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TOM@RICHHABITS.NET
Financial struggles, cash flow problems, living paycheck to paycheck is not living. Well, it is living – living in a Hell, due to the constant stress, worry and day after day family infighting that almost always accompanies money struggles.
It is for this reason most believe living the best life requires wealth. Certainly, being wealthy eliminates financial worries. When you are wealthy you don’t have the financial struggles and stress almost everyone else has to deal with. So, being wealthy facilitates a calmness in the household.
But when you are struggling financially, when you are fighting constantly about money, when you are constantly worried about finding the money to pay bills, how do you escape this living Hell?
I’ve been studying wealth creation and poverty since 2004. I learned directly from the 177 self-made millionaires I studied over a five-year period that there is way to escape financial Hell.
#1 Become Better At What You Do
Go Back To School – Obtain an advanced degree in your field. There are many online programs, so you can do this from your computer at home, either at night, in the morning or on weekends.
Get an Accreditation – Here are some of the most valuable ones, based on recent reports of average salaries (primarily US/global figures, often $100k+), with notable salary boosts or premiums:
- IT / Cloud Computing (often the highest earners overall)
- AWS Certified Security → Average ~$200k+ (top-ranked in many 2025 surveys)
- Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect → Average ~$190k
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect (Professional/Associate) → $120k–$180k+
- Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Expert → $110k–$145k
- Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) → $110k–$170k+ (often cited as a quick path to six figures)
- Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) → ~$170k+
- Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) → $165k+
- Project Management Professional (PMP) → Median ~$120k–$130k (US); often 20-33% higher than non-certified peers (per PMI surveys). PMP holders frequently see 10-30%+ raises or new job offers at higher pay levels.
- Data/AI — Certifications like Google Professional Data Engineer or AWS Machine Learning Specialty → $140k+ roles.
- Finance — Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) or Certified Public Accountant (CPA) → Significant boosts (e.g., 20-50% in some cases).
#2 Pursue 1 Additional Stream of Income
- Uber/Uber Eats/Lyft has become a common additional income stream for many struggling financially.
- Royalties – Write a book. I did that starting back in 2010 and have since sold over 1 million books. Amazon and AI now make it much easier to write a book and get it online.
- Create a Phone App – Writing a mobile app (iOS, Android, or cross-platform) can be a legitimate way to make money — sometimes very good money — but success is far from guaranteed. The mobile app economy is massive, with global revenue driven mostly by free apps using smart monetization rather than one-time paid downloads. Most revenue (over 98%) comes from free apps that monetize through in-app purchases, subscriptions, and ads. Pure paid-download apps are rare and usually earn far less unless they’re highly niche or premium tools.
- Write Songs and Post to Spotify – My best friend’s son does this on the side and, over the years has developed a huge following, earning some good additional income.
- Social Media Influencer – This has become a saturated field but if you are able to grow your followers you can make money. TikTok influencers make money through a mix of platform-built tools and external deals, with most top earners combining multiple streams for stability and higher income. In 2026, the platform’s monetization has matured significantly — the old Creator Fund was replaced by the much-improved Creator Rewards Program, which pays far better for quality, longer-form content. Top creators (especially mega-influencers with millions of followers) can earn millions annually through brand deals alone, but even micro-influencers (10k–100k followers) often make thousands per month by diversifying. Earnings depend heavily on engagement, niche, audience loyalty, and consistency — not just follower count.
#3 Pursue a 2nd Additional Stream of Income
If your first income stream requires labor, like Uber, you will be limited by the number of hours in a day. Therefore, the second stream of income needs to be something that you create, like a book, song, phone app or social media influencer following.
#4 Pursue A Dream That Can Be Monetized
The dream may be your additional stream of income above, or it may be something that requires years of investing before it pays off. When I began writing books back in 2010, it took three years before I began to see royalties from my initial book. A dream that succeeds can make you financially secure or even rich. The common thread among all dreams is that all dreams require an upfront investment in time and money. So, the payoff on a dream takes years.
But, those years are going to pass by anyway. You might as well be using those years to create something that could pay off big one day.
Tom Corley is an accountant, financial planner and author of “Rich Kids: How to Raise Our Children to Be Happy and Successful in Life”, “Effort-Less Wealth”, “Change Your Habits Change Your Life”, “Rich Habits Poor Habits”, “Rich Habits: The Routines Millionaires Use Daily to Build Wealth” and “Rich Habits Wealth Academy.”
