Steward of money

Most of us are dead‑scared of debt. We’ve associated credit cards with fear, and rightly so: many people end up with piles upon piles of unpaid bills, whose interest seems to compound endlessly.

One of those people who fell through that financial trap is Sha Nacino, a motivational speaker who recalls getting buried in credit card debt as a young professional, particularly during her first year as an employee.

It took her three years to zero-out her debts, but she eventually found her way out. “It was gruesome, but worth the journey just the same,” she says. “The drawback inspired me to read books on money, attend seminars, and seek mentors that would help turn the situation around. There was no way but up!”

In this interview, Ms. Nacino talks about finance, happiness, purpose and success principles, and how she became a financial literacy advocate who’s written and published more than 10 books.

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What is your secret to handling your own money?

Whenever I receive money, I set aside 10% as my tithe then I allocate certain percentages for my fun fund (vacations, eating out, etc.), investment fund (mostly stocks for me and my younger siblings), savings (liquid money), charity fund, business fund, learning fund and the rest is for my personal expenses. It makes managing my money so simple and effective.

I believe that we are stewards of money. Therefore, we should use it well and use it to serve God and others.

What is the biggest reward you’ve reaped from your struggle with money?

After that incident (of getting buried in credit card debt), I found my passion and made a commitment to share financial literacy to as many people as possible. This burning desire inspired me to write a book on money that would help young professionals who, like me, struggled to survive. It was in the process of writing my first book that I fell in love with writing and it brought out even more passion in me that I ended up developing a systematic way of writing a book to teach non‑writers to write books.

To date, I have written and published books which tackle different ways to earn money, manage one’s finances, and why and how you would eventually want to write your own book to share your story. Some of my books are “Money & Me, How to Earn while on Vacation” (you can  it for free), “How to Make Your Dreams Come True” with a review by Brian Tracy (also  for free), “How to Write a Book Even if You’re Not a Writer,” “Why You Need to Write a Book” (again, a free eBook you can ), “Is it Time to Quit Your Job?” and many more. Most of my books are about personal financial management and making your dreams come true.

Aside from your remarkable way of handling your own money, how else do you become a steward of money?

I use my money to serve God and others. Being a steward of money means you go beyond yourself to help the person next to you. This is exactly why I ended up writing books, giving talks, teaching people how to write their own books through The 90‑Day Book Writing Challenge (shanacino.com/write). These activities allow me to inspire other people through my words and works. “I write because I care and I have a message to share” and I feel good every time I write and publish a book that could bless someone. It gives me a different high when I’m able to help someone write a book and share his idea to the world. Kind of like giving back and paying it forward. Wouldn’t it be nice to dream for ourselves and for others this way?

Any words of wisdom for young professionals who may be stuck in a money rut?

Invest in yourself. Do not let certain challenges stop you from trying. If you find yourself in a pitfall—the same way that I have—overcome it! These challenges push you to keep learning, so keep learning you shall. Learn and grow not only for yourself, but for others as well.