Summary: Good Money Revolution: How to Make More Money to Do More Good by Derrick Kinney

Good Money Revolution (2022) is your guide to making more money – so that you can give more away. Earning money with a purpose benefits everyone, including you.

Introduction: Learn why earning more money is good for everyone.

Ah, money. The root of all evil, as they say.

Is money getting you down? Because it’s all too common to think like that. When the bills won’t stop piling up, the kids keep on growing out of their clothes, and your retirement fund is gathering cobwebs, money really can start to seem evil.

But it’s not. Think about all the good you can do with it. And I don’t just mean sending your kids to college and getting your drains fixed. For a family that’s really struggling, even just a little money can turn their lives around. For a village in a developing country that lacks decent education and health care, money can do unbelievable amounts of good. Think of what charity can do for a homeless person – whether it’s money or just a pair of old trainers.

Use it right, and money isn’t evil at all. It’s good – very good.

And so, therefore, is earning more of it.

In these summary, you’ll learn all about author Derrick Kinney’s Good Money Framework: his vision for how you can earn more money so that you can do more good. Because he believes that the best thing you can do is get your own finances in order and start earning more – so that you can give more money away.

In other words, giving money away benefits everyone – including you. And you’re about to learn how to do it.

In these summary, you’ll learn

• why giving money away makes you happier than spending it on yourself;
• how to identify and start supporting your own Generosity Purpose; and
• what you need to do to start increasing your own earnings.

Making more money is good – because of the good you can do with it.

Think of all the things you can do with money.

You can buy a new car . . . a new house . . . pay for your kids through college. You can eat well . . . travel well . . . You can even invest well, and grow your pot further.

Money, in other words, can buy you happiness . . .

Except, as we all know, it can’t. Because there’ll always be a problem with your car, a bigger house, another trip to take, a higher-yielding stock portfolio – and that’s not even mentioning everything else that can go wrong in life. Money is no guarantee of happiness – not by a long shot.

But there’s one thing you can do with your money that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

And the great thing is – it’ll probably motivate you to get out and earn more money, too, in a self-perpetuating, virtuous circle.

That’s right, folks. I’m talking about giving money away.

There’s science behind this. At the University of British Columbia, some researchers gave students a little bit of money for free. Half of them were told to spend it on themselves; the other half had to spend it on someone else.

At the end of the day, the scientists asked the students how happy they felt, and guess what: those who had given their money away – to a friend or a soup kitchen or something – were happier than those who’d spent it on themselves.

So, money isn’t the same as happiness – but if you do the right thing with it, it can do some serious good.

And it follows from that, of course, that if you have more money, you can do more good.

That’s what the Good Money Revolution is all about. Yes, the idea is for you to earn more money. But only so you can do something good with it.

Here’s an example. One of the author’s clients, Dave, had a business that was going really well. But Dave felt unmotivated. He’d forgotten why he’d gotten into his work in the first place.

So the author asked him: What causes did he care about?

Dave remembered a trip he had been on a few years ago. He’d seen a small village that was so impoverished it didn’t even have a real school. It’ be great, Dave reflected, to do something about that.

So, the two of them came up with a new business plan. Dave’s aim was to expand his existing business – so that he could use some of the new profits to build a school.

That was all it took to re-motivate Dave. Sales shot up straight away.

Because making money for its own sake won’t make you happy. But making money to fuel your Generosity Purpose? That’ll do the job nicely.

To revolutionize your own finances, follow the Good Money Framework.

The thing about the story you just read – about Dave funding that school – is that it’s not quite as simple as it sounds. It’s not just the story of Dave donating some money to charity.

There are two reasons that make it more than that. Firstly, it wasn’t any old charity: it was a cause that Dave specifically cared about. And secondly, he wasn’t just donating out of his business’s profits – he was donating out of the extra profits he achieved when his business grew. In other words, Dave cared about this cause so much that it caused his actual business to grow overall. He made more money, and gave some of that money away.

That’s what can happen if you organize your finances according to what the author calls the seven-step Good Money Framework – and it all starts with Step 1: finding out your Generosity Purpose.

Dave’s generosity purpose was funding the school. But what’s yours? What do you care deeply about? It could be something close to home, like a local park, or something on the other side of the world, or a medical research charity, or a cause like homelessness. It could be a family round the corner who you know are struggling. Whatever or whoever it is, work out what cause you really want to get behind.

Step 2 is to look at your current finances, and work out what your financial goals are: pick a top three. Maybe it’s buying a house, or paying off your mortgage, or going on your dream holiday.

Step 3: work out what your desired income is. That might sound like a stupid question – as much as possible, right? But in fact, there’ll be a number much lower than that, which, when you really think about it, will provide you with all you need. Work out how much you need to truly feel comfortable each month. Find yourself an actual number to aim for.

Next? Step 4 is to work out how you can get there, by increasing how much you earn. This needs a bit more explanation – so we’ll come back to it in the next chapter. After that, Step 5 is to put together a plan for saving and investing your money – work out what percentages of your money you’re saving, giving away, and so on. I’ll expand on this later on as well.

Step 6 is to put your generosity strategy into action – in other words, start giving. And Step 7 is to keep track of it all. Sit down each quarter and find out how well your plan is going, making the adjustments you need.

There you go, nice and simple: the Good Money Framework is all you need, to get your finances under control and your Generosity Purpose in action.

But . . . Step 4 . . . earning more money? That’s not always so easy. Right?

Well, actually, it’s a little easier than you’d think.

Earning more money is simpler than you think, when your Generosity Purpose is guiding you.

OK, folks, this is the big one: how to earn more money. But before we get there, there are two other things you need to do, if you’re going to get anywhere at all financially – and actually, they’re just as important.

Firstly, save more, to shore up your financial future and make sure you’re comfortable. Make sure you’re automatically paying into savings accounts each month and have a decent pension or 401(k) sorted out.

And secondly, get on top of your debt. Pay as much off each month as you can – not just the minimum amount. Pick the debt that’s your biggest burden, and go to town on it; get that figure down as fast as possible.

If you don’t do those two things too, you can increase your earnings all you like and still end up in financial trouble.

But OK, here’s the fun stuff – earning more.

In four words, here it is: act like an entrepreneur. This might involve actually setting up your own business, and becoming an actual entrepreneur – but it doesn’t have to. It can just mean taking an entrepreneurial approach to whatever your current job is. Even if you’re an employee, ask yourself the questions a business owner would ask: how can I increase the company’s sales? How can I boost productivity? Work out what value you can add.

Because it’s adding value to your company that’s going to make you eligible for a raise or a bonus. If you can point to the real, monetary value of your work, your boss’ll have a hard time denying you some extra cash. Which, by the way, you should ask for yourself, once you’ve proved your worth.

Another option? Start yourself a side hustle. This could be anything: couch flipping, poetry, even planning other people’s holidays. If you’re a teacher, fill your vacations with private teaching or coaching work. There are always more ways to earn more money.

Does that all sound like a lot of extra work? Well, maybe it is. But that’s just why you have to keep the focus on your Generosity Purpose. Remember: you’re not just earning for yourself anymore. You’ve got a cause to support as well.

And if this still doesn’t feel quite right to you – if there’s still something holding you back from finding ways to earn more – it could be because you have the wrong money mindset. A lot of us do. And that’s what we’re going to look at next.

There are several mindsets that hold people back from earning what they could.

If you grew up in a household that struggled with money, you might have inherited a belief that money is . . . kind of the enemy. If you don’t have any, money represents everything that’s wrong: it’s a symbol of scarcity, it’s the reason you don’t have the things you want and need.

You might even feel like money is working against you. Sure, you go out and earn it – but then you come home again and find yet another bill waiting for you. Money comes in and then goes out again just as fast – it’s like it’s laughing at you.

These are two of the money mindsets that a lot of people get stuck with for their whole lives: they believe that money means scarcity, because they don’t have as much as they need; or they believe that money is actually getting in their way, because of the constant revolving door of bills to pay.

You might also simply not believe people when they say that a pot of money can grow. It can feel like you’ve done everything right, and put a little bit of money aside each month to save, and you’re still not making the savings you need to, or getting your debt down as much as you need.

Finally, a lot of people believe that they can’t make a difference themselves. They think that charitable donations and generous gestures are the preserve of the very wealthy, and everyone else is lucky just to get by. The idea of starting to give, when you’re not so flush yourself, might not make any sense to you at all.

But if you think any of those things, it’s time to turn the script upside down – because it’s not true. Chances are, if this is how you think about money, you’ve inherited that attitude from your childhood. All it takes is for you to tell yourself: No. Money can work in my favor. By saving regularly, paying down my debt, and increasing my own earnings, I can get on top of my finances, become prosperous, and make a real difference in the world through charity.

And do make sure that your kids inherit that sort of positive attitude, too, so they’re properly set up for later in life. Talk to them about money, show them good habits early on.

That last negative money mindset, though – that you have to be rich to make a difference in the world? That’s especially untrue – and this point goes right to the heart of the Good Money Revolution. So, to round off this summary, we’ll take a final look at just why being generous is such a good thing to do, no matter how much you earn.

Giving money away benefits everyone – including you.

Let’s start with a story.

Mary was devastated when her husband, Richard, passed away. It even affected her health: her diet wasn’t good, and her blood pressure shot up. It seemed like she’d suddenly aged years.

Money wasn’t Mary’s problem. Her problem was simply getting through the days. She’d taken to watching baseball: she’d become a huge Texas Rangers fan, and watched all their games on television. But she still felt lonely and unsatisfied.

The author asked her what Richard had cared about when he was alive. It turned out he’d been a volunteer at the local church’s food bank. Which gave them an idea for how to kill several birds with one stone.

Mary applied to get a little, part-time job with the Texas Rangers: taking people’s tickets and showing them to their seats. But the money she earned wouldn’t stay in her checking account: she’d donate it to the food bank.

Sure enough, she got the job, and her life transformed. Suddenly she was supporting not just one but two causes she cared about – the baseball team and the food bank – and getting out and meeting people, too.

And, her health improved. She had way more energy, and her blood pressure got better.

Giving doesn’t just make you happier – it literally makes you healthier, too.

It also makes you wealthier, as you’ve already heard, because when you’re giving with purpose, you’re motivated to find ways to earn more.

And it encourages other people to give, too – you lead by example – which is another reason you really can make a difference on your own. Because you’re not really on your own – your actions influence others.

One more point? It’s good business, too. Think about it: imagine you’re deciding between two sets of kitchen pans. Two stores are selling similar sets, for the same price – but one of the stores promises to donate a portion of the profits to a charity providing food to developing countries. Which store are you going to buy from, do you reckon?

Maybe you can afford to give away a lot – say, 90 percent of your earnings. It can happen! Or maybe you’re not quite there, and can only afford to donate 10 percent or less. That’s fine too. The important thing is to do something – what you can – and increase the amount as your own fortunes improve.

Because generosity isn’t just generosity. It’s good sense. It gives you purpose. And it makes the world a better place, too.

Summary

The most important thing to remember/take away from all this is:

It’s common to imagine that money is a bad thing, especially if you’re struggling financially – but it’s not. Money can do an unbelievable amount of good in the world. And therefore, the more money you have yourself, the better – so long as you do the right thing with it and support causes you care about. By getting your own finances in order, increasing your earnings, and giving more money away, you can enrich both the world and yourself.

And here’s some more actionable advice: See the good that giving can do.

If this all still seems a bit abstract to you, the best thing you can do is take the idea for a spin. And you can do that, for now, without overhauling your entire finances.

Find a way to do something charitable right now. Do a shift at a soup kitchen, give some money or some old clothes to a homeless shelter, help out a friend or relative who needs money for something important. But don’t just do it and run away: think about how it makes you feel, and how it makes the people you’re giving to feel, too. Was it money well spent? How would it feel to do that more?

About the author

Derrick Kinney is changing how you feel about money. He believes money is not bad and good people should have more of it. After applying these proven principles with thousands of clients, Kinney sold his multimillion-dollar business to teach these success steps to you.

As CEO of Good Money Framework and host of the popular Good Money podcast, Kinney visits with influential business and thought leaders to inspire you to make more money and use it for good. Known for making complex financial topics easy to understand, Kinney is a sought- after guest on local and national media where he has been interviewed on CNBC, FOX News, CNN, FOX Business, PBS, Cheddar News, and Wall Street Journal among others. For more Good Money tips, connect with him on Instagram @DerrickTKinney.

Genres

Money, Investments, Currency, Economics, Finance, Self Help, Business, Retirement Planning, Budgeting and Money Management, Introduction to Investing

Table of Contents

Foreword xi
Introduction: From Success to Significance xv

Part I Good Money
1 Money Is Good, So Make More of It 3
2 Does Money = Happiness? 9
3 What Is Happiness? Ask Lottery Winners 13
4 Happiness Is What You Do, Not What You Have 19
5 Generosity Makes You Wealthy 23
6 Pairing Purpose with Profits 31
7 The Good Money Framework 37
8 Investing: Buckets and Lanes 51
9 Save More (Lever 1) 57
10 Crush Your Debt (Lever 2) 65
11 Earn More Now (Lever 3) 69
12 How to Ask for a Raise 75
13 Burn the Ships 83
14 Taking the Plunge 87
15 Failure as Fertilizer 95
16 Rise and Shine or Rise and Whine 101
17 Sweet Spot Solution: The Ultimate Retirement Redemption Plan 107
18 The Seven Biggest Retirement Mistakes You Can Make 113
19 Your Biggest Retirement Questions Answered 123

Part 2 Bad Money
20 Is Your Money Mindset Holding You Back? 129
21 Mind Your Own Business 137
22 Five Attitudes about Money that Hold You Back 141
23 Flip Your Money Script 147
24 I Was Blind, Now I See: The Money Talk 151
25 Three Money Lessons Nobody Is Teaching Your Kids 157
26 The Power of the Screwup 163
27 Turning Five Dollars into Much, Much More 169

Part 3 Good Money Giveaway
28 Giving Will Change You 175
29 Giving Makes You Happier and Is Contagious 179
30 Giving Makes You Healthier 185
31 Giving Is Good Business 189
32 Four (Bad) Reasons for Not Giving 195
33 Plan Your Giving and People Portfolio 203
34 What Really Matters 209
35 Give at Work 213
36 Eternal Investing 217
37 The Good Money Challenge 221

Acknowledgments 225
Notes 227

Review

Stay tuned for book review…