Stop working harder just to feel broke. Learn our 5-step system to budget smarter, eliminate debt, build wealth, and finally win with money in 2026.
About 20 to 30 times a year, I get asked the same question:
“Bradley, how do I actually win with money?”
Most real estate coaching focuses on how to make money. But here’s the truth — if you don’t know how to manage it, grow it, and protect it, you’ll never build real wealth.
At ICT, we don’t just teach you how to sell more homes. We teach you how to build a financial life that works for you long-term.
Let’s break down the five principles I use with coaching clients who want to stop stressing about money and start building real security.
VIDEO: How Real Estate Agents Can Finally Win With Money in 2026
1️⃣ Create a Personal Budget — Not Just a Business Budget
Almost every agent I coach who is struggling financially has the same problem:
They only adjust their business expenses…
when the real issue is on the personal side.
Instead of cutting lead gen or marketing — the very things that create income — they need to clean up personal habits first.
Your action steps:
Track every personal expense for 30 days
Create a zero-based personal budget
Lock in non-negotiable categories: housing, food, utilities, savings
Set spending limits for lifestyle expenses
You don’t get wealthy by cutting the muscle that built your income.
2️⃣ Adjust Your Budget for Inflation
Your 2025 budget won’t work in 2026.
Gas is more expensive.
Groceries are higher.
So are your software subscriptions, insurance, and marketing tools.
If you don’t update your numbers, you’re not behind — you’re blind.
Your action steps:
Review your entire budget line-by-line
Increase variable categories realistically
Adjust income goals accordingly
A budget that doesn’t reflect real life is just a fantasy spreadsheet.
3️⃣ Make This the Year You Get Debt-Free
Debt is the biggest silent killer of agent wealth.
Here’s the simple Debt Snowball Method:
List all debts from smallest balance to largest
Pay minimums on everything
Attack the smallest balance aggressively
When it’s gone, roll that payment into the next debt
Like a snowball rolling downhill — momentum builds fast.
Once you’re debt-free, your income finally becomes a wealth-building tool, not a survival mechanism.
4️⃣ Build a Real Emergency Fund
It’s going to rain.
A flat tire.
A broken HVAC system.
A flooded kitchen with an $8,000 deductible (ask me how I know).
As a self-employed real estate agent, you don’t have a safety net unless you build one.
Your goal:
➡️ 4–6 months of living expenses
➡️ Separate high-yield savings account
➡️ Only used for true emergencies
This is how you protect your future income.
5️⃣ Fix Your Money Mindset
Money is not your enemy.
If you constantly think, “I’ll never get ahead,” you’ll prove yourself right.
When you start acting like someone who wins with money — budgeting, planning, investing — money begins working for you instead of against you.
Winning with money is a skill, not luck.
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Final Thought
I want you to make a lot of money in 2026 — but more importantly, I want you to keep it, protect it, and turn it into long-term wealth.
That’s how you really win.
Talk to an ICT coach today on a free coaching call and take your first step toward wealth this year!
