George Antone is a thought leader in the field of private lending and alternative investments, a lifestyle entrepreneur, the author of the best-selling books The Wealthy Code, The Banker’s Code and The Debt Millionaire, and an award-winning speaker on the topic of investing.

George is also a co-founder of the world’s largest network of private money-lenders. As the Chief Wealth Strategist for MPactWealth and his new company Fynanc, George challenges everything we know about personal finance and investing, and works to develop new and innovative strategies that help bring people closer to their financial goals and better, more fulfilling lifestyles.

Will Smith once said something very impactful during an interview: “I want the world to be a better place because I was here.”

That in fact, became my inspiration, and my motivation – in fact, my obsession.

I want the world to be a better place because I existed.

That all starts with making an impact on people today! I have the ability to reach people and touch their lives. I am fortunate to have done that for most of my life; it’s a gift my parents passed on to me: the joy of helping others.

I have been called a lot of things, from “financial hacker” to “mad financial scientist” to the “Steve Jobs of finance” because of my knack for developing innovative and powerful financial strategies. People know me because I take complex financial strategies and boil them down to simple strategies for all of us. More importantly, I make a difference in people’s lives by delivering results within a relatively short period of time (under three years).

In the process of “teaching people how to fish”, I see them step into their greatness. I see them pay it forward. I see them become leaders in their communities. I see them influence other people’s lives – What a blessing this is.

It was an email I received from a student, William, that summarizes why I do what I do best:

“…It was George’s brilliance in creating and sharing this opportunity that enabled us to take the necessary steps.  George, I do not think you will ever fully grasp the impact you’ve had on the people who have prospered from your teachings. The massive team of private lenders, the borrowers who have been able to complete deals that were otherwise impossible, the investors who have seen huge returns … they are only the beginning. Friends and families of those people – folks you will never meet or even know about – those lives are all impacted by what you have done. You have started a ripple effect throughout the community. Its impact will be widespread and will far outlive us all.”

That, in a nutshell, is why I do what I do. 

In all the years I have been doing this, I have come to learn some pretty amazing lessons. Here are a few in no specific order.

LESSON: “YOU” ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ASSET

Most people are seeking the “secret” asset that will make them rich. It doesn’t exist. In fact, the most important asset is “YOU” – You are an important asset to someone else (i.e. someone is making money off of you), OR you can choose to be your most important asset. When you recognize that you are indeed the most important asset with the best “returns” possible, then you need to start investing in yourself, your knowledge, and your well-being. This is truly step 1.

LESSON: STOP SEEKING “RETURNS”

We have been conditioned to look for “returns” on everything. When you consider inflation and taxes, you will realize that your “break even” return is so much higher than what’s possible! And that is just to break even and maintain your purchasing power (you are not really building wealth); on the calculator you might be, but not in terms of “real” wealth. Furthermore, you have to maintain that high return every year in a compounding manner; In simple terms, it’s difficult. You have to instead focus on ALIGNING with the financial system so that it works for you. Everyone else is trying to go head-to-head against the financial system, and the result is slavery to the system.

LESSON: MOST ASSETS DON’T MAKE YOU RICH!

We are always told that assets make you rich – That’s not entirely true. For example, we are told to invest in assets such as stocks, real estate, bonds, etc. Others talk about “personal finance.” Some talk about the monetary system. In fact, all of it is related. It’s all one big game of finance. The combination of it all is the right approach. It’s NOT the asset itself. In fact, it has been proven that the financing is the driver to wealth, not the asset itself. Once you understand this GAME of FINANCE, it becomes a lot more fun! It’s about taking a strategic approach to matching the capital, the capital structure, and the assets so that they work together harmoniously to generate the result you seek. To most people reading this, this sounds completely inaccurate. I know, I used to be one of them.

LESSON: SEEK LIFESTYLE, PASSION, FULFILLMENT

I have seen people that are so focused on the accumulation of wealth, that they never really enjoy what true wealth is all about. Seeking money for the sake of money itself will never make you happy. It’s important to always remind yourself that the accumulation of wealth is to allow you to live a life of passion, fulfillment and purpose. Adopt the idea of making money for sake of having a better life. When you do that, you will realize that over 90% of what you think you will do once you have it, you can already do right now without it!

LESSON: MANAGE YOUR FINANCES

The day you retire, you will look back and say one of two things: “I wish I was more involved in my finances” or “I’m glad I was involved in my finances.”

The day you are on your death bed, you will look back and say one of two things: “I’m glad I enjoyed life” or “I wish I took the time to enjoy life.”

Whichever of these you say is a direct result of you managing your finances or not. Pure and simple. So step up, take responsibility, and discover how much fun building financial security in your life can be. No on will ever manage your money better than you will. Your decision to become more responsible and manage your finances will help shape a better tomorrow.

LESSON: IT TAKES A TEAM

Ask any successful person about their secret to success, and one of the things they will tell you is that it was a team effort. Same with your finances. You need to build and leverage a team to help you build financial security in your life. You must always be managing and making the decisions, but you need your team to give you their recommendations.