I was married in 1998. My maternal grandmother was still alive, but suffering from dementia. We were close and it was so hard to see her in this condition. Her professional life was in “ready to wear” and she specialized in pageant dresses and wedding dresses.
She was with me when I chose my dress, but wasn’t very engaged which was far from what I had expected growing up.
As we planned our wedding, I was contacted by my grandma’s brother, Cliff, who I had met before but didn’t have a connection to. He let us know he wanted to pay for our wedding cake, which totally floored me! I couldn’t comprehend how much money he must have to be willing to part with a few hundred dollars for a grand-niece he hardly knew.
Fast forward to a week after the wedding when we were opening gifts. To my surprise, I found a book from Uncle Cliff. You can see where this is going. He gave us “The Richest Man in Babylon.” We decided that if a person in his financial situation probably knows what he is talking about. My new husband and I took it as a personal challenge to read and study this book in our first months as a married couple. We read it and discussed it daily. Though we were THE DEFINITION of poor college students, it lit a fire in both of us and influenced us to be cautious stewards over what money we did have, and it gave us hope that if we managed it well and worked hard, more would come.
Twenty years in, we have benefitted from the foundation we build from this book. Our dream when we first got married was to someday have a double wide trailer, which cracks me up! Instead, we have owned multiple businesses, earned degrees, purchased homes for our family, upgraded often, and have deep roots in the real estate market, which has changed our lives. Who knew this could happen on the salary of two school teachers?
Every semester my students complete a book project (RMIB is a choice on the list). By now, hundreds of my students have read this book. I give it to every couple who invites me to their wedding, with some cash to get them started. I truly believe this book can change a person’s financial mindset and set them on a path of success.
This is not just a book. It is a life changer and your students, and maybe you, need to study it!! I was notified just a few weeks ago (January 2019) that Uncle Cliff passed away just a week before his 103rd birthday. So, it is time to spread the love of what he shared with and pass it on!
Affiliate Link to the book:
