Morning!! Got a great guest post for ya today, coming from one of the OG crew members of Rockstar Finance – Steve Adcock 🙂 Man I miss that site sometimes… And I just learned that Apex Money just recently said farewell as well 😭 So it's ripe for another one to come into the space if anyone's ever thought about making one! I'd be happy to brain dump on you if you are 😉
Enjoy this article on Steve's 6 financial rules he lives by every day… #6 is my favorite.
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My wife and I became millionaires in our 30s, and no, we didn't inherit a pile of cash, win the lottery, or sell a startup for millions.
We became millionaires the boring, old-fashioned way.
Today, I'm sharing the six simple money rules I live by every single day. These rules are what made us millionaires. And most importantly, why we still are.
They are not fancy. They are not trendy. They just work.
#1. Keep 6 Months of Expenses in Cash
This is the rule that lets me sleep at night. Life is unpredictable. Jobs disappear (especially these days). Cars break down. Kids get sick. Water heaters explode at the worst possible moment. When you have six months of expenses sitting in cash, none of that becomes a crisis.
If you don't have money set aside for an unexpected expense, build your emergency fund starting today. Your future self will thank you.
When I say an emergency fund, I'm not talking about six months of your income. I mean, six months of what it actually costs you to live. Rent, groceries, insurance, gas, the basics. When you have that cushion, you stop living in fear of the next surprise. You stop making decisions from panic. You stop feeling like one bad week could ruin everything.
We keep our rainy day fund in a HYSA (high yield savings account), so it's easily accessible, accrues interest, and isn't subject to the stock market's ups and downs.
Cash is boring, but boring is underrated.
#2. Invest at Least 20% of Your Income
This is the engine that builds wealth. If you want your future to look different from your present, you need money growing in the background. Not someday. Not when you “feel ready.”
Right now.
The nice thing is that investing doesn't need to be complicated. My wife and I invest primarily in index funds, which are diversified portfolios of shares in some of the best companies around the world. No listening in on earnings calls. No worrying about price-to-earnings ratios.
No finance degree required. Index funds make investing easy. (J$: This is what I do too 👊)
Twenty percent might sound like a lot, but it becomes normal once you automate it. Treat it like a bill. The money leaves your account before you have a chance to spend it, and over time, it starts to stack up in a way that feels almost unfair.
The market does the heavy lifting. You just have to show up consistently.
#3. Never Carry a Credit Card Balance
We love credit cards. The points and travel rewards are wonderful. In fact, I'm flying first class to Scotland later this year from the points we earned using our cards.
Of course, credit cards do have a dark side.
Credit card debt is the villain in most people's financial story. It sneaks in quietly and then refuses to leave. One month you're a little short, so you carry a balance. The next month, the interest hits, and suddenly you're paying for last month's groceries at a premium.
Avoiding credit card interest by paying off your balance every month is our primary focus.
I use credit cards for the points and the convenience, but I treat them like debit cards. If I don't have the money in my checking account, I don't buy the thing. Simple. Clean. No drama.
Carrying a balance is like paying a cover charge to enter your own financial downfall.
Not interested.
#4. Drive Your Cars Into the Ground
I am not trying to win the neighborhood car show. I want a vehicle that starts when I turn the key and doesn't drain my bank account. That's it.
Note: This is in stark contrast to the supercharged Corvette I used to drive when I was younger. It was a fun car, but boy, it turned into a giant money pit. It seemed like every other month, I was dropping $2,000 or more to fix something that had broken.
I no longer drive my wealth today. I drive reliable used vehicles.
New cars lose value the moment you drive them off the lot. It's like watching your money evaporate in real time. I'd rather drive something a little older and put the savings toward investments or experiences that actually matter.
Today, we drive a hybrid to save money on gas, and we plan to drive it until it falls apart (not literally, but you know what I mean!).
#5. Don't Try to Keep Up with Your Neighbors
Your neighbors might look successful, but you have no idea what their finances look like behind the scenes. The shiny new kitchen might be sitting on a mountain of debt. The fancy vacation might be financed by a credit card that will haunt them for years.
My favorite book, The Millionaire Next Door, discussed this phenomenon extensively. Rich people don't necessarily look rich. In fact, that's how many of them became rich!
Trying to keep up with other people is a guaranteed way to lose control of your own goals. I focus on my savings rate, my investments, and my peace of mind. If someone down the street buys a new boat, I'm happy for them. I also know I don't need a boat to feel good about my life.
Comparison is a thief. I don't let it in the house.
#6. Use Your Legs More Than Your Wallet
This one is part money rule and part life philosophy. We live in a world where everything can be delivered, outsourced, or automated (DoorDash, anyone?). That convenience is great, but it also makes it easy to spend money without thinking.
Most of the time, you don't need to spend. You need to move.
Walk to the store. Cook your own meals. Fix something instead of replacing it. Take the stairs. Ride a bike. Do the thing that costs nothing and makes you healthier at the same time.
Any time we get to use our legs instead of our cars, we do it.
Using your legs more than your wallet saves money, boosts your mood, and keeps you from falling into the trap of paying for convenience you don't actually need.
If you also factor in the future medical bills you'll avoid thanks to the movement you're doing today, your savings increase dramatically.
Wrapping It Up
These six rules are simple, but they create a foundation that makes everything else easier.
And I'm a big sucker for things that are easy.
I don't worry about emergencies because I have cash. I don't worry about the future because I invest. I don't worry about debt because I avoid it. I don't worry about appearances because I'm not competing with anyone. And I don't worry about spending because I know how to live without constantly pulling out my wallet.
Money doesn't have to be complicated. It just needs a system. These six rules are mine, and they've kept me grounded, confident, and financially steady for years.
If you want to build a life with less stress and more freedom, start with one of these rules and make it part of your routine. Then add another. And another.
Before long, you'll feel the difference.
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Steve Adcock achieved financial independence at 35 and is known for his blunt, practical approach to building wealth. In addition to his personal finance work, Steve runs his own IT contracting business, giving him a front‑row seat to how careers, technology, and money intersect in the real world. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @SteveOnSpeed, or at his primary website, millionairehabits.us.
J$: He also recently published a new book which he forgot to share! –> Millionaire Habits: How to Achieve Financial Independence, Retire Early, and Make a Difference by Focusing on Yourself First (affiliate link)
From Amazon: “Steve Adcock delivers a fun, insightful, and hands-on discussion of how to build financial security, retire early, and give back to the community. You'll learn to focus on yourself and your family first, creating personal wealth for the purpose of giving back to others…
“Saving money” isn't a goal in and of itself, but rather the end product of the personal wealth equation: Wealth = Income + Investments – Lifestyle. You'll discover how to pay yourself first with concrete guidance and practical advice drawn from people who built wealth on modest incomes.”
Congrats bro 🙏 Many months later, lol…
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