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10
YOUR FINANCIAL BASELINE
Walk the Beans

If you don’t know what it means to “walk the beans,” you’re lucky. That was one of the many chores my four
siblings and I had to do during the long summer days on our parents’ Nebraska farm. That meant that you had to
walk the rows of beans and pluck the weeds from between and around each and every stalk. That, I tell you, was a
tedious chore.
But, it did keep the beans growing, which kept clothes on our backs and food on the table. So maybe it’s from
walking the beans that I find it satisfying to get my hands back in the roots once in a while. Even if the work is as
tedious as walking the beans, as long as that digging leads to growth, it’s okay.
With any luck, that little parable will get you inspired to dig through your files and begin your Financial Baseline.
As you saw in each of the case studies, the Financial Baseline is a summary of your current financial situation. As
with the Leonards, Rick Noonan, Patricia Beasley, and the others, you may find that what surfaces is not appealing.
It doesn’t matter. I say, “So what? Now what?” It’s time to move ahead. The point of the Financial Baseline is to
know where you are so that you can get to where you’re going.
Those who’ve followed this proprietary process say that this step is probably the toughest step in the plan. It’s not
mind-bending, but it can be a bit wearisome. Believe me, it is well worth the effort, because (1) it’s a one-time
exercise, and once the system is maintained, the heavy-lifting aspect will not be repeated, and (2) once done, the
walk out of the desert to the water is a great deal easier.
You might even consider making this activity more of a group event by finding like-minded friends and
scheduling a day to do this exercise together. This is a good way to begin creating your Team-Made Millionaire
community. But whether you do it alone or as a group event, don’t delay. Get into this exercise immediately. The
sooner you do it, the sooner it’s done, and you will soar to a whole new level of action.
Clarifying your Financial Baseline is unique to our approach. Few programs are willing to ask you to do this step
because they fear you will lose interest and quit altogether. But I know their fear is unfounded because every single
person in our Team-Made Millionaire community has accomplished this task and when you do it, you too will surge
forward and begin to change your current situation and step toward wealth.
There are two parts to determining your Financial Baseline. The first is the Financial Filing Cabinet; the second is
the Real Financial Statements.

The Financial Filing Cabinet
We all have financial papers, such as bank statements, credit card statements, and personal receipts. But many of us
have these lying about in shoeboxes or stacked in an envelope or stuffed into a drawer … if we’re lucky.
Believe it or not, cleaning up this mess will begin to change your life. It is essential and, if you gloss over it on
your way to the big fun stuff, you will find that your new paint will peel fast. Roll up your sleeves; clarity is waiting.
A note about commingling personal and business finances: You shall commingle no more. It’s time to move up
to the Big Table—to be a grown-up and run your business as a business and your personal life as your personal life.
As we set up entities for each of your businesses, the line between your worlds will be drawn even more clearly. If
you have a business, or a household with two income-producing adults, proceed through these steps separately for
each one. It’s time to un-commingle.
Step 1 : Dig out your papers and disengage emotionally. The key here is to remind yourself that these pieces of
paper represent your past. Sorting through them is a step into your future.
Step 2 : Organize your Financial Filing Cabinet by spreading out your papers and sorting them into the following
categories: bank statements; credit card statements; receipts and cash expenses; all of your personal and professional
overhead expenses, including utilities: gas, electric, water, phone, both landline and cell, Internet services, etc.;
insurance policies for home, life, car, etc.; wills; retirement planning documents; college and education funds;
investment portfolios; real estate documents; and other papers regarding the money that comes in and out of your