One of the most vocal and honest financial influencers today is Grant Cardone. As a businessman and real estate investor, Cardone has overseen $4 billion in assets during his career. Now as a published author and public speaker, Cardone is known to share his wisdom and advice about money without holding back. GOBankingRates has compiled a few of his best financial tips.
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Here are Cardone’s top brutally honest money tips to follow in 2025.
Don’t Spend Tomorrow’s Money
In Cardone’s opinion, no one should be purchasing any goods or services with money they do not have or money that they don’t have just yet.
“Once the money goes through and hits my account, then I can spend it,” Cardone explained. Until every cent is accounted for and every transaction is complete, Cardone advised that no one make any financial moves based on future money yet to be acquired.
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Live By the 40% Rule
According to Cardone, the rule of 40% breaks down as such: you make 100% of your income, you pay the IRS 40%, you pay yourself 40% and then you live off the remaining 20%. Inflating your lifestyle will only cost you in the long run.
“You do not change your standard of living until the 20 [percent] changes,” Cardone added. “You have to be disciplined with money.”
If You Can’t Write It Off, Do Not Buy It
Taxes are tricky, but write offs can save people a lot of money when it comes time to file. According to Cardone, you need to be strategic about what you purchase. If it cannot be a tax write off come April 15th, do not buy it.
The flip side, in Cardone’s opinion, is that if you can write off an expense, you should be more inclined to buy certain goods and services in order to further your financial goals or expand your business ventures.
Use Debt as Growth
No one likes carrying a balance on their credit card or having to make a student loan payment every month. While this could seem like a monetary burden, Cardone urged the usage of debt as a tool for financial growth, especially if you are a business owner.
“You’ve got to use debt to expand,” Cardone said. “You can’t stay small and expect the world to know you.”
Use Equity To Produce Cash Flow
Cardone has called cash “garbage” and noted that “money is worthless until it is put to work.” Personally, Cardone does not want to put his financial gains back into something like a house or a car, instead, opting to fund and grow his businesses in order to stimulate cash flow.
“You take equity out of a house or a car,” Cardone explained, “you put it into a business that produces cash flow and you create personal financial freedom for yourself.”
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Grant Cardone: 5 Brutally Honest Money Tips To Follow in 2025
