An inheritance will not teach your children how to make money, so you have to teach them on purpose.
Marlon Mueller went from the Iowa farm crisis to infinite banking. His real concern now is what his grandchildren will know about money.
Partway through my conversation with Marlon Mueller, I admitted something I wonder about sometimes. As I raise my kids and build wealth, am I doing them a disservice by taking away the hard experiences that build people? My youngest came out a businessperson, making bows and selling them at softball games. My other kids are different, and I worry about them having to repeat the struggles and losses we had.
Marlon's answer changed how I see that worry. He has stopped treating the transfer of money as the main job. The main job is teaching the next generation how to make money, control it, multiply it, and protect it, then asking them to teach their own kids.
Freedom comes from money skills, investment vehicles, and mindset working together.
Holding your lifestyle steady as income rises frees money for assets.
Compare how different agents design a policy before you sign anything.
- 01The formula
Teach M3 x IV x Y, not just the account balance
Marlon's formula is M3 times IV times Y equals freedom. The three Ms are controlling, multiplying, and protecting money, IV is learning to control investment vehicles yourself, and Y is your mindset. He believes the third generation loses wealth because it never learned what the first generation did, so he plans to teach this formula to his children and ask them to teach their own kids.
- 02The surplus
Keep the raise from disappearing into lifestyle
Marlon kept his lifestyle at a level he was comfortable with and funneled new income into life insurance, then into real estate deals. Borrowing against a policy let the money keep working inside the policy while also funding a deal, which he calls money velocity. He is candid that the premiums and interest remain his responsibility, so he tracks both in a spreadsheet and pays them once a year.
- 03The homework
Study the product until you can see the differences
At 26, Marlon bought an annuity paying ten percent that dropped to its four percent floor the next year, and he was locked in. Years later he spent three months studying life insurance and had multiple agents write policies. Each agent said the policy was built up to the modified endowment contract limit, yet the designs differed, which told him there was more to understand.
From the conversationWhat I want to do is make sure they know how to make money.”
Plan one money lesson for your kids
In about 20 minutes, you will identify the money skill your children have practiced least and schedule a lesson built on a real decision.
- 1
Write down which of the four money skills (make, control, multiply, protect) your children have actually practiced in the past year.
- 2
Circle the money skill your children have practiced least, then pick one real household or business decision that demonstrates that skill.
- 3
Put a 30-minute session on the calendar within 14 days to walk your children through the chosen decision, including the numbers you used.