Hard-Won Money
Building Wealth That Survives Anything
By Patrick D. Stuart
Hard-Won Money
A Practical Guide to Building Wealth That Survives Anything
The battle-tested playbook from someone who lost everything and built it back.
After writing a $387,000 divorce settlement check that consumed nearly everything he'd built over two decades, Patrick Stuart rebuilt his net worth to over $2 million in just three years. This book contains the exact systems, strategies, and mindsets that made it possible.
The Story Behind This Book
The sun was setting over the San Diego hills when I sat down at my kitchen table to write the check that would close the book on my twenty-year marriage. Three hundred eighty-seven thousand dollars.
That check consumed nearly everything I had accumulated over twenty years of disciplined saving and investing. It included a significant portion of the inheritance from my mother, who had passed from cancer a few years earlier.
What happened over the next few years surprised even me. Within three years, I went from roughly $75,000 remaining to a net worth exceeding $2 million. Not through luck. Not through some windfall. Through the systematic application of everything I had learned over twenty years of building, losing, and building again.
This book contains those systems.
The Five Pillars
Systems Beat Willpower
Motivation fades. Discipline wavers. But well-designed systems keep working even when you don't feel like it.
Know Your Numbers
You cannot improve what you do not measure. Track your spending, net worth, and returns. The numbers tell you the truth.
Tax Efficiency Compounds
A dollar saved in taxes is a dollar that grows for decades. Understand and use the vehicles available to you.
Build Redundancy
Multiple income streams. Cash reserves deeper than you think you need. Assume something will go wrong.
Play Long Games
The strategies that build lasting wealth are boring. They require patience measured in decades. Get comfortable with boring.
What This Book Delivers
A conscious spending system that builds wealth automatically
An account architecture that puts your financial life on autopilot
The exact 2025 portfolio allocation with specific funds and percentages
Tax optimization strategies worth tens of thousands over your lifetime
A 90-day action plan with weekly milestones
Systems resilient enough to survive divorce, job loss, or market crashes
Table of Contents
Introduction
- The $387,000 Check
Part I: The Foundation
- The Money Beliefs Holding You Back
- The Emotional Math of Money
- Conscious Spending vs. Budgeting
Part II: The System
- The 30-Day Money Audit
- The Account Architecture
- The Debt Elimination Strategy
- Automation and Systems
Part III: The Growth
- The Investments That Made Me Rich (and Poor)
- The 2025 Portfolio Blueprint
- Tax Optimization That Pays
- Surviving Market Crashes
Part IV: The Protection
- The Insurance and Estate Framework
- Raising the Next Generation
- Spending Down Intentionally
Part V: The Execution
- The 90-Day Wealth Plan
- The Lessons That Endure
This Book Is For You If...
- You earn good income but feel like you should be further ahead
- You've experienced a financial setback and you're ready to rebuild
- Budgeting has never worked and you want something that doesn't require constant willpower
- You know you should be investing more but feel paralyzed by all the options
- You want to build wealth that survives whatever comes next
Sample Excerpt
"When I finally signed my name and set down the pen, I felt something unexpected: relief. Not happiness. Not celebration. Just relief. Twenty years is a long time. And now, finally, I could stop living in limbo and start figuring out what came next."
From the Introduction: The $387,000 Check
Disclaimer: This book is not financial advice tailored to your specific situation. The author is an engineer, not a licensed financial advisor. These principles are shared for educational purposes. Consult qualified professionals for personalized financial guidance.
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