Don't Have a Full Wallet and A Home Full of Strangers

Solid Advice from Larry Hagner

This Friday, I attended an event that had me connecting with men like Larry Hagner from The Dad Edge, as well as Jennings Smith and Yeadon Smith of My First Million in Multifamily. The event was aimed towards those in the Real Estate scene, but during Larry’s speech he mentioned how you don’t want to build a financial empire at the expense of your family or in his words, “You don’t want to have a full wallet and a home full of strangers.” and I agree, life is more about presence than presents.

Zac Small @ZacSmall_

If you don't focus on your family while you build your financial empire, the only freedom you'll build is a life free from love and connection.

Larry’s point, which was supported by many other speakers and attendees who spoke of using Real Estate as the vehicle to leaving their W-2, inspired a great discussion between Anthony Migliorino and I later in the evening.

We discussed, what is the point of leaving your full-time job if the only thing you know how to do in life is make money?

Don’t Break Your Family Building Your Legacy

Money is great, but it should never be viewed as anything more than a tool to be used to secure freedom, fuel a lifestyle, offer more time to spend alongside family and chase personal goals, while being in a position to help those in need.

What good is the pursuit of money if it comes at the expense of all the things you’re looking to fund with the cash generated?

If you never develop the skills needed to connect with your children, foster an intimate and respectful environment with your wife, or cultivate a relationship with your “inner self”, then no amount of money you make will ever be enough to keep the empire you created, from falling to the ground. Your legacy will be ruined within a generation, and while the kids will be blamed, it’s the failure of you, the parent and leader, to forge a strong foundation from which to build upon that caused the demise.

Hyper-Focus on reaching the target financial marker cannot create tunnel vision, for if it does, you won’t even see the brick wall you’re accelerating towards. You don’t want to be the man who:

• Books a cruise everyone is fighting on.

• Secures a cabin that has the family at eachother’s throats

• Thinks presents will make up for absence and a complete lack of presence.

Building a financially healthy future is an admirable goal, and it’s one that I and many other great men are working towards each day; but you cannot lose sight of your why in that chase and this piece is your reminder that, the love and bonds you have are worth more than anything else.

- Zachary Small

Private Men’s Community