Which one sounds harder to you?
1. Work hard. Pay 50% in taxes. Save what is left. Your savings then earn 5%, which is
also taxed.
OR
2. Take the time to develop your financial intelligence. Harness the power of your brain
and the asset column.
If you use option number one, be sure to factor in how much time it takes you to save
$190,000. Time is one of your greatest assets.
Now you may understand why I silently shake my head when I hear parents say, “My child is
doing well in school and receiving a good education.” It may be good, but is it adequate?
I know the above investment strategy is a small one. It is used to illustrate how small can
grow into big. Again, my success reflects the importance of a strong financial foundation,
which starts with a strong financial education.
I have said it before, but it’s worth repeating. Financial intelligence is made up of these four
main technical skills:
1. Accounting
Accounting is financial literacy, or the ability to read numbers. This is a vital skill if you
want to build businesses or investments.
2. Investing
Investing is the science of money making money.
3. Understanding markets
Understanding markets is the science of supply and demand Alexander Graham Bell gave the
market what it wanted. So did Bill Gates. A $75,000 house offered for $60,000 that cost
$20,000 was also the result of seizing an opportunity created by the market. Somebody was
buying, and someone was selling.
4. The law
The law is the awareness of accounting, corporate, state and federal regulations. I
recommend playing by the rules.
It is this basic foundation, or the combination of these skills, that is needed to be successful
in the pursuit of wealth, whether it be through the buying of small homes, apartment
buildings, companies, stocks, bonds, precious metals, baseball cards, or the like.
A few years later, the real estate market rebounded and everyone else was getting in. The
stock market was booming, and everyone was getting in. The U.S. economy was getting back
on its feet. I began selling and was now traveling to Peru, Norway, Malaysia, and the
Philippines. The investment landscape had changed. We were no longer buying real estate.
Now I just watch the values climb inside the asset column and will probably begin selling. I
suspect that some of those six little house deals will sell and the $40,000 note will be
converted to cash. I need to call my accountant to be prepared for cash and seek ways to
shelter it.
The point I would like to make is that investments come and go. The market goes up and
comes down. Economies improve and crash. The world is always handing you opportunities
of a lifetime, every day of your life, but all too often we fail to see them. But they are there.
And the more the world changes and the more technology changes, the more opportunities
there will be to allow you and your family to be financially secure for generations to come.
So why bother developing your financial intelligence? Again, only you can answer that. I
know why I continue to learn and develop. I do it because I know there are changes coming.
I’d rather welcome change than cling to the past. I know there will be market booms and
market crashes. I want to continually develop my financial intelligence because, at each
market change, some people will be on their knees begging for their jobs. Others,
meanwhile, will take the lemons that life hands them—and we are all handed lemons
occasionally—and turn them into millions. That’s financial intelligence.
I am often asked about the lemons I have turned into millions. I hesitate using many more
examples of personal investments because I am afraid it comes across as bragging or tooting
my own horn. That is not my intention. I use the examples only as numerical and
chronological illustrations of actual and simple cases. I use the examples because I want you
to know that it is easy. And the more familiar you become with the four pillars of financial
intelligence, the easier it becomes. Personally, I use two main vehicles to achieve financial
growth: real estate and small-cap stocks. I use real estate as my foundation. Day in and day
out, my properties provide cash flow and occasional spurts of growth in value. The small-
cap stocks are used for fast growth.
I do not recommend anything that I do. The examples are just that—examples. If the
opportunity is too complex and I do not understand the investment, I don’t do it. Simple math
and common sense are all you need to do well financially.
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