The Simple Road Toward Financial Freedom: A Guide to Helping Young Adults Build Wealth

The Simple Road Toward Financial Freedom: A Guide to Helping Young Adults Build Wealth

A bestselling personal finance book for young adults, recent graduates, and beginners-designed to teach the money habits school never taught so you can stop living paycheck to paycheck, start saving with confidence, and build long-term financial freedom. Simple enough for your first job. Powerful enough to reset your money at any stage. "This book can help you take control of your life without living paycheck to paycheck."- Will Ferrell, from the foreword This is a hardcover book that ages with you. And surprisingly to most, you don't need to save a million dollars to accumulate a million dollars. Written by longtime financial advisor Mark Schlipman and corporate executive Steve Short , this book breaks down personal finance in a way that's easy to follow and act on-without jargon, overwhelm, or product sales. It's ideal for recent graduates, young professionals starting their careers, and anyone ready to build lasting financial confidence. Inside, you'll learn how to budget, save, invest, and avoid common money mistakes-using simple, proven frameworks like the Save-First 50/20/30 Model(TM) , the 20-to-$1M Method(TM) , and STL Moments(TM) (Stop, Talk, Listen) . You'll also build practical habits such as avoiding lifestyle creep and capturing "free money" through employer benefits and tax advantages. What You'll Learn ✔ Build a simple, savings-first budget that actually works ✔ Use the Three Bucket System to balance short-, mid-, and long-term goals ✔ Automate investing with confidence (401(k), IRA, HSA) ✔ Maximize "free money" from employer matches and tax benefits ✔ Avoid lifestyle creep and build habits that stick What Readers Are Saying ⭐ "I paid off $10,000 in three months thanks to your book." - Amazon review ⭐ "Where was this book when I graduated college? Thank you for making financial concepts easy to understand." - Amazon review ⭐ "My kids aren't readers! This book is written in simple, bite-sized chunks with such important life lessons that it's imperative they read it." - Amazon review Give Back A portion of every sale supports Cancer for College , helping cancer survivors with scholarships and debt relief. "Already fired me up to take action. Clear, engaging, and surprisingly emotional." - Jared, Amazon review "Where was this when I graduated? Simple, smart, and not selling products." - Collin R., Amazon review "With this roadmap, I paid off $10,000 in three months." - Kindle Customer, Amazon review "A practical path to build wealth for young professionals." - Community Bank CEO, Amazon review This book began with an observation close to home. As Steve's children and their friends graduated from college and entered the workforce, they were well educated and capable, yet unsure how basic financial decisions — saving, investing, retirement plans, and debt — were supposed to fit together. Around the same time, Mark was seeing the same confusion from the advisor side, working with individuals and families who felt overwhelmed by concepts that should have been straightforward. We realized the issue wasn't motivation or intelligence. Most people had simply never been shown a clear, practical framework for managing money. So we set out to write a guide that removes complexity instead of adding to it. Not a system that depends on constant monitoring, and not a book designed to sell services, but a set of simple concepts someone can follow from their first paycheck onward. Our goal is simple: help readers get on the road toward financial freedom earlier and with far less confusion than most people experience. — Steve Short and Mark Schlipman Mark Schlipman is a Financial Advisor and founder of Schlipman Wealth Advisors, serving clients across multiple Midwest offices. As an Accredited Investment Fiduciary Professional and Certified Exit Planning Advisor, he works directly with individuals and families to simplify financial decision-making and long-term planning. Steve Short spent nearly three decades leading multibillion-dollar business divisions across the travel, technology, insurance, legal, and retail industries. Throughout his corporate career, he developed a reputation for breaking complex topics into practical, easy-to-follow systems. Together, they combine real-world consumer experience and professional financial guidance to help readers build a clear path toward financial freedom. "Shows young professionals the basic steps to build long-term financial security and confidence." — Kevin Krone, Chief Marketing Officer, Southwest Airlines (ret.) "A practical guide that breaks financial planning into clear, real-world steps readers can actually apply." — Ron Carson, CEO & Founder, Carson Group "Provides the skills and habits needed to become financially fit early in your career." — Craig Pollard, CEO & Founder, Cancer for College Mark Schlipman is a financial advisor and founder of Schlipman Wealth Advisors, a strategic partner of Carson Partners. An Accredited Investment Fiducia