“What do you do when you find yourself in a hole? Stop digging.” – Anonymous Before you can start on your way to financial freedom, you first have to pinpoint exactly how much bad debt you really have. For many people, figuring out how deeply in debt they are is like going to the dentist. You know it’s good for you, but it’s not always pleasant. Some people have already given up. They know they’re in a big hole but don’t want to deal with it. But if you’re serious about building positive cash flow in your life, you have to start with the fundamentals of financial literacy. Here’s a quick quiz to get yourself going. Put a 1 next to any of the following questions to which you would answer yes: ___ Do you routinely pay your bills late? ___ Have you ever hidden a bill from your spouse? ___ Have you neglected repairing the car because of insufficient funds? ___ Have you bought something recently that you didn’t need and couldn’t afford? ___ Do you regularly spend more than your paycheck? ___ Have you been turned down for credit? ___ Do you buy lottery tickets in the hope of getting out from under your debt? ___ Have you put off saving money for a rainy day? ___ Does your total debt (mortgage excluded) exceed your rainy-day reserve? Final Thought Managing your money is only the beginning. Are you brave enough to continue your journey onward to financial freedom? Managing your money might be difficult and sometimes confusing, especially at first. There is a lot to learn, regardless of how much you already know. It is a lifelong process. But the good news is that the hardest part of the process is at the start. Once you make the commitment, life really does get easier and easier. Managing your money is not hard to do. It’s just common sense