I recently did a call where everyone participating had a traditional 9-to-5-like job.
They finally started to open up about their collective biggest concern — they were all worried about their financial future and to be frank, they should be! They wanted to know the fastest way to financial freedom.
I said to them, “Listen, the biggest mistake most people make is equating rich with free.”
Everybody I’ve ever talked to wants to be financially free. I’ve never talked to anybody that doesn’t want that.
But what you must understand is this one major misconception:
You don’t need to be rich in order to be free Share on XIf you set your sights on becoming rich, it is not necessarily true that you’ll become financially free. They’re not the same thing.
Watch this video — a peek into my free web class — to learn why:
Click here to watch the rest of my FREE Training, “The Fastrack To Freedom.”
You Don’t Need To Be Rich To Be Free
A lot of people say, “Well, I’m going to do what I need to do to be rich, and then I can become financially free.”
Well, when we talk about wanting to be rich, what are we really talking about — money or freedom? There’s a pretty big difference between the two, right?
You see, to be rich you probably need to be in the multi-millions. And believe it or not, there are a lot of rich people who aren’t free.
They have to work their asses off to keep their wealth because they didn’t set it up properly — that is, they didn’t systemize their businesses to run without them needing to be there. They didn’t learn or model from others who have succeeded before them.
So does being rich absolutely mean having more freedom, or security, or even peace of mind?
Not necessarily.
Being rich certainly provides material convenience, but you and I know there are plenty of rich people out there who are completely miserable. Sometimes they miss the whole point of being rich — i.e. freedom and happiness.
Instead, they work even more than some middle-class people, who struggle just as hard, because some rich folks think they have to work harder in order to stay rich and “free.” Can you believe that?!
So in the end, what are we really after? What do we really want? The house we want can give us a sense of comfort. The car we want can heighten a feeling of importance. Travel and toys can bring excitement and stave off boredom.
But you don’t have to wait to be rich in order to have these things or experience the feeling of freedom and happiness.
The goal isn’t to get rich in order to be free. Let’s turn that around!
The road to financial freedom is different than the road to riches. They’re fundamentally different strategies.
The road to financial freedom is different than the road to riches. They’re fundamentally different strategies. Share on XSo here’s how I would recommend going about this:
Get Free First… Then Rich
Get freedom first, and then being rich becomes icing on the cake.
It takes a lot less money and therefore less time to focus on your road to financial freedom than it does to focus on becoming rich.
And the fastest way to do well with money is to manage your money well using key strategies to help you get to financial freedom and build long-term wealth.
Don’t know how much you need to be earning in order to be considered financially free? Here’s a simple formula to find out.
Ultimately, you can be free by earning, depending on your lifestyle, $65,000 a year. You can live a fulfilling life, depending on what you’re doing and your wants and needs, especially if you have your mortgage paid and debt already handled.
It’s a whole different world to try and get to $20 million versus $65,000.
Freedom is only as good as the results of your true intentions.
In other words, keep the end game in mind. We’re not getting rich to be free. We want to be free and then enjoy the benefits of being rich.
This is not something we have to wait for to arrive in the future. There’s no freedom in waiting.
Freedom starts now.
Your road to financial freedom can take a very, very short time… if you know what you’re doing. Just make sure you know the difference between being rich and being free.
Want to discover exactly how I and thousands of others trained by me became financially free, and how you can become free, too?
Then attend my FREE video training called:
The Fastrack To Freedom:
“8 Critical Elements To Becoming Financially Free Quickly”
In this web class, you’ll learn:
- My new FreedomFirst formula so you never “have” to work again
- The ugly truth about why most people don’t become free, and how to beat the odds with a simple mindset shift
- A unique technique that could accelerate your path to freedom (You’ll be shocked at how simple it is!)…
And much, much more!
Click here to watch your FREE training. See you there!

Do you want to be rich, or do you want to be free? What about both? What’s your take? Leave a comment below… We want to hear from you!
For Your Freedom,

UP NEXT:
How Much Money Do You Need To Become Financially Free?


Thank you, Harv!
l want to be free and very rich
Man, does it sound interesting!
HALLO….GUTEN TAG,
EIN LEBEN IN BALANCE UND IN FREIHEIT.
ICH MÖCHTE MIT MENSCHEN ZUSAMMENARBEITEN,DIE EINE VISION HABEN UND POSITIV DENKEN.
EIN NEUES BEWUSSTSEIN FÜR GELD UND GESUNDHEIT.ICH MÖCHTE HELFEN EINE NEUE GENERATION AUFBAUEN,EINE GENERATION DER ZUKUNFT,GESUNDE KINDER UND GESUNDE ELTERN UND GESUNDE GROS-SELTERN.GESUNDER FAMILIEN.
FINANZIELLE FREIHEIT,MIT HERRLICHEN ARBEITEN UND AUCH MIT WUNDERSCHÖNEN URLAUB.
ICH MÖCHTE INTERNATIONALE KONTAKTE UND ICH MÖCHTE EIN BUCH SCHREIBEN.ICH GLAUBE ICH SCHAFFE ES,WEIL ICH GUT GESEGNET BIN.
HERZLICHE GRÜSSE AUS DEUTSCHLAND
ISOLDE KUEHN
Hallo Liebe Frau Khuen,
Sie haben Ihre wuenschen sehr schoen und klar geauessert.
Ich wuensche Ihnen einen sehr gesundes ,Leben Voll Glueck und Froheit.
Lieb Gruesse und Umarmung aus Indien.
Good.
I want both of them
No reason you can’t have both! You don’t have to choose. However, we find it quicker to become free first and then at least you have a choice to be rich if you want to.
Mr. Jesse ever.. U r right… I want to be rich first then freedom….
Thanks…
SO JUST THE THING IS :” ITS EASIER TO BE , AND MENTALLY. EDUCATED TOO……….. FIRST FREE ….AND LITTLE BY LITTLE ,OR EVEN FASTER…..,WITH AN APPROPIET “SISTEM”……….BECOME EVEN RICH !! BUT THIS SHOULD BE THE BEST ORDER TO BE CHOOSEN…….!! CHRIS
Thanks
wow !
Many more people want free first then rich… My opinion is first you get rich and then u r freedom…. Finencly or time both…
Thanks…
Thanks for your comment. I think that’s the common misconception that once you get rich you’ll be free. Rich does not equal free. Many people get rich and have to continue to work extremely hard and long to keep up that lifestyle.
It usually takes much less money to get free first. Of course, you can do whatever you choose but getting rich can take longer and be harder than becoming free if you don’t know what you are doing.
I believe that being “free” financially it’s almost the same thing as being rich. The $65k means a lot in a very poor part of the world or nothing in a very expansive world. However making those same $65k is direct proportional with it. Where you make more it’ll cost more to leave and maintain it. You wouldn’t want to cash out in an expansive place and go where is cheap… to be “free”. Happiness can be a better word, doing something it’s healthy, where you keep taking and never put equal or more back, one day it’s finished. Nothing lasts forever…
very true, i have discovered it,thank you.
Я с России, и понимаю только русский.
Очень жалко что хочу, но не могу понять Ваш вебинар.
So true……
There is fear, then there is fear due to trauma and a narcissist parent.
Hello,
I suppose you could say I am free, as I have no debt. But not so free as I do not have a steady flow of money coming in, And for my personality type, lack of a steady stream is very stressful.
However, I feel stuck as I feel I do not know how I can do/act to get where I want.
I need guidance as to how to set my financial life into motion.
Thank you.
Thanks for your lessons.meanwhile I have trying to firstly be Financially free with difficulties,hope to set goals(short,middle and long term goals with much little effort due to seasonal work being experienced!So,what should I do in order to maintain my track record of becoming Financially free and later becoming rich afterwards!Please advise and give me direction’s in achieving it.Thanks.
I totally understand the difference. I don;t need to be rich (immediately anyway), and as I’m in my 60s there is not the time young people have to build it up. I so want to be FREE so I can enjoy what’s left of my life. At present, I work hard at a survival job that barely supports me. I lost my last career job several years back and as a sixtysomething no one will hire me for a decent job anymore.
So I have no choice: I have to work for myself. I have no money to train with anyone, so there’s really no way out.
Interesante e enriquecedor los planteamientos. Es cierto el camino hacia la libertad financiera no es fácil pero tampoco imposible solo hay que dejarse guiar por las personas con éxitos.
I agree that being rich is much more pervasive in our global than being free. Maybe it’s because we are bombarded with advertisements and entertainment that showcase the life of a rich person. Another problem is that we tend to compare ourselves with other people based on what we can see, and not what qualities we desire.
I think people realize that being free is more important when they’re on their journey to become rich. It’s the difference between what they want (be rich) and what they need (be free).
Financially free and enjoy it.
That’s so true
Thank you so much harv
I will manage the money then getting free after that I will be glad if I will be rich
Good thoughts, thanks for sharing.
The situation is that we need money.
We can reduce our expenses however we still need food, shelter, healthcare, etc.
A problem is we live in a economic system that is setup to get people to work.
Trump talks about creating more jobs. He wants everyone to work.
The problem is when you work for a corporation, you are a slave. They are not democratic.
We could change the economic system to one that offers a minimum income to all citizens that covers their basic needs. This requires the mass of people to take action to bring about change in government policies..
The problem is not at the individual level but at the government level which requires an educated population to make the right voting decisions.
Europe is much further along on this path compared to the US.
Nice one
Well said
I want to be Rich then Freedom comes automatically
The few rich people I know either work very, very hard or absolutely love what they do. All these people would be financially rich and not really have to worry so much about money. However the hard workers are certainly not free, putting in long hours with restricted personal lives. Those that love what they do get their freedom, in their own way, from what they do.
This is a great bit of insight! Thank you! As we are trying to be financially free I think this is a total game changer! Mindset matters and being able think and be free first is a choice. Thank you!
THANKS I WANT TO BE FREE AND EVENTUALLY RICH
thank harv! this article was very good and useful for me. thanks again
Whao! I want to be free and rich
Hola T.HARV Te escribo desde medellin colombia
como puedo lograr mi libertad financiera cuando estoy ahogado en deudas con los bancos y en este momento estoy sin trabajo por que mi empresa se quebro?
FREEDOM first and foremost! Rich would be awesome but not required at that point.
Thank you, that’s great!!!… it makes the attention and feeling turn possible and attracts thd new free reality! :))) Thank you for sharing
Got it!!! You are totally awesome!!!
First of all, I want to thank you for clarifying our financial literacy! I personally, want to have financial freedom, in order to be assured of tomorrow and help others who need material assistance and develop my material wealth …
Ok so, how do we become financially free?
I would feel completely financially free with a passive income of 75.000 per year… a truly balanced, happy and rich life.
To be financially free and shall not be struggle for basics or bread and butter. DEbt free
i want to be free so that i can achieve to become rich not just as rich as having a lots of money but also in all aspects especially in family and to those people around me. ..
I would like to become free financially and very rich. Many thanks Mr. Harv.
Dear Sir
What a very useful article
I want to be free and then enjoy the wealth
Thank you very much
Primero ser libre, gracias!
am commited to be free, being rich will automaticaly takes place along the way with the system that will be utilising.
I got the difference. I want to be free to enjoy being rich
Thanks very much sir.
It’s a very inspiriting lesson a road to financial success. Personally I want to be free to enjoy the fruits of my hard work no matter what own nothing but control everything.
Thanks very much
Thank you. Indeed for me financial freedom is my goal. So be free and than get rich.
I firmly believe that a person can be free without being rich but if one wants to experience all of the best that life has to offer (travel, time with loved ones, freedom from debt, getting off the mouse wheel, personal career satisfaction and sense of community) then ‘rich’ is also required.
QUIERO SER LIBRE PERO CON OPORTUNIDADES QUE ME PERMITAN DESARROLLAR EN LA ACTIVIDAD FINANCIERA Y OBTENER UN EQUILIBRIO EN LA VIDA SIN PASAR APUROS.
Thanks Harv for an eye opening lesson. I want both
Thanks a lot Mr Harv I always thought being rich also means financial freedom.
I think I become a lucky man at the time of learning to be rich and free.
I really want to be Free
Financial freedom followed by financial wealth
I agree totally freedom is not being in debt
Both
Great article like always. I agree with every point of your conception about Financial Freedom.
I recognize that being rich doesn’t necessarily mean being free. It is true that numerous rich people have to work very hard to maintain their wealth. I know some of them and I am not interested by this kind of lifestyle.
Personally, my ultimate goal in life is to be free and rich by having passive income working for me. And I am convinced that I first need to be free before becoming rich. However, being “just” free is a very complex situation to me and I will explain you why.
Graduated from university 1 year ago, I still didn’t find my path in order to go forward in my life. I always have been taught that I need to graduate from school to find a good job with a good salary in order to have a comfortable lifestyle. Personally, I don’t agree with this kind of thinking but without any business and investment ideas, I am forced to hold a job that I don’t really like.
Therefore, I will explain you my concern: how can I assume my freedom without being rich ? How can I support my basic expenses ?
Personally, I cannot be without any activity while I am supporting my family pressure, and in another hand, I could not think properly about being financially free while I am working more than 8 hours a day.
Anyway, I hope you understood the « vicious circle » that I am living in right now.
I will highly appreciate your reply in order to learn from your experience and your success.
Best regards.
Hola
quiero ambas , y estoy empezando el camina .
gracias
Quiero ser libre financiera mente, estoy sin empleo y tengo compromisos mensuales, como hago la formula si no me eststa ingresando por ahora nada. Pero si tengo gastos. Gracias por su asesoría
Hi Harv!
Your idea is nice but not easy to become applicable because of the fear we have about this topic.
Raise your hand if you got a brand new Echo Dot for the holidays? Both of mine are up! Amazon had some pretty spectacular deals throughout the season, so I got my mom one…and she got me one! Plus, I received one for this post, which I gave to my teen son to replace his 2nd Gen version. So now everyone in my house has their very own 3rd Generation Echo Dot!
Thank you so much. I now understand the difference between being financially free and being rich.
Best greetings , i want be free , i will do anything to be free , to have all the time of my life between my hands for doing with it all what i want .
I will be very very happy and very thankful to you Dear Mr T, Harv Eker to show me the way of realising that .
I want to be free and enjoy the life God create for me.
thank you, Harv
now i know,i just want to be rich and free
Both free and rich
Excellent reminder I really appreciate that article about financially free
I just finished your book in less than a week, and i am very inspired to get started, i have not read a book i years. My girlfriends grandson that is 19 years old is the one that told me I should read it, and I am 56, what was I thinking. A lot of your information was how I was brought up, get a job and save your money, BULL CRAP, that gets you NO WHERE, Thanks for the wake up.
Both freedom and riches
First I want to say Thanks.
I feel that all concepts and sentences in the training are true. This information had been so important for me. I try to get all concept and sugestión and I want to get more information and prepare me plan to be financialy free and then straigh way to be rich. I will apreciate more information to build my detail plan. I have my amount necesary from pasive incoming but I don´t have knowleged to build my plan alone.
Finally I will say sorry for my bad english, If you can help me. Please show me the way that I want to go to be free.