Why I swore I’d never write another book

I absolutely did not want to write another book… but I wanted to share with you what changed my mind.

Yup, after months of brain-numbing work and putting in hours that could kill a horse, I just sent the manuscript of my second book off to the publisher. The title is, The Bank On Yourself Revolution: Fire Your Banker, Bypass Wall Street and Take Control of Your Own Financial Future.

It will be published early next year, and there is no doubt in my mind it will hit all the best-seller lists, just like my first book. (Of course, I’ll let you know how you can get an autographed copy.)

This book is incredibly well documented and will blow the lid off the “conventional financial wisdom” and expose it for what it really is – a way for Wall Street and the banks to continue to line their pockets at our expense.

Writing my first book in 2008 was one of the most painful experiences of my life. It was all-consuming of my time and energy for nearly a year. I swore to my husband Larry that I would never, ever again set myself up for the stress of looming deadlines, the agony of the editor’s red pen, and the loss of so many weekends and so much sleep. Nope. Never again.

Then the book hit the best-seller lists. (That was nice and softened the pain a bit.) And we got tremendous response from folks who were thrilled to have discovered Bank On Yourself. (That was even better.)

But then the backlash started. (Not fun at all.)

People who have a vested interest in keeping the same old same old going (that would be your celebrity money gurus, financial advisors, Wall Street stock jocks, money managers and bankers) went on attack. I received vile letters and accusations.

I – and the Bank On Yourself method – got attacked in blogs, articles and in the media.

It didn’t matter that most of those who attacked me hadn’t done their homework. And if I had a dollar for every myth and misconception published online and offline about Bank On Yourself, I’d have more money than all the fat cats on Wall Street.

I still had to step up and defend myself and the concept from them.

But the truth is that being attacked all the time – even if the attacks aren’t valid – really hurts a lot and is exhausting.

So I told Larry…  “That’s it. I’m done.”

There were more than a few moments when I thought about completely giving up my mission to educate people about this proven wealth-building strategy. I’d just go back to the quiet life I had before all of this where most people who know me actually like and respect me.

But then …

By the end of 2010, the recession had crushed the net worth of most Americans

People who followed all the conventional financial wisdom got clobbered in the last recession, losing homes, college savings and retirement funds.

The median net worth of the middle class – who were hit the hardest – fell by so much, it erased 18 years of gains. Savers have been “rewarded” for their diligence with near-zero yields on their hard-earned life’s savings for five long years because the Federal Reserve deliberately kept interest rates as low as possible.

And soon the talking heads on Wall Street – whose advice got us into this mess in the first place! – were urging us to leap right back in and take more risk, as if it makes perfect sense to make up for your gambling losses by doubling down on your bets.

People who followed all the conventional financial wisdom got clobbered in the last recession, losing homes, college savings and retirement funds. And they want us to do it again?!?

It makes me absolutely furious that the financial community is bent on getting us to walk down that same rosy garden path that has nothing at the end of it but quicksand! I know there’s a way out and I’ve seen so many people benefit from it.

I couldn’t just stand by and let people suffer when they don’t have to. So I said to Larry, “Maybe just one more book.”

Prominently placed on my office wall is a quote from Dan Kennedy, one of my mentors:

If you don’t offend somebody by noon each day, you’re not doing much.”

And isn’t that true? If I weren’t stirring up the waters or getting any push back, it would be because I was parroting the same old pap that clearly doesn’t work.

But that’s not what I’m doing.

I’m inciting a revolution.