Chi Dong

Call Directions Website Contact the business

HowMoneyWorks is on a mission to eradicate financial illiteracy—the #1 economic crisis in the world.

As a HowMoneyWorks Educator, my goal is to guide you to the summit of financial independence and empower you to take control of your financial future

10/16/2026

Here’s a question that gets uncomfortable quickly:

Suppose you can afford your lifestyle while you’re working.

What happens when the paycheck stops?

American Dream Sticker Shock estimates the annual cost of its hypothetical American Dream at about $175,000.

Then it asks a much bigger question:

If you retire at 65, could your savings support that lifestyle for another 20 or 30 years?

That changes the way you think about retirement.

Retirement isn’t simply reaching a certain age.

It’s replacing income.

The report also points out that company pensions have largely disappeared, while individuals increasingly carry responsibility for building their own retirement assets.

Which means the retirement question shouldn’t begin at 62, 65 or 67.

It should begin much earlier.

What kind of life do I want later, and what am I building today to support it?

The answer will be different for every family.

But the question is worth asking now.

Not someday.

Read more here:
https://wealthwave.com/chidong/sticker-shock

10/14/2026

Here are two numbers that deserve to be seen together:

$81,604 and $175,000.

According to American Dream Sticker Shock, $81,604 represents the typical U.S. household income used in the report.

Around $175,000 is what the report estimates it can take annually to fund its hypothetical version of the American Dream.

That is a significant gap.

And according to the report, only about 1 in 5 U.S. households earns around $175,000 per year.

This helps explain why families can feel financially stretched even when they are working hard and earning what seems like a respectable income.

The problem isn’t always lack of effort.

Sometimes the math itself has changed.

Housing costs changed.
Healthcare costs changed.
Food changed.
Retirement responsibilities changed.

So maybe we should stop asking people simply to “work harder.”

A better question might be:

What strategy are we using to close the gap?

That’s the conversation American Dream Sticker Shock is trying to start.

Read more here:
https://wealthwave.com/chidong/sticker-shock

10/13/2026

🌅 Will You Have Enough to Retire Comfortably?

Retirement should be something you look forward to, not something you worry about.

Whether retirement is around the corner or still a few years away, the decisions you make today can make a difference.

Join us at the University of North Texas in Denton for Retirement Planning Today®, an educational course designed for adults ages 50–70.

📚 What you'll learn:
✅ How much money you may need for retirement
✅ Strategies for creating retirement income
✅ Ways to help minimize taxes
✅ Understanding Social Security and Medicare
✅ Avoiding common retirement planning mistakes

📅 Choose your schedule:
• Tuesdays, November 3 & 10
• Thursdays, November 5 & 12
⏰ 6:00–9:00 PM (two evenings)
📍 University of North Texas, Denton, TX

❤️ Bring your spouse, partner, or a guest at no additional cost.

Your retirement deserves a plan. Your next chapter starts with knowledge.

👉 Register today:
https://www.financialeducatorsnetwork.com/course/J7NND1

10/12/2026

Big dreams need more than motivation.

They need a way to be funded.

American Dream Sticker Shock frames it simply:

A plan.
A vehicle.
Payments.

Not loan payments.

Effort.

The plan is deciding what you are actually trying to build.

The vehicle is something capable of producing the income required to support that vision.

The payments are the consistent actions taken over time.

For some people, the gap between their current income and their desired life may be addressed through saving and investing.

For others, the report introduces another possibility:

Entrepreneurship.

Solve a problem people need solved.
Build something around that solution.
Create the possibility of income beyond a traditional salary structure.

That’s where the report moves from describing the problem to discussing opportunity.

And perhaps that’s the most important question it leaves us with:

If your current path cannot financially produce the future you want, are you willing to consider another path?

The numbers are only the beginning of the conversation.

Read more here:
https://wealthwave.com/chidong/sticker-shock

10/08/2026

What do Americans actually mean when they say “the American Dream”?

Surprisingly, it isn’t primarily about becoming wealthy.

Research highlighted in American Dream Sticker Shock found that Americans most often associate the Dream with:

Freedom.
Financial security.
Homeownership.
Opportunity.
A good family life.

One survey cited in the report found that 80% considered freedom of choice in how to live essential to the Dream.

76% said a good family life.

Only 17% identified becoming wealthy as essential.

That distinction matters.

For most people, the goal isn’t necessarily extravagance.

It’s having enough control over your finances that you can make choices for yourself and your family.

The problem?

Even that version of the American Dream has become increasingly expensive.

The new report asks a question every family should consider:

What does your version of the American Dream actually require financially?

And are you building toward it intentionally?

Read more here:
https://wealthwave.com/chidong/sticker-shock

10/06/2026

Here’s what makes financial planning difficult:

The target doesn’t stay still.

The first edition of American Dream Sticker Shock calculated the annual price tag at:

$130,357.

The new edition calculates:

$174,529.

That’s an increase of $44,172 per year over roughly a decade.

Some of the biggest increases identified in the report came from areas families cannot easily ignore:

Homeownership.
Healthcare.
Retirement.
Groceries.

And while wages increased too, the report argues that they did not keep pace with some of the expenses that matter most.

That should make all of us think.

A financial strategy that worked 10 years ago may not automatically work 10 years from now.

Your income needs can change
Your retirement target can change.
Your family responsibilities can change.

The question isn’t simply:

“Am I okay today?”

It’s also:

“Is my financial strategy capable of keeping up?”

That’s why financial education matters.
https://wealthwave.com/chidong/sticker-shock

09/30/2026

Think about who you were when you first bought life insurance.

Now think about your life today.

Maybe you got married.

Had children.

Bought a house.

Changed careers.

Earn significantly more.

Started a business.

Took responsibility for an aging parent.

Or maybe some responsibilities disappeared and your financial position became stronger.

Your life didn’t stand still.

But your policy may have.

Owning life insurance answers one question.

Whether it still fits your life is another.

A review doesn’t automatically mean buying something new.

It might confirm that everything is exactly where it should be.

It might reveal an outdated beneficiary.

A gap in coverage.

A workplace benefit you misunderstood.

Or simply a question you’ve never asked.

The goal isn’t more insurance.

The goal is understanding whether the protection you have still matches the people, responsibilities and future you have today.

09/28/2026

If your household lost its primary wage earner, how long could it cover the bills?

Nearly half of Americans, 47%, say they would have trouble paying living expenses within six months of their primary wage earner’s death.*

The mortgage, groceries, and tuition wouldn’t stop. Life insurance can help provide money to meet those needs while a family navigates loss.

Start with your actual monthly expenses. Compare them with available savings and existing coverage. Then consider how long that support would need to last.

It’s a difficult question. Answering it now can help you prepare for the people who depend on you.

*Source: 2026 Insurance Barometer Study, LIMRA and Life Happens.

09/24/2026

Most people think of their income as a number on a paycheck.

Your family experiences it very differently.

It’s the house they come home to.

The food in the refrigerator.

The activities your children love.

The college dreams you’re helping build.

The vacations, traditions, birthdays and ordinary Tuesdays that make up a life.

Your income quietly supports almost everything your family is building.

So one of the most important financial questions isn’t only:

What are we doing with our income today?

It’s:

What happens to everything depending on it if that income suddenly stops?

Building wealth takes years. A family’s need for protection exists right now.

Protecting income isn’t about expecting the worst.

It’s about recognizing what your work already makes possible and protecting the people who depend on it.

09/21/2026

Five seconds. One question: Does someone depend on your income?

Your children. Your spouse. An aging parent. A business partner.

If losing your income would leave them struggling financially, it’s time to take a closer look at life insurance.

Coverage can help replace lost income and support the people who count on you. The amount you need depends on your responsibilities, available savings, and existing protection.

You don’t have to figure it all out in five seconds. But that’s enough time to recognize who you’re protecting.

Address

730 E Park Boulevard , 104
Plano, TX

Telephone

+14699313008

Website

https://wealthwave.com/chidong

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Chi Dong posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Chi Dong:

Want your business to be the top-listed finance company in Plano?