"Above and Beyond" Cash Flow

At the risk of this post being "out there," I am going to talk about what I have termed "above and beyond" cash flow.

This is any money you have coming in that is unexpected. It is different than your alternative income stream where you are making money work for you without going into a "job" so to speak (that is a planned income stream). Above and Beyond Money is when you find $20 on the ground, when your annual tax return comes in, or when your Aunt gives you $50 for your birthday. It is irregular income that you know is coming someway, somehow, sometime; you just don't know how, from where, or when.

If you have a detailed cash flow plan and receive above and beyond money you know exactly where that money can be put to good use. If you do not have a plan there is a good chance that money will leave you quickly and this is never a good feeling.

A marketers job is to appeal to your senses and use our psychology against us. So if you suddenly have $1600 that you did not have a plan for, there is a good chance it will be gone and you will be left wondering where it went. I am not trying to tell you what to do with YOUR (cough, God's) money; but I am trying to tell you that whatever you spend it on, you need to do it on purpose.

I believe that if we receive Above and Beyond Money and there is no plan, then it is not going to be a financial help to us. I cannot stress the idea of a planning enough. I love talking about doing fun stuff with your money: investments, generosity, savings for cash purchases, etc. But you HAVE to have a foundation first and one of those foundational blocks is a PLAN.