Mesa, Arizona--(Newsfile Corp. - January 14, 2026) - Financial educator and author Jonathan Mark Mercado announces the release of "The LIFT Method: Knowledge Is Power", a comprehensive guide revealing six fundamental money rules that traditional education systems fail to teach and most financial advisors never share. The book, available now on Amazon, addresses why millions of Americans follow conventional financial advice yet struggle to build meaningful wealth despite disciplined saving and investing.

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Published December 15, 2025, the book has already earned a 5-star rating from 32 reviews, with readers praising its clear, mathematical approach to wealth building. Mercado's work challenges the effectiveness of traditional retirement vehicles like 401(k)s and savings accounts, providing readers with strategies previously reserved for wealthy families and financial institutions.

The Problem With Traditional Financial Advice

Mercado's book identifies a critical gap in financial education: the system teaches people to save and invest in vehicles that are mathematically incapable of building substantial wealth. According to the author's research, traditional savings accounts earning 0.01% interest require 7,200 years for money to double, while properly structured accounts earning 8% double every nine years under the Rule of 72.

"The system isn't broken. It's working exactly as designed. It just wasn't designed for people like us," Mercado explains in the book. His analysis reveals how conventional retirement accounts expose families to market volatility, defer taxes to uncertain future rates, and restrict access to funds through penalties and government-mandated withdrawal schedules.

The book details how a disciplined saver contributing $500 monthly to a 401(k) for 25 years accumulates $150,000 in contributions that grow to $450,000. However, upon retirement, taxes are owed on the entire $450,000, not just the original contributions. At a 25% tax bracket, this results in $112,500 owed to the IRS. At higher brackets or if tax rates increase, the burden grows substantially, potentially consuming nearly half of retirement savings.

The Six Fundamental Money Rules Revealed

"The LIFT Method: Knowledge Is Power" introduces readers to six critical financial principles that form the foundation of wealth building. These include the Rule of 72, which demonstrates the mathematical relationship between interest rates and wealth accumulation, and the Three Account Types framework that exposes a third category of financial vehicles most Americans never learn about.

The book explains indexed accounts, financial instruments that track market gains but include a zero percent floor, meaning account values can never decrease due to market losses. When the market rises 10%, these accounts capture growth. When the market crashes 20%, the account earns zero, not negative returns. This protection allows for uninterrupted compounding, which Mercado identifies as one of the most powerful wealth accelerators available.

Mercado provides specific comparisons showing how traditional 401(k) accounts and indexed accounts perform over identical market conditions. In a three-year period where the market rises 10%, drops 20%, then climbs 15%, a traditional account ends at $101,200 from a $100,000 starting point. The indexed account, experiencing the same market conditions but protected from losses, ends at $121,000, a difference of nearly $20,000 with zero exposure to downside risk.

The LIFT Method: A Proven Wealth-Building System

» Click Here to order a copy on Amazon.

The centerpiece of Mercado's book is the LIFT Method, which stands for Life Insurance Financial Tool. This strategy utilizes properly structured Indexed Universal Life policies engineered for maximum cash value growth rather than maximum death benefit. The approach provides four key advantages: growth without market risk, a zero percent floor protecting against losses, tax-free wealth accumulation and distribution, and complete liquidity with penalty-free access at any age.

The method addresses what Mercado calls the "tax trap" of traditional retirement accounts. While 401(k)s defer taxes, the LIFT Method eliminates them entirely. Growth accumulates tax-free, withdrawals structured as policy loans are tax-free, and legacy transfers to family members occur tax-free. For someone in a 30% tax bracket over a 25-year retirement, this difference can preserve hundreds of thousands of dollars that would otherwise go to the IRS.

The book reveals that banks use this exact strategy, called Bank-Owned Life Insurance (BOLI), holding billions in cash value life insurance. Corporations employ the same approach for executive compensation through Corporate-Owned Life Insurance (COLI). These institutions choose this method because it delivers predictable returns, tax-free growth, zero market losses, liquidity, and safe long-term capital reserves.

Why Financial Advisors Don't Recommend These Strategies

Mercado addresses a critical question in his book: if these strategies are effective enough for banks and corporations to trust them with billions, why don't financial advisors recommend them to clients? His analysis identifies structural problems within the financial advisory system, including training gaps, compensation models, and knowledge limitations.

Most financial advisors are trained exclusively in investment management, focusing on stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and portfolio allocation. Properly structured Indexed Universal Life policies require different expertise, including insurance licensing, advanced policy design, understanding of IRS code 7702, and carrier selection. Many advisors simply lack training in wealth architecture as distinct from portfolio management.

The compensation structure also creates misaligned incentives. Advisors typically earn fees based on assets under management, receiving approximately 1% annually. When clients move money into tax-free systems advisors don't control, that revenue stream disappears. While Mercado emphasizes that most advisors genuinely want to help clients, the system they operate within creates financial disincentives to recommend strategies that remove assets from their management.

From Financial Uncertainty to Trusted Educator

Mercado's journey to writing "The LIFT Method" began with personal frustration. Growing up without financial guidance, he watched people he loved struggle not from lack of effort but from lack of knowledge. His own experience following traditional advice led to years of watching market swings erase progress overnight, prompting him to ask different questions about why wealthy families seemed to operate by completely different rules.

"The wealthy weren't smarter or luckier. They had the Rule of 72. They understood indexed accounts. They knew about tax-free growth strategies. They had a playbook that was never taught in any classroom I ever sat in," Mercado states. His mission became democratizing this knowledge, ensuring families don't learn critical financial rules too late.

The book introduces Mercado's framework of four financial identities: the Unaware, who were never taught the rules; the Wisher, who follows conventional advice but remains anxious; the Overconfident, who attempts to outsmart the system; and the Builder, who constructs intentional wealth systems. Mercado's goal is transforming readers into Builders who design financial structures where money grows, stays protected, remains accessible, and works for families across generations.

Real-World Applications and Reader Outcomes

"The LIFT Method: Knowledge Is Power" provides practical applications for frustrated savers, market-weary investors, and families seeking generational wealth strategies. The book details how readers can achieve market protection, penalty-free access to funds, and mathematical certainty rather than hope-based planning.

Early reader reception validates the book's transformative approach. One teacher with 28 years of experience reported realizing he wasn't bad with money but simply was never shown the right strategies. A nurse with 31 years in the same hospital system described feeling sick upon calculating how much of her retirement savings would go to taxes she thought she was avoiding. These testimonials reflect Mercado's ability to help readers understand that their financial struggles result from systemic design rather than personal failure.

The book addresses specific reader profiles who benefit most from these strategies: individuals tired of watching retirement balances fluctuate like heart monitors, those wanting growth potential without market loss risk, people ready to build with mathematical certainty, anyone seeking access to money without penalties or restrictions, and families determined to break cycles and create generational wealth.

Challenging Conventional Wisdom With Mathematical Proof

Mercado's approach throughout "The LIFT Method" relies on mathematical proof rather than emotional appeals or promotional language. His use of the Rule of 72 demonstrates precisely why conventional savings vehicles fail to build wealth. A $50,000 balance in a savings account earning 0.01% takes 7,200 years to reach $100,000. The same amount earning 8% doubles in nine years, then doubles again to $200,000 nine years later, then to $400,000, then $800,000.

This mathematical foundation extends to tax calculations, market performance comparisons, and long-term wealth projections. Mercado provides exact figures showing how a $1,000,000 retirement account is actually worth $700,000 in spendable money at a 30% tax bracket, with the IRS owning $300,000 despite their name not appearing on the account statement.

The book's tagline, "Hope is not a financial strategy. Math is," encapsulates Mercado's philosophy. By providing readers with formulas, calculations, and concrete examples, he empowers them to make informed decisions based on numerical certainty rather than optimistic projections or conventional wisdom that may not serve their interests.

Availability and Access

"The LIFT Method: Knowledge Is Power" is available now on Amazon in paperback format. The book's release represents Mercado's commitment to making wealth-building knowledge accessible to everyday families through direct-to-consumer digital channels. This distribution strategy reflects broader trends in publishing where authors connect directly with digitally savvy readers seeking actionable financial education.

The book's 5-star rating and growing reader base demonstrate demand for transparent financial education that challenges conventional approaches. Readers seeking to understand why traditional strategies fail, learn the six fundamental money rules, implement the LIFT Method, avoid tax traps, and build generational wealth can access the complete guide through Amazon's platform.

About Jonathan Mark Mercado

Jonathan Mark Mercado is a financial educator dedicated to teaching families the rules of money that traditional education systems and many financial advisors never share. His journey from growing up without financial guidance to becoming a trusted educator informs his mission to democratize wealth knowledge. Mercado has helped countless families transform their financial futures by exposing systemic gaps in conventional money management advice and providing access to strategies previously reserved for affluent families and financial institutions.

His work focuses on mathematical certainty over hope-based planning, tax efficiency over tax deferral, and wealth architecture over simple portfolio management. Through "The LIFT Method: Knowledge Is Power," Mercado provides readers with the complete financial playbook that wealthy families have used for generations.

Media Contact

For review copies, interview requests, or additional information about "The LIFT Method: Knowledge Is Power" interested media professionals can access the book through Amazon or contact through official channels associated with the publication.

» Click Here to order a copy of "The LIFT Method: Knowledge Is Power" on Amazon.

To get in touch with the Author:
Request a free consultation with Jonathan Mercado here: 
https://taxfreeretirement.mercadolegacygroup.net/pre-assessment

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