Money, money, money!
My words don’t do justice to the The O’Jays’ “For The Love of Money”
but hopefully you heard it, too. Is money the root of all evil?
Or is the lack of money the root of all evil?
Let’s work to get our slice of the pie.
I read the most astounding paragraph in the June 19th, 2018 edition of USA Today. In Wealth of Millionaires Surges 10.6% to top $70 Trillion for the First Time, David Carrig was reporting on the World Wealth Report 2018 recently released from global consulting firm Capgemini. It was the third paragraph of the article that really caught my attention,
We spend our lives with risk.
There is everyday risk like driving to and from work, school, or some event with our spouse. At any moment, we put ourselves on the road with other people who may or may not be in full control of themselves whether it be from alcohol, lack of sleep, or relationship induced stress. Some of these people are just plain morons who should not be allowed to drive - but they're given a license anyway and we willingly chose to get on the road with them.
Becoming wealthy is not something that happens overnight. Sure, some people win the lottery or have a windfall of money from an unexpected inheritance, but you should not be holding your breath for something like that to happen to you.
I’d arrived in Vegas the morning before after attending Rock on the Range, a three-day rock festival in Columbus, Ohio. I was now in Sin City for the annual ICSC real estate convention that’s connected to my livelihood.
I’m afforded a position where I work daily with a wealthy clientele. Most of this group came to their affluence through hard work and creativity. In other words, it wasn’t generational, gifted upon them by a relative after their passing. These men and women had to get up every morning to earn their piece of the pie. The majority of them are baby boomers and Gen Xers. However, some of my clients are now millennials who have out-hustled others and created their wealth early in life. I consider myself lucky to work with these clients because I’m able to learn by their example.
I want a dog.
Until recently I’ve had a dog, even a couple dogs at a time. I’ve had them since I was a little boy. They’ve been there to catch tennis balls and run through various neighborhoods. Dogs have listened to my stories of success as well as tales of woe. Moments of crazy happiness have been had with them as well as calm reflection.
USA Today and The New York Times (among many others) have published articles about the Baby Boomer generation starting to pass down treasured heirlooms to their GenX and Millennial children. Unfortunately, those trinkets and other items are being looked upon with some disdain.
“Life is too short to drink cheap beer.” That was my mantra for a lot of years. I’d proudly say that while ordering one of the latest craft beers that my favorite joints would have on tap. Each time I’d visit I’d peruse the beer menu and take my time selecting.
I read an article recently wherein the writer stated that all debt is bad. I paused on his stance and reflected for a bit. It seemed extremely militant. I’m not saying the author can’t take that position, it’s just that I don’t agree with him.
I’ve gotten a good handle on my personal debt. For years after I climbed out of my debt hole, I didn’t use a credit card at all. I really didn’t want one, again. I no longer liked them.
If companies are spending billions of dollars to help their employees get healthy, why aren’t they spending a dime to help them understand how to get wealthy?
I would like to think I was smart when I was 27 years-old. I had already served four years in the military, earned a degree from a state university and had just entered the real estate world as an executive assistant earning a whopping $20,000 / annually. Okay, I didn’t blow the doors off with my starting salary, but I was excited to be learning the real estate game.
A friend of mine, Andrew (not his real name), is married with two kids. A few years ago, his life was like many Americans – he carried consumer debt, had no savings, and was stressed out. Life was not turning out the way he’d hoped. Then he realized he was responsible for the mess he was in and set about to change things.