The Debt-Free Millionaire

PRAISE FOR

THE MILLIONAIRE

DEBT-FREE

"The Debt-Free Millionaire is a clarion call for a generation that was brought up on spending tomorrow's money today. As someone who spent time in the financial services industry, I can unequivocally state that Anthony's pragmatic and refreshingly contrarian approach to the real secrets of cash-flow management—and leveraging the credit system—are a breath of fresh air in a smog-choked world of misinformation and confusing financial advice. I can think of a million reasons to read it."
—MICHAEL DIFRISCO President, BrandXcellence

"Read this book. Do what it says. Start living the dream. If you're ready to take charge of your financial future, this is the place to start."
—KEITH J. CUNNINGHAM Keys to the Vault & Business School for Entrepreneurs

"The Debt-Free Millionaire offers unique insights, little known strategies and easy-to-understand practical tools to first manage then eliminate debt. It is a must read for both consumers and financial professionals to better explain the often complex world of debt management. More like getting sensible advice from a good friend than a technical financial advisor."
—ROY BALFOUR President of Ro???Mart Inc.

"Tony has produced a clear and straightforward guide to debt, and how to eliminate it, that is as timely as it is needed. Anyone who follows the program in this book will be glad they did."
—JEFFREY K. MEEK Former Vice President–Recovery Operations, WaMu Card Services

"Great for readers of all ages and in all financial stages. This isn't one of those get-rich-quick schemes. This book provides a foundation for a paradigm shift in your thinking process and allows for you to see how to achieve the seemingly unachievable. I was hooked from the beginning!"
—JENNA KEEHNEN Executive Director, www.USOBA.org

Foreword ix

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction: Setting the Stage 1

Step 1: Understanding Debt and Credit

Chapter 1 What Is Debt? 19

Chapter 2 What Is Credit? 33

Step 2: Identifying Where You Are so You Can Determine How to Get to Where You Want to Go

Chapter 3 The Cash-FLOW Analysis and Why You Need One 53

Chapter 4 Doing Your Own Cash-FLOW Analysis 71

Chapter 5 Inside the Numbers: Different Categories of CFI 85

Step 3: Using the Results from Step 2 to Chart Your Course toward Becoming a Debt-FREE Millionaire

Chapter 6 A Little Deeper Inside the Numbers: Potential Credit Impact of Adequate to Healthy CFI 95

Chapter 7 A Little Deeper Inside the Numbers: When Your CFI Requires Mortgage Restructuring 109

Chapter 8 A Little Deeper Inside the Numbers: When Your CFI Requires Debt Management 123

Chapter 9 A Little Deeper Inside the Numbers: When Your CFI Requires Debt Settlement 137

Chapter 10 A Little Deeper Inside the Numbers: When Your CFI Requires Bankruptcy 153

Step 4: Identifying and Defining Your Retirement Needs, and Creating a Time Line toward Achieving Them

Chapter 11 Accumulating Wealth and Retiring Rich 169

Chapter 12 It Takes Money to Make Money: Accumulating and Living Off Your Wealth 181

Step 5: Letting It All Sink In

Chapter 13 Change Is a Comin’ 201

Chapter 14 So Now What? The Debt-FREE Millionaire Action Plan 217

Chapter 15 What about Our Economy? 229

Conclusion: The Real Identity Theft 235

Appendix A The Cash-FLOW Analysis Work Sheet 241

Appendix B Estimating Your Debt Elimination Time Frame 249

Appendix C Sample Amortization Tables 253

Appendix D Income Adjusted for Inflation 263

Appendix E Future Wealth (Nest Egg) Estimator 265

Appendix F Debt Payment Wealth Impact 267

Appendix G Should I Save First? 269

Appendix H Putting Your Debt-FREE Millionaire Plan on Cruise Control 271

Glossary 273

Notes 275

About the Author 277

A Free Gift from Me to You 279

Index 281

ANTHONY MANGANIELLO is founder and creator of DebtFREE.com and President and CEO of Centricity, Inc. He is regarded as one of the foremost experts on the impact debt-elimination services can have on a consumer's credit. Currently, he serves as a member of the Advisory Board of the United States Organization for Bankruptcy Alternatives and attends meetings with government officials providing testimony regarding the needs consumers face in today's economically challenging times.

Are you tired of spinning your financial wheels?

Do you really want to know what it feels like to not worry about money?

Has the difficulty of managing your financial life led you to just accept things as they are and hope they'll just "work out" in the end?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then it's time to make a change—and the knowledge you need to become a debt-free millionaire is literally in your hands right now.

The desire to get out of debt can sometimes be smothered by the shear volume of information, and misinformation, available. To overcome such obstacles, what you need is one place to find the right answers, right away. That's why author Anthony Manganiello—founder and creator of DebtFREE.com and President and CEO of Centricity, Inc.—has created The Debt-Free Millionaire.

Since 1995, Manganiello has helped hundreds of thousands of people get out of debt, and now, he'll show you how to do the same. Throughout these pages, he skillfully outlines a plan that will allow you to eliminate debt, develop better credit, and retire comfortably. You'll learn everything from how to perform a Cash-FLOW Analysis™—a straightforward approach to assessing your financial standing—to putting your plan into action. Along the way, Manganiello reveals how debt and credit should fit into your financial life and addresses how to employ specific strategies that will lead you to accumulate wealth instead of what you're most likely doing now, consuming it. steps comprising this plan will put you in a better position to prosper in the years ahead. You'll also find that as you progress through the Debt-Free Millionaire Plan, you'll be fairly well insulated from the economic ups and downs experienced by others who are stumbling through life without a plan.

After reading this book, when you think of what a millionaire is, you'll realize that the only difference between you and becoming a millionaire is a matter of time and distance. The strategies outlined here will help you close that gap as quickly as possibly.

PRAISE FOR

THE MILLIONAIRE

DEBT-FREE

"The Debt-Free Millionaire is a clarion call for a generation that was brought up on spending tomorrow's money today. As someone who spent time in the financial services industry, I can unequivocally state that Anthony's pragmatic and refreshingly contrarian approach to the real secrets of cash-flow management—and leveraging the credit system—are a breath of fresh air in a smog-choked world of misinformation and confusing financial advice. I can think of a million reasons to read it."
—MICHAEL DIFRISCO President, BrandXcellence

"Read this book. Do what it says. Start living the dream. If you're ready to take charge of your financial future, this is the place to start."
—KEITH J. CUNNINGHAM Keys to the Vault & Business School for Entrepreneurs

"The Debt-Free Millionaire offers unique insights, little known strategies and easy-to-understand practical tools to first manage then eliminate debt. It is a must read for both consumers and financial professionals to better explain the often complex world of debt management. More like getting sensible advice from a good friend than a technical financial advisor."
—ROY BALFOUR President of Ro???Mart Inc.

"Tony has produced a clear and straightforward guide to debt, and how to eliminate it, that is as timely as it is needed. Anyone who follows the program in this book will be glad they did."
—JEFFREY K. MEEK Former Vice President–Recovery Operations, WaMu Card Services

"Great for readers of all ages and in all financial stages. This isn't one of those get-rich-quick schemes. This book provides a foundation for a paradigm shift in your thinking process and allows for you to see how to achieve the seemingly unachievable. I was hooked from the beginning!"
—JENNA KEEHNEN Executive Director, www.USOBA.org