Creating the Ripple of Prosperity
A Dialogue with David Bach
By Allyson Volpe
As the world finds itself navigating a new reality in 2020, one sees the impact of a how we are all affected by an unrelenting ripple and the changes that ensue. More than ever, positive solutions are needed. Today we look to authentic forces where we can have true connection, whichever way the collective ramifications influence us both as individuals and communities.
During these months, Lady Ripple has been focusing on its mission of circular prosperity, where the ripple effect does not solely focus on economics, but on empowering people, sustaining local communities and generating prosperity for all involved, nature included.
Who better than to discuss this than with David Bach? Lady Ripple recently had a sit-down to hear the insights of this best-selling author, whose positive enthusiasm and practical financial solutions continue to empower people thirty years on. He remains steadfast in his quest. Bach has committed his life to teaching people how to sustain themselves financially which in turn, affects future generations. The practical solutions he offers have encouraged a better quality of life for the multitudes who have followed him. His upbeat presentations inject a feeling of possibility for both individuals and communities alike.
Beginning at a local level in his native California in the early 1990s, Bach first got his initial start working to help, advise and teach small communities, most of whom were primarily women whose circumstances had rendered them vulnerable. He went on to extend his programme throughout his home state which gained momentum and collaborations as they began to reach greater audiences. In the early 2000s, he made an important decision to expand his vision and he relocated to New York. Fast forward three decades, David is considered one of America’s leading financial experts and one of the most prolific financial authors of our time. He has published twelve books with an unprecedented ten consecutive New York Times bestsellers – with over seven million copies in print worldwide translated into over 19 languages. He has appeared on major television and satellite networks. Bach has harnessed the effects of a ripple in motion with his enthusiasm to empower others. His positive outlook is contagious in a way that can uplift.
Now residing in Florence with his family, Bach brings his Midas touch to the city which is propagating a new renaissance. In true spirit of humanism, his aim is to “share goodness forward” to not only continue to empower and inspire people worldwide through his platform Live Rich Now, but to support local initiatives in Florence such as The Florentine publication, the New Generation Festival, and through his social media platform and podcasts, he encourages sustainable tourism in the city.
It brings great pleasure to Lady Ripple to offer you an inside view of a dynamic “Rippler” David Bach.
LR: How does the Ripple Effect play out in your life?
BACH: The interesting thing about the ripple effect is that you never know how you will touch people and how they will go on to pass it forward and touch others. Everyone has a life force and it can never end when we share our goodness forward.
When I started teaching my first class in the early 1990s, ‘Women and Money’, it was inspired by my grandmother Rose Bach who started with nothing. The lessons my grandmother began teaching me at age 7, would lead me on my journey to then help millions of people become financially free. Without a college education, my grandmother made the choice to take care of the family’s finances that would ultimately change our entire family’s destiny for generations. She inspired my father, my sister and myself. I took her lessons further into the public domain when I went on to share her advice with my students who were comprised of my mother and her friends, many of whom had been badly compromised because of divorce or widowed and left with nothing. Then these friends went on to invite their own daughters, who went on to invite other women.
When I started seeing this ripple effect in motion, I began setting a specific mission for myself. I wanted to write a book and, and in the process, try and reach 1 million women to help them to take charge of their financial life so they could protect themselves, protect their families and teach their children. Fast forward years later, I wrote a book Smart Women Finish Rich which contained a lot of my grandmother Rose’s lessons that I passed on.
I spread the ripple when I continued to reach out to others on local cable stations and spoke on college radio stations. I travelled across America on a tight budget to do my book signings. I eventually found myself on a PBS television show that went out to homes across the United States. After a few years, I eventually broke into national television and found myself on The Today Show, CNBC and CNN, FOX, CBS, The View, and ultimately after a decade, on the Oprah Winfrey Show where I would do a half dozen full episodes.
From my initial start, I started creating seminars to teach my methods to women. Knowing that I couldn’t afford to travel across America 364 days a year, I decided to reach out to others, collaborating with master partnerships to train thousands of financial advisors to teach my methods in seminars, who then brought that to their local communities. The seminars were offered for free, as were the books and learning materials. The programme was so successful that it then ‘rippled’ to Canada.
After time, I found that women then wanted to share what they were learning with their husbands or partners. Another book ensued that I entitled Smart Couples Finish Rich.
Looking back on the journey so far, one of the greatest gifts for me is from the daily messages of gratitude that I receive from people who now have financial freedom as a result of having benefited from my books, seminars, and methods. Who knew that it would all begin with my grandmother’s advice?
LR: Lately, how does our Lady Ripple concept of circular prosperity and its underlying idea of a win-win situation for all, speak to you?
DB: The whole point that underlies my mission, ironically, is that it is not about the money, it’s about living your richest life now. The whole reason to secure yourself financially is to find a level of freedom in your life.
I believe that there is a deep level of suffering in the world because of financial stress and anxiety. When you fix your finances, you often fix your life. I believe that everyone is given a higher power from above, and that most people don’t tap into it because they are consumed with anxiety and stress about money. When you free someone financially, and it isn’t even a matter of how much money they have but rather how they can manage their lives, then people can tap into their soul work. My latest book, The Latte Factor, was written to inspire people to follow their dreams, listen to their soul, have no regrets and live your richest life now. Today, my mantra is “Live Rich Now”. Stop waiting. Live your best life now.
In terms of looking for environmental solutions, it was back in 2008 when I published the book Go Green, Live Rich which ended up on the New York Times Bestseller list. At the time, I was living in the first “green” apartment building in New York City, called the Riverhouse in Battery Park and it is still one of the most eco-friendly buildings in the city. Many people visited the building to understand what “green” construction was – it was ahead of its time. I found that moving into the River House had a profound impact on not only my health, but on that of my younger son as well. I became inspired and I decided to write a book that would demonstrate the power of going green. Its premise is that you could save money by going green while looking after the environment, and you could also make money by investing in green companies. There can be beneficial financial elements of going green: what is good for the environment can also be good for the pocket-book and I encourage people to connect the dots between the two.
LR: Can we talk a bit about how the quality of life and the idea of prosperity differs here in Europe as opposed to life in America?
DB: The quality of life here in Italy epitomizes ‘living rich now’. In the United States, people live to work. In Italy, people work to live. The quality of life of the average Italian, from my limited perspective, seems that people live much happier here, at all levels of income. There is a sense here of “I have enough. I do enough. I am enough.” They have weeks off to enjoy their leisure time. There is a huge sense of family. The depth and quality of friendships seem to resonate on a deeper level here because people have more time to be together. The sense of beauty is also another factor that brings incredible value to life – and Italians take the time to appreciate it.
Whereas in America for many there is a constant sense of the opposite, of an attitude of “not-enoughness”. Of course, there is a vibrant sense of where you can grow and expand to next which underlies the amazing spirit of the American dream, however, the idea of “keeping up with the Jones” has created much toxicity. So many people are drowning financially in an effort to have what they see their neighbours have. And their neighbour can’t afford it either! Everyone is leveraged. Everyone is so busy and frazzled with their work, that there is often little time for family, friendships and to enjoy the simple things in life.
LR: Can you name any underlying choices that have keep your momentum going?
DB: I have been putting it out on my recent podcasts the idea of ‘change your location, change your life’. It is healthy to pick yourself up and relocate sometimes. It offers great transformation and growth. I intentionally relocated from San Francisco to New York and it changed my life. We have moved to Florence to discover the amazing transformations that are happening for myself and my family.
It is very easy in life to become comfortable. I do find that the true ripple effects of life are created in discomfort. You have to change and to move yourself forward onto the next thing and then all of a sudden there is another effect that alters your life.
LR: What is your take of the over-riding ripple effect of the ongoing pandemic shutdowns?
DB: I have said that this too shall pass. These things come and these things go, and life always seems to continue. Life will move on in a new way. This is the time where the next generation of businesses are built. These times are where your resilience is created. These are the times where families can become stronger and closer. This is the time where your business team can become better. This is a time when the local community can thrive. This is a time when, as we aren’t travelling, our time management becomes better and we have more time for ourselves and our families. With the new Zoom technology, virtual events can be streamed to greater audiences. More people have opportunities to participate online, who otherwise would not be able to show up in person.
The ripple effect of who you surround yourself with is extremely important at this time. We are products of the people with whom we interact and especially now, it is important to be with positive people who have positive messages. The negativity that can be found in the news or on social media is toxic – there is fear and anxiety. Be on guard against the negativity. It is human nature to want to commiserate. It is our choice to live within a ripple effect of positivity or negativity.
LR: Currently, what ripple effects are you now exploring in your present life?
DB: With the pandemic, I began doing weekly podcasts on The David Bach Show and have come to realised that they are having a positive effect on people from the engagement, reviews and comments we receive. We are able to reach hundreds of thousands of people on these shows.
On the local Florence level, I have been getting involved with smaller projects. During the pandemic, we assisted The Florentine publication as I love it and wanted to support it. I donated ad pages to The Florentine, whereby they went on to donate the advertising space to local restaurants and keep them afloat. When I lived in TriBeCa, we used to have a restaurant week to support the locals. We are talking about doing more of this where we can bring business to the local businesses.
We have also been supporters of the New Generation Festival – which is such a great organization. Their four-day music festival this summer at the Boboli Gardens, was a fabulous way to support the arts and at the same time give back to the community here in Florence.
My wife, Alatia and I love to connect with people and in turn, love to connect people with each other. We care about our community and want to give back. In Florence there’s just so many ways to get involved and we enjoy doing that. Through my social media accounts, I have actively been posting about Italy with the intention to encourage the tourists to return.
Being positive is a choice and I have daily tools that keep my resilience and happiness at a high level. I learn to reset not reinforce bad patterns. I meditate. I journal. I do some sort of daily physical exercise and yoga. I have been working on my own daily gratitude journal. Part of having your feet on the ground now is having some sort of meditation and a daily gratitude practice: writing out what you are grateful for, what you are appreciative of, what you are looking forward to.
Above all, kindness is the most potent ripple effect we can have upon others and how it can spread onwards. The world needs more of that now. We are all built to believe, love and be of service to others – because that is the gift that keeps on giving. When we serve others, it can come back in a very circular way to help each other prosper.