. Thanks for having me.

Tim: John, in the pre-call, we talked about your journey. And so let’s start with your entrepreneurial journey, and you had shared with us that you know you were an entrepreneur in college. So tell us about like what you did while you were in college, because that was something that it sort of appealed to me when I was in college. And I never pulled the trigger. So tell us about what you did to make money in college.

John: Yeah, I love that. Well, I didn’t have a choice and you’ll learn why in a second, to become an entrepreneur, but I grew up in Canada, came to the U. S. to go to school and studying accounting. And, in terms of a student coming to the U. S. you really don’t have a work visa. You have a student visa. So my first summer in college, I went back home to Canada and went planting trees. Six hours north of civilization, getting paid 10 cents a tree, wearing all netting for the black flies and not to be able to get you, and spent my summer up in the wilderness. And at the end of that summer, I said, I’m never doing that again. What do I do next year to stay down south? And you know, a little small, little loophole, but you know, you don’t have to be a U. S. resident to own your own limited liability corporation. And so I, basically saw a poster on my dorm room wall, which was own your own College Pro painting franchise. I’m like, what is this? I don’t like painting. I don’t know anything about painting, but I would like to own my own business so I can stay down here. Cause my only other option was to go work for free for some public accounting firms, right. And doing an internship. Right. So. Got that poster, apply for the job. And next thing you know, I’m running my own painting company, uh, in the summertime, hiring all my friends to paint for me, going out and doing sales and estimating, and really got hooked to this like concept of entrepreneurship and, you know, yeah, I’m studying accounting, but I didn’t see myself as an accountant. I saw myself that from that point forward, as an entrepreneur, spent two summers doing that as a college pro painting franchise, and learned a lot about business and had a lot of fun, but a lot of hard work too.

Tim: Well, it always is hard work. And just as an aside, the question, as you were explaining, you know, hiring your friends, tell me how that went when you’re hiring your friends. That you need to depend on them, you know, to paint some house or some, some business. So tell us about a little bit about how that worked out.

John: Yeah, I’m happy you picked up on it. My first summer running my own business was a complete and utter disaster, partly because, I couldn’t count on my crew to show up on time. Why? Because I was partying with them every night. And then the next morning I’m like, guys, let’s go. You got to go, you got to go paint some homes. The most undependable crew, right? The sec…, by the time my second year came around, I learned so much through disastrous, you know, this road as an entrepreneur of ups and downs and challenges. And you’re a new entrepreneur in college trying to figure this all out. I learned a lot of valuable lessons and that was probably one of the biggest ones was don’t hire your friends to work for you. It doesn’t quite work the way you want it to. In the second summer, I built my crews right. I trained them right. I paid them right. And I had a much more enjoyable summer. That first summer I ended up painting a lot of houses myself because my crew didn’t show up on time.

Tim: Naturally, right? And that’s the key as a business owner. The buck stops with you. So, and it’s certainly something, it’s a lesson that we all learn, but so now you have this entrepreneurial bug, so to speak, right? You’re sort of hooked on being in control of your own destiny. Which we know you’re not in complete control, but at least you do have say over certain issues. So tell us a little bit about, you know, after you graduated college, you have this degree in accounting. Where did that take you? What did you do with it? And how did that lead you back, if you will, to this entrepreneurial bug?

John: Yeah, for sure. So immediately following graduation, the parent company of College Pro, which is also the parent company of CertaPro Painters and California Closets and a whole bunch of contracting businesses, were willing to sponsor my visa to stay in the U. S. and work full time for them. So I moved out to Chicago and my job was to actually go. Hire and train college students to do what I had just done. So I was uniquely qualified to show them how to do, how to run your own painting business. So I was training college students on how to be an entrepreneur. Really did that for a couple of years. And this was 1998, Tim, you can probably imagine what’s going on in 1998. And you’re like, okay, do I want to be in a contracting business or do I want to be in a .com business? It was kind of the evaluation and everybody was jumping ship, right from corporate environments to, .com, web businesses. And so. I did that along with a bunch of other colleagues. We were part of a company called handymanonline.com, which was a venture funded startup that basically helped connect homeowners with contractors. That business ultimately was supposed to get another round of funding completely collapsed in the crash. So we lost everything that we were building and the assets of that were sold to ServiceMagic, which was rebranded HomeAdvisor.com, which just merged with Angie, that was that business way before it’s time. That’s the one that didn’t survive, right? But that was the brand well before those others. And so I did that for a few years, learned a little bit about that whole VC environment and .com startups. But then I found myself in the early 2000s saying, okay, now what am I going to do? And it was offered a couple of opportunities to go work in corporate environments, get a nice salary, stabilize everything. But I had this bug. I really wanted to figure out how I could build my own business. And, I started two companies, uh, in 2003. One was a contracting project management company because I had experience in contracting by that phase. And we were doing projects in commercial environments. So we started up a small business for that. And then I started up a little hobby business. I was, I played hockey growing up and all of a sudden, so me and a couple of friends started a hockey hobby business where we were taking teams, youth teams over to Europe to play in hockey tournaments. And that was just a lot of fun, but these two companies started growing. And I’ll fast forward all the way to the end. But 15 years later in 2018, the sports company was a global north of 50 million dollar sports business that we had incubated and grown, massively. And I was the CEO and president of that business full time. And, I got fired. From the very company that we founded, in the boardroom of that business. And I can explain all the reasons why in a few minutes, but yeah, that was a devastating moment for me, 15 years of building this business. And in the aftermath of that, I looked back over at the project management company that I still had over there. It was grown 15 years as well, but it was kind of like. The tortoise, you know, just going a little slowly, hadn’t really grown as much, you know, as around, you know, sub 5 million dollars at some point around then. And I said, you know what, I want to learn some lessons from this massive failure. I’m going to apply it to this other company and prove that I can actually do this right. And we successfully in 2022 grew that company to north of a 100 million dollars the right way. So those were my entrepreneurial journeys in past. And since then I’ve been coaching entrepreneurs and, building our holding company, subsidiaries accordingly.

Tim: Wow, that’s amazing. So, you know, not to dwell on it, but take us through, right? So you really get knocked on your butt when you get fired from your own company.

John: Yes.

Tim: So if you don’t mind, take us through how that went down and like literally what you were thinking, did you see it coming? You know, so explain how that, that whole thing unfolded.

John: Yeah, Tim, it was 25 years of running really hard, feeling invincible. Oh, I got this thing called business all figured out to a big smack. And you know, when you look back, it’s so easy to see how you made yourself so vulnerable. But in the moment, you know, you’ve grown a company from zero to north of 50 million dollars in global revenues. I, all a ton of, really great people worked at that business. The culture of the business was amazing. We were in industry. I have a ton of passion about in sports. I mean, this was my dream come true to build this very large sports business. But over time, you know, I made myself so vulnerable and I felt so invincible that I didn’t quite see it coming until it was too late. I could see the train coming, but that’s within, you know, a couple of months of it actually happening. And, you know, we had raised 20 million dollars of private equity money. To take us, take us from 50 million to a hundred. That was kind of the goal. But it was within six months of raising that capital that I was fired from my own company. And, you know, I know you talk a lot about cash and building your own cash as an entrepreneur. And that’s one of the biggest lessons that I learned is over time. As that company grew, I was more consumed with growing the company than I was with protecting my own equity and control of my business. And so, you know, maybe I started the business as a 33 percent partner. The day I was fired, I owned 8 percent of the company. And I lost the confidence of the private equity firm and said, Hey, we can put somebody else in here to do something better with this business. And, yeah, it was, it was devastating. I had to take some time off. After that, I woke up for the first time ever, not having emails or calendars or calls to be on. I lost my identity. That was my identity. My kids had the logo of this company tattooed on their arms, not literally, but you know, in a, in a way that kids all their t shirts all have this company’s logo on it. I, it was a very devastating moment for me and my family. And, you know, it took a lot of introspection and a lot of perspective to realize, okay, what am I going to make? Yeah, I gotta make some lemonade out of these lemons. What are my learnings? How do I crystallize these and apply them?

Tim: Yeah, so that’s something and that’s I think this is part of the entrepreneurial journey as well. Everything’s a lesson, right? So you get smacked in the face and then the question becomes, what’s the lesson in this? What can I learn from this to make sure it never happens again? What can I learn from this? To teach other people not to be able to be subject to this again, right?

John: Yes.

Tim: And that’s, that’s the whole thing. And you know, when our kids were younger, when anything would happen to them, whether good, bad, or indifferent, I would go over it with them and explain like, okay. And, and try to find out if, sort, sort of pull out from them what was the lesson that they learned from this. And one day my wife said to me. You know, everything doesn’t have to be a lesson. And I disagreed. I said, no, honey, everything is a lesson. That’s what our evolution in life is all about. Learning from the successes, as well as from the failures and being able to apply the wisdom that we got from those experiences so that we either build upon them or avoid them going forward. And so that was, I’m glad you brought that up because there was a lesson in there. So let’s talk about the lesson you learned and how you applied it to grow your other company.

John: Yeah, I love the way you put that, Tim. And it’s just recently the CEO of NVIDIA was talking to, I think it was Stanford College and talking about how important sometimes failure and suffering is in your development as a person, but you have to take it in good light. You have, you know, You have to have perspective. You have to really view your hardship is not the end of the world. Your hardship is here to teach you something. And what is that? And so I had never journaled before, Tim. I had always told about the power of journaling. I never really stopped to think about what my purpose was in life. I just thought I had it all figured out. I don’t need a purpose. I can just kind of build things and have fun. Like, so this moment of reflection, deep self reflection is something I had never done before, but I was forced almost in doing it. So for the first time in my life, I had to sit down and go, okay, what am I going to do with this information? This embarrassment, this, this business that I tried to build and it’s now gone. How am I going to, make this, you know, the most beautiful thing in the world because right now it does not look beautiful. And I don’t wish any suffering or failure to anybody in the world. It’s very difficult when you’re in the moment of going through it, but you are right. The learnings you can take from all of those successes and failures are so important. The first lesson I learned was almost exactly that. You know, when do entrepreneurs take time for deep self reflection on what their life plan is relative to their business plan? And I had those completely separated. I was living a life this way and a business this way, and they were not connected in any way, shape or form. So one of the things I work with a lot of entrepreneurs on is what’s your 30 year life plan? What are you as an entrepreneur trying to achieve in life and all segments of your life? Let’s start there and let’s build a business that can help you achieve that, not create a business that achieves this when really in life you want that, right? How do you connect those two pieces? That was a number one lesson for me that I had never stopped and created a life plan. I had never, you know, take the moment to journal every day and put my thoughts on paper what was important to me in life. And so that was critical lesson number one. And then critical lesson number two applied more to some fundamentals of blocking and tackling with entrepreneurship. And in my book, The $100M Journey. I talk about seven principles of entrepreneurial success, and I can certainly rattle those off, but I know exactly where you would go with it. You know, principle two for of the seven principles was you got to build your own capital. You cannot go hat in hand to financiers and investors or you will lose control of your business and you will not be protecting your equity, which is principle one. So I learned a lot of principles, seven principles to be exact, that I would never do again. If I’m going to grow a business and I, and I really, you know, crystallize those in my mind and formulated a plan around those.

Tim: Well, that’s, that’s tremendous. So, what sort of spurred you on to write the book, you know, and, and obviously a lot of lessons there, but, and I’m sure writing the book was not an easy task.

John: No, no, not at all. Have you written a book yet, Tim?

Tim: We’re in the process and I’ll tell you it, it is, it’s easier said than done for sure. Right, John?

John: Yeah, no question. I mean, I had always thought someday I’m going to write a book. Someday I’m going to write a book. And then I’d have a friend asked me, well, what would you write about? I’m like, I don’t know. I just got a lot of experience and learnings, but someday I’ll write a book. I didn’t really have a story. And, you know, in the midst of this failure, I’m documenting a lot of things. I’m journaling, I’m thinking through what I did wrong, what I would do differently. And then I started applying those principles to this other business. And that business starts growing and I start realizing, Oh, this is what I messed up over here that I’m not now doing here. And we successfully grew that company to north of a hundred million dollars, which was my goal with the sports company. And in the midst of growing that business, when I could see that we were about to hit that target It dawned on me. I got to tell this story. I got to tell this story because a lot of entrepreneurs try and grow their businesses from a lifestyle business to a high performance business and get caught in this messy middle where they feel like they got to go raise capital. They feel like they got to put more debt on their business to grow and put themselves in a little bit over leveraged position. They put themselves in these positions that really suffocate them and they end up losing control of this business. They poured their heart and soul into. So my mission that I discovered in my purpose, I discovered during, during my time off was I really want to help entrepreneurs build the business of their dreams without ever falling off the cliff like I did. It’s good to learn lessons. It’s good to have some failures, but it doesn’t have to be that drastic. You can protect yourself and do things the right way. So I, you know, I combined my mission and purpose. I really want to help entrepreneurs build the business of their dreams. And the failure and success of trying to grow a company to a hundred million dollars and the learnings within that, it really became, okay, I now know what I need to share with the world. And that’s my story.

Tim: You know, that is such a great point because think of it this way, John. And again, going back to, you know, being a business owner, there’s so many similarities to being a parent and right. And, and think of it, think of it this way. One of the things that, again, we used to preach to our children was, the best lessons that you could learn are lessons that other people had to pay the price for. Learn from other people’s experiences because, first of all, there’s no direct cost to you for that learning. Somebody else had to pay the price to make that mistake so that you don’t have to make that mistake. If you’re able to do that and then just take those experiences as a kid, and then even apply experiences from other business owners, if you’re an entrepreneur, Oh my gosh, your learning curve. It’s going to just going to be like, well, no, no pun intended, like a hockey stick. Right, John?

John: Exactly.

Tim: But, you know, it’s, it’s so important to understand that. And, you know, one of the things, you know, you talk about having cash or, you know, sort of giving away your equity, or a lot of times we don’t realize that when we’re dependent on banks for raising capital, the banks own us. Because we always have the saying that whoever controls your cash flow controls your life. And one of the things that I found, and we do a lot with, with data, we had a research report and they found that 61 percent, according to Intuit, 61 percent of small business owners around the world struggle. With chronic or cyclical cashflow issues, and 69 percent of small business owners either lose sleep or sleep less due to cash concerns. Now, sleep deprivation is linked to a 200 percent increase in the incidence of cancer, 20 percent increase in premature death, and the lifespan, the life expectancy of a small business owner is a full five years less than the average American. So obviously, these sleepless nights are creating issues. And this all starts with cash flow. Here’s what I’ve learned in 38 years. Working with small business owners, all of these cash flow issues categorically are self-inflicted. It’s all due to how we’re using our cash, our cash flow. And if we, we call that the financial golf swing. And if we’re able to change that financial golf swing on how we’re using our money, the outcomes for us and our business are dramatic. It is a lifestyle changing exercise. So I’m glad you brought that up because obviously learning from somebody else’s experiences. Is the, is the cheapest lesson in the world.

John: Yeah, no doubt. I subscribed to everything you just said. You know, my sleepless nights, if I go back in time was when I was gonna make payroll. It’s the time where you’re not sure how you’re going to pay your vendors and they’re all calling and screaming at you. Those are, those are really tough times as entrepreneurs. And, and when you get through them, you look back and go, you know, what could I have done differently? In my case, the situation of failure was. We were growing faster than we can actually afford to grow. And I was like, let’s go to a hundred million. Let’s let’s go build this business. Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go. And, and we were reinvesting reinvesting. And Oh, we don’t need cash. Let’s go to the bank again. Okay. Let’s get some more money in here. Okay. Now we need some investors. Okay. Now my equity is going down. It was all for what, for what purpose I’d rather own a 100 percent of a 10 million company than 10 percent of 100 million company. It’s the same math. What was I trying to do? What was I trying to create? And I’ll tell you, Tim, that one of the biggest aha moments for me, and it happened after this whole failure as I was researching is I realized that, you know, your net operating cashflow that you’re generating from your business and how you manage the net operating cashflow is much more important than your profit and loss statement or, or your balance sheet, even to a certain degree, like is your business generating cash? That you can then reinvest to generate more cash. And that’s just really an important metric. And I think a lot of entrepreneurs glamorize raising capital. I did, Oh, he just raised 20 million dollars. Look how cool we are. When in reality, I needed those monies to go reinvest and scatter and, and, and try and build things when in reality, the things I already had weren’t generating enough cashflow to begin with, right? And so there’s a lot of things like that, that I’ve learned. There’s a fantastic article that, is a Harvard business review article that also made a dent for me, which was how fast can your company afford to grow? And what I found was I was trying to grow my company 30, 40, 50 percent a year. But based on my cashflow, I could probably afford to grow 5 percent a year. Well, where does that difference come from? Where’s that 45 percent difference come from and how fast your company can afford to grow and how fast you want to grow. It has to come from investors or banks or other people’s money, meaning the cashflow you’re supposed to pay Peter, you pay Paul, and then you get caught in this whole situation that ultimately ends up, you know, with the, with a bad situation happening. So, you know, as I work with entrepreneurs now, I was working with a group, last couple of weeks. And based on their, their cash flows, if they just make a few tweaks to their AR and AP and working capital days, it could be an a hundred thousand dollars of difference in cashflow in the given year. And think about the relief that that would provide just by some small tweaks of looking at that. And now you don’t need bank money. You don’t need investor money. You got this in your own little business. You just got to do it the right way.

Tim: Yeah, exactly. And, you know, John, I want to share a, an example of that. So we, we work with small business owners, showing them how to create a succession plan, how to attract, retain and reward key people and how to set up an exit strategy. So we worked with a company about eight or nine years ago and we set up their succession plan. And we told them, listen, by doing this, by setting this up, you’re actually going to be building a sinking fund that you can borrow against. And their response was, you know, we’re not interested in that. And I, you know, I didn’t push it at the time, but think about where we were. Okay. Interest rates. So when they went to a bank, Interest rates were two and three quarter percent to borrow on a credit line again. This is going back eight or nine years ago So fast forward to last summer and I get a call from this guy It’s July. It’s August of 2023 And he said hey Tim remember that succession plan we set up? I said, yeah. He said, we, we funded life insurance policies. I said, yep. He said, you said we could take a loan. What does it cost to take a loan now? And I said, well, before I answer that, can I ask you a question? He said, what? I said, what changed? So he goes, I bought a truck, which I always do by taking a draw on my credit line. And I usually pay it off over a two to three year period. Well, do you know that they want nine and a half percent to borrow on a credit line? He said, what does it cost to borrow on a life insurance policy loan? And I said, at the time it was five and five and a half percent. He said, well, I want one of those. And I said, well, you’re, you’re in, you’re in luck because it’s that option is available to you. And so I said, but here’s what I’m going to do. Normally I said to him, Chris, we’ll help you get the loan, but I want you to go through this process. So you understand how easy it is. So here’s what I want you to do. I gave him all the information he needed, call the company. And when the money hits your account, call me. He said, well, what’s it going to take about two, three weeks? I said, no, it shouldn’t take more than four or five days. Three days later, I get a phone call. He said, Hey, I just checked my business checking account and there’s $325,000 in there. And I said, well, you sound surprised. He goes, I can’t believe how easy this was. And I said, well, Chris, this is what I’m telling you about. But the point is this, when you have access to capital, opportunities will find you. And that’s really what we try to impress upon our clients is, listen, you may not have a need for this today, but we don’t know what the economic and, you know, situations are political situations are going to be in our country, you know, in the future. And if we’re able to position you to absorb whatever crap gets thrown at us, man, that’s going to position you and your business for opportunities in the future.

John: Yeah, Tim, similarly, you know, one of the things I talked to the entrepreneurs a lot about, I’m sure you would subscribe to this or even talk to them as well. It’s like, you know, Vern Harnish in his book, Scaling Up, talks about core capital target. Hit your core capital target, right? Which is have your six months to a year of operating expenses, you’re debt free. And you’re generating strong net operating cash when I like to say a million dollars a year when you when you get to a point where you’re generating a million dollars a year of net operating cash flow from your business and your debt free, and you’ve got the kind of reserve account of operating expenses, your position of power to grow your business is so much stronger. What ends up happening is businesses start making, you know, 200k, 300k, or 400k. And then they go hire a VP of sales. And then they go hire this person and they try and grow a little too fast. And then, and the cycle just kind of repeats itself over and over and over again, you know, try and get to that core capital target. And then the whole world opens up for you to grow your business.

Tim: Right. So John, you have such a such an incredible message to share. I mean, just the fact that you, you know, you got fired from your own company and to a lot of our, our listeners out there. That’s almost incomprehensible, right? But you also realize how and why it happened. And you learn from it and now you’re out there teaching other people how to prevent that from happening to them, so how John how could people get in touch with you and where could they buy your book etc?

John: Yeah, so the books on amazon The $100M Journey, the website is 100 M as in million. So 100mjourney.com and people can find me on any social platform. John St. Pierre 100. But yeah, feel free to reach out. I do schedule 30 minute free consultations. People want to talk through the book or the business, and I also have a free workbook that goes along with the book at 100mjourney.com. If people want to download that as well with a lot of templates and tools.

Tim: Yeah, and we’ll put that in, in the, the, episode notes so people could contact you, John. It was such a pleasure. They have you on our show. Is there any parting shots you have for us?

John: Yeah, I think the parting shot I would have Tim based on this conversation. It’s something I didn’t have, but when it comes to cash and protecting your business and growing your business, have patient ambition, it’s good to be ambitious, it’s good to have big goals and go get them, but have patient ambition because that patience will really serve you as you build your business the right way.

Tim: Such a great lesson. Thanks so much, John St. Pierre, The $100M Journey. John, thanks so much.

John: Thanks, Tim.

    Tips for Starting Your Infinite Banking Journey

    When it comes to the Infinite Banking Concept, it’s easy to get caught up in the details and questions like “Should I start now?” or “Am I ready?” The truth is, the best time to start was yesterday, but the second-best time is today. Let’s dive into how you can start your journey without overwhelming yourself.

    Recently, we spoke with a client who had considered starting four years ago but didn’t feel ready. Now, he’s eager to begin, realizing that waiting only delayed his financial growth. The key takeaway? Start where you are. You don’t need a fortune to start; you need a comfortable amount that fits your budget and allows you to progress without stress.

    Start small by redirecting a portion of your cash flow into your policy. Over time, this money becomes more efficient, giving you access to funds for various needs like debt repayment, vacations, or investments. The goal is to start without biting off more than you can chew, ensuring a sustainable financial strategy.

    Assessing each situation individually is crucial. We guide you to avoid overcommitting and help you make informed decisions that align with your goals. Our goal isn’t just to start a policy but to empower you with financial control and flexibility.

    Once you start, you’ll see the benefits firsthand. Think of it as a forced savings account that grows tax-deferred, giving you access to funds when needed. It’s about regaining control of your finances and being prepared for both challenges and opportunities.

    Are you ready to start your journey with specially designed life insurance policies for cash accumulation and the Infinite Banking Concept? Schedule a free strategy session today tailored to your needs. Remember, it’s not how much money you make, it’s how much money you keep that really matters.

    CD vs. Annuity: Maximizing Your Lump Sum

    Do you have a lump sum of money and you’re wondering how to get the most out of it? Well, one option could be a CD. But another option could be an annuity. Have you ever wondered what the differences are, what the pros and cons are of each of these products?

    Recently, one of our clients inherited a lump sum of money from her mom. However, she wasn’t sure what to do with the money, she knew that banks were paying a reasonable rate of return on short-term CDs right now.

    For example, a six-month CD may be paying out 6%. So naturally, she questioned, Is this a good deal or is there something better for my situation? And to that, we brought to the table the question of a fixed annuity.

    You see, the bank was actually crediting them 6% for a six-month CD. Why was the bank paying that much for a short-term CD? And the answer is really simple. If and when interest rates go back down, the bank doesn’t want to be caught with a long-term commitment at a higher interest rate. So the bank’s given themselves some wiggle room, meaning a short duration to get out of the contract and this is because banks generally don’t keep the money around. 

    When a depositor puts money in the bank, the bank doesn’t let it sit there. They turn it over. And how do they turn it over? They turn around and they loan it to somebody. And a bank will generally loan a dollar that you put on deposit 8 to 10 times. Going out, coming back, going out, coming back, and they just rinse and repeat.

    So because the bank doesn’t have the money on hand, they have to sort of suck you in so they don’t get caught with long-term interest rate risk. The bank is offering a much higher rate for a short duration so that they can keep turning it over. And more importantly, when the interest rates go down, the bank isn’t going to be caught with a long-term commitment.

    Let’s contrast that with an annuity, specifically a single premium deferred annuity. This is a fixed annuity that locks in the interest rate over, let’s say, three, four, or five years. Because let’s face it, these products are actually paying out similar interest rates to the bank’s CD. But generally, the rates will be higher for a short-term annuity and lower for a longer-term annuity.

    In other words, short-term interest rates are actually higher than long-term interest rates. And consequently, what’s happening is insurance companies as well as banks are incentivizing people to take shorter duration annuities because the interest rates are higher. So this is how these financial institutions sort of limit their interest rate risk.

    But this goes back to the original question, why should this client take an annuity versus a CD? The annuity might be paying 5% whereas the CD is paying 6%. What’s up with that?

    And the answer is simple. You’re locking in a reasonable rate of return for an extended period of time. Would you rather have 5% over three years? Or would you rather have 6% over only six months?

    Basically with the CD at the bank. The bank is transferring that interest rate risk back to you. So ultimately, what happens is people say, yeah, well, but after six months, I could renew it at 6% again. Well, maybe you can. Maybe you can’t. It depends on what the interest rate environment is at that time. But here’s the point.

    You know, three years ago, if somebody came in and said, hey, I’m looking for a fixed annuity, they might be getting two and a half, maybe 3% if they were lucky. Now they’re getting close to 5%. So they could walk in for five years at an interest rate that’s like 60% higher than what the rate used to be three years ago. That’s a pretty good deal. Again, you’re locking in for a longer period of time.

    Now, of course, there’s this other issue, which is do you need access to that money? And if you do, then this may not be the appropriate way to address this issue. But a huge benefit of an annuity versus a bank CD is it’s tax deferred.

    Once you put your money in that annuity, it’s growing on a tax-deferred basis, meaning it’s not taxed until you access the money. Once you do access it, the interest will be taxed as ordinary income. However, with a bank CD, your interest is taxed all along the way. And that’s something a lot of people don’t consider.

    So really with an annuity, you make the decision as to when you want to pay the tax. You could take an annual distribution of interest only and therefore pay the tax at that time. You can defer the interest each and every year until the annuity is finished and then pay the cumulative tax at that time. Or, you can roll over that annuity into another fixed annuity and defer the tax even still. But, the key is you have the choice.

    Now, one other thing to consider, not specifically for this client, but if you’re under age 59 and a half. Taxes aren’t the only thing to consider. If you access money in an annuity before age 59 and a half, that money may also be subject to the 10% penalty. Because these products are structured for retirement purposes.

    So let’s go back to the original question. Should they be doing a CD or an annuity?

    Well, it depends. It depends on their situation and how they plan on using that money. And it depends on how much control they want. So the moral of the story is, like always, it’s not only about comparing interest rates. We have to look specifically at your situations, your goals, your objectives, and how you plan on using the money.

    If you have a lump sum of money you’d like to discuss a way to earn a reasonable rate of return and avoid risk in doing so. Hop on our calendar for our Free Strategy Session and we’d be happy to speak to you about your specific situation.

    And remember, it’s not how much money you make it’s how much money you keep that really matters.

    Power of Infinite Banking: Why It Takes Time to Recapture Your Investment

    Are you thinking about implementing the infinite banking concept? But you don’t quite understand why it takes ten years to recapture the money that you put into the policy.

    One of the most common complaints we have when speaking to people about the infinite banking concept is that they’re not going to have all of their money back for a full ten years at least.

    So you may be wondering, Yeah, why does it make sense to put money in a whole life policy? That’s a lousy investment. It’s going to take me so long to break even and then earn a rate of return on that money.

    So let’s go back to the basics.

    Nelson Nash originally had four cardinal rules as it related to infinite banking, and his first rule was to think long term. You see, Nelson was trained as a forester. He was trained to think 70 years in advance. And as he would say, I’m not going to be here to see the fruits of my labor. But somebody will and they will benefit handsomely by my good judgment.

    So first and foremost, you’re being future thinking. You’re not thinking about the death benefit. You’re thinking more so for the cash availability. And it’s just like planting a tree. You plant a tree and it takes a long time to see that tree grow, but all of a sudden, one day, you go out in the backyard and my gosh, you’ve got a tree that’s taller than you. And that’s the way it is with life insurance. There’s a start-up cost. Nelson used to say it’s sort of like starting a business. Very few people start a business and become profitable on day one. 

    The fact of the matter is time takes time and you’re not going to wake up one day and just have a pool of money sitting in a life insurance policy. Now, in some cases, there is availability to be able to put a large sum of money within the policies. But it’s still going to take time for that money to grow and compound. But the key here is to be able to access the money everywhere along the way. As your policy becomes more and more efficient with time, you’re able to access more and more of that cash value.

    Yes, it might take ten years to realize a profit on that policy. But you don’t have to wait ten years to get your money as the cash value appears, you could borrow most of that or borrow against most of that cash value and deploy it in your life.

    Use it to pay down debt. Use it to make purchases. Use it to make investments.

    Whatever you decide to do with that money is completely yours. And here’s the key, however you decide to pay back that money to the insurance company, that’s your decision as well. That’s what Nelson realized by using the life insurance company’s money borrowing against the equity in your policy puts you in control of the financing function. And that’s the bottom line. That’s the golden rule. That’s the reason to be. That’s the reason why we recommend this concept because it puts you in control.

    Americans are being squeezed from many, many different directions. Inflation is up. It costs more for goods and services. Our pay is down. Our revenues are down. Our profits are down. Inflation is eating into everything. Interest rates are higher. It costs more money to borrow from the banks and the credit companies than it has in over 15 years.

    It’s affecting our health. It’s affecting our relationships. It’s affecting our ability to run our companies or do our jobs. It affects everything because it’s always top of mind.

    But, there’s a way out of this. There’s a way that you could now be in control of this process rather than being controlled by this process. And that’s what the infinite banking concept can bring to you.

    If you’d like to get started with a specially designed whole life insurance policy designed for cash value accumulation so that you could be in control of your finances rather than being at the mercy of the economy, banks, and the government. Be sure to schedule your free strategy session today. We’d be happy to speak to you about your specific situation and how we could help move you and your family and your business forward for generations to come.

    And remember, it’s not how much money you make it’s how much money you keep that really matters.

    Why Pay Interest to Access Your Own Money?

    A question that you may have, if you’re thinking about implementing the infinite banking concept, is why on earth would I be paying interest to access my own money?

    One of the core principles of implementing the Infinite Banking concept, using a specially designed whole life insurance policy designed for cash accumulation, is utilizing policy loans, leveraging the life insurance company’s money to make major capital purchases, whether that be a car, a wedding, or an investment where you can earn an external rate of return.

    You see one of the things we sort of take for granted, or I think more appropriately we ignore, is the fact that we finance everything we buy. What do we mean by that? If you want to make a purchase, everybody thinks there are only two ways to do so. You could finance borrowing money from a bank or a credit company, and therefore paying interest to the bank or the credit company for the privilege of using their money.

    The second way you can make that purchase is to pay cash. And what most people fail to take into consideration is the opportunity cost of using their cash. In other words, they know that if they take a loan, they’re going to pay 5 or 6 or 10% interest. But what they don’t take into consideration is the fact that if they use their cash, they could have earned interest on their cash. And guess what? That’s called opportunity cost.

    Any way you look at it, you are paying or financing that purchase. You’re either going to finance through a bank or self-finance by paying cash. We have a saying here at Tier 1 Capital, you’ll never see the interest that you don’t earn on the money you used to pay cash to make a purchase.

    With traditional banking, we typically park our money down at the local bank. However, we’re not earning any interest on that money, are we? The bank is though. They’re able to loan out that money at whatever rate of return they deem necessary. As many as 9 or 10 times for each dollar deposited.

    So what does that mean? If you finance and have a bank account at the same bank, Which money are they actually lending you? And how are you being compensated for it? People deal with banks every day, and they accept that as normal.

    And then we present them with the idea of, “Hey, why don’t you cut the banker out?” Set up your own pool of money that you will always earn interest on using the cash value of a life insurance policy. But you see, they have these preconceived notions of what life insurance is. And a red flag goes up and they’re like, No way. Life insurance is bad. Bank, good.

    And then they come back and say, “Why in the world would I ever pay interest to get my own money from a life insurance company?” Well, here’s why, it ain’t your money. Your money is still in the policy earning interest on an uninterrupted basis.

    The insurance company is putting a lien against your money and giving you a separate loan from their general account. That’s why you’re paying interest. You’re paying interest to get the insurance company’s money. You’re using other people’s money to make your money more efficient. 

    At the end of the day, if you’re accessing money, whether you’re financing or paying cash, there’s a cost to accessing money.

    If you’d like to make your money more efficient by utilizing a specially designed whole life insurance policy designed for cash accumulation, schedule your free strategy session today. We’d be happy to talk about your specific situation and how this concept fits.

    And remember, it’s not how much money you make, it’s how much money you keep that really matters.