Where to get free and reliable financial advice

August 3rd, 2010

Finding free financial advice is the first step in acquiring reliable financial advise. While not all free financial advice is reliable, some of it may be more reliable than costly financial advice and good free financial advice that is also reliable will assist in knowing the difference. This article will discuss some of the sources for free financial advise and then expand upon how to go about discerning the reliability of that advice. Moreover, section one will provide some sources of free financial advice, and section two will outline some ways in which the reliability of that advice may be determined.

SECTION I: SOURCES OF FREE FINANCIAL ADVICE

*Banking Service Providers:

Many banks offer free financial planning assistance as a complimentary service to holding an account and utilizing other banking services with that financial institution. The financial planning advice may vary from institution to institutions and there may be an element of cross selling involved. Nevertheless, if one is not obligated to purchase any additional products and services, the sessions offered may be both affordable and useful in managing and planning one’s financial future.

*Financial and Investment Seminars:

Many seminars are held at local hotels by investment gurus, and financial experts in various areas of finance. These seminars are often attended by financially minded people and can afford one the opportunity to learn new financial information, network, and become more engaged in the financial world. These seminars are often complimentary and may also attempt to sell financial and/or investment programs. As with the free financial planning offered by some banks, all one need do is be weary of the selling goals of the information providers and harvest the financial advice without worry.

*Family and Friends:

The more sources one obtains financial advice from the greater the chance one has to draw comparative conclusions, cross reference information for validity and gain multiple perspectives. If one’s friends and family are trained and/or knowledgeable in financial matters this can provide additional credibility to the financial information being received. As with all information, being aware of personal motives, misinformation and bad advice is always important whether the advice is free or not.

*The Internet and financial websites:

There are many resources on the internet containing free financial advice from trained and experienced professionals.

Would a wall on Americas southwest border reduce illegal immigration or provide an expensive bandaid?

August 2nd, 2010

A wall on America’s southwest border would without a doubt reduce illegal immigration. And until we build this wall, or otherwise take control of the border, we are wasting our time and our money trying to solve the problems that are created by the approximately ten million illegal immigrants that are already in the United States. The problem is a moving target. We have to fix the break in the dike before we can start pumping out the water and repairing the damage done by the flood.

Apathy and ignorance play an important role in stopping a border project. Ask the next person you pass on the street (if they speak English) how many illegal immigrants cross our border every day. Two hundred? Five hundred? A THOUSAND! Actually the number is closer to ten thousand. Roughly one third of those are caught, so just to be conservative I’ll use 5000 per day. Think about that number for a minute. In ten days that’s more than enough people to fill the average college football stadium. In one year, that’s 36 full stadiums. Of course we would make sure that they all had a free ticket, two hotdogs and a coke. I’ll be upper deck, last row, eating burritos. Might as well. I can’t see the game from up here.

The US Government tells us that we cannot afford a border fortification. I do not know which government official was assigned the task of announcing that to an interviewer’s camera, but I’ll bet he had to practice saying it all night to keep a straight face. No matter what the wall would cost to construct, we can afford it. And if you want to pick a rough number and say that it’s going to cost one billion dollars per year to maintain this operation with dogs, razor wire, and ten thousand soldiers (that’s one every thousand feet), we can afford it.

But believe me, just because we can, I’m under no illusion that we will. There are too many frightened politicians, too many “Save The World” Liberals, and too many people that just don’t care.

Personal financial management: The power of financial goals

August 1st, 2010

Goal-setting is the starting point of any task or journey to be undertaken. This is applicable to the realm of finances as it is to most other endeavours. Some may argue that people can survive without goals since life is uncertain anyway. Those who claim to have no goals set may prefer to have hopes and dreams. However, if you have no stated goal, how would you know if your hopes or dreams have a chance? Without the power of goals, there will likely be hopes instead of expectations and dreams instead of reality.

Financial goals are no different in terms of function and purpose. They help you achieve or cover tangible and intangible needs like a healthy bank account, financial security and peace of mind. The power of financial goals resides in the fact that they establish our future in our present. Our goals in this context would specify what we want to achieve, when we want to achieve it and how we want to reach it. Truly powerful financial goals would incorporate why we want to achieve a particular objective. The following points demonstrate the power of financial goals:

a) Budgeting is empowered by them.

Arguably, one can do a proper budget with no real goals in mind if one uses acceptable arbitrary figures. However, budgeting in the context of financial goals adds meaning to a budget. The budget comes alive, as it is now a roadmap to success. You would know that you’re saving 25% of your income, because you want to own your own home in six years. This is important, since we often have difficulty establishing needs and wants. If you fully value the financial goals you set, you may be able to make wise budgeting decisions, like eliminating superfluous activities or reducing luxuries from your expenses.

b) Financial goals help us exercise self-discipline.

This is where the “why” of financial goals come in. We have the micro view before us in terms of the budget. Our financial goals helped us to form this budget. Would we stick to it? Referring to the bigger picture again is what will help us to balance current and future needs. We would be less likely to deviate from the daily/monthly plan because we understand that the budget we set is governed by the bigger picture- future comfort. In times of financial strain, financial goals would help us prioritise and exercise necessary discipline when it is most needed.

c) Choosing the right financial instruments is another power-point of financial goals.

Knowing that goals involve knowing quantity

Washington’s Wall Street Bailout Bill: Big Price Tag, Little Help For Struggling Homeowners

August 1st, 2010

Congress recently passed a $750-billion bill designed to infuse cash into Wall Street and bring back confidence in America’s financial system. Despite the optimism caused by a global stock rally after the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act was signed, it could still take a long time to work through the process and restore the economy given all the headwinds facing the housing market.

From the plunge in home prices, to soaring defaults on mortgages that are dumping more homes on an already glutted market, to the unemployment rate jumping to a five-year high of 6.1 percent, further reducing demand for homes… Main Street has a lot to not only work through, but to worry about.

While the Troubled Assets Relief Program contains some provisions to help stem the current foreclosure crisis, many housing advocates, including myself, don’t think it goes far enough to help the millions of families about to lose their homes, not to mention their neighbors.

Foreclosures not only hurt the individual homeowner, they bring down the value of the entire neighborhood. When your neighbor’s home goes into foreclosure, your house is suddenly worth less money. In fact, if you purchased a home in the last few years, you could easily find yourself in the position of holding a mortgage for more money than your home is now worth!

Much of the bailout bill works by putting money into the top of the financial-food chain. Unfortunately for struggling homeowners, they fall at the bottom. Unless and until we can stop the growing number of foreclosures, the financial atmosphere will create a downward spiral, much like a whirlpool, pulling the rest of the financial world along.

The current bill does have a provision that requires Federal agencies to encourage mortgage companies to work with delinquent homeowners to renegotiate the terms of their loans. But the language is so broad it doesn’t have any teeth, and doesn’t actually require any action by mortgage companies -– it is merely a suggestion.

Homeowners on the brink of foreclosure can approach their mortgage company and try to renegotiate their loans. But while the new bill encourages lenders to do that, mortgage companies are under no obligation to do so.

The only other government help to be had at this point is in the Hope for Homeowners program that was created out of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act passed by Congress this summer. That program, a government-insured refinancing option for strapped homeowners whose homes are worth less than they owe their lenders, went into effect earlier this month. But it too requires the lender’s cooperation in refinancing into smaller loans and lower payments.

Some estimate the program will help approximately 400-thousand homeowners avoid foreclosure. For the rest of those on the brink, they are on their own. Some suggestions to help stem the tide of coming foreclosures include allowing the Treasury — which may now buy and/or service the loans — to restructure the mortgages and reduce the loans, much like bankruptcy judges can now do with vacation homes, boats and cars.

Homeowners should also be aware of a little known ´bailout´ that has already been enacted into law. Section 1403 of the new housing bill that was signed into law on July 30, 2008 (HR 3221) requires mortgage servicers to modify loans for homeowners and help them avoid foreclosure as long as three requirements are met: 1) default on the mortgage either has already happened or is “reasonably foreseeable”, 2) the homeowner is living in the property as his or her primary residence, and 3) the lender is likely to recover more through the loan modification or workout than by forcing the home owner into foreclosure. This, again, requires lenders to work with homeowners by law, but it may be advisable for property owners to consult with an attorney – especially if they qualify for a loan modification under the law and the lender still refuses to work with them.

In the end, it does not look like the government is going to reach out to struggling homeowners to provide enough relief. This is a sad comment in American history… and a sad legacy to leave for our children.

Tips for choosing a qualified financial advisor

July 30th, 2010

TRAITS OF A BOGUS FINANCIAL ADVISOR

It has become a common occurrence for people, especially those in the middle and upper class brackets to solicit the services of financial advisors. Financial advisors, like any other professionals fall into two main categories: the true expert and the bogus. The begging question is: how does one tell the two apart? I personally think there is a fine line between the two categories and one will have to keep his eyes open, ears attuned and wits alert, in order to realize the difference.

Essentially, a financial advisor is supposed to ask his/her prospect necessary and sufficient questions to unveil his/her personal circumstances and actual’ financial needs and objectives. It is important that the level of risk the prospect is comfortable with is ascertained during the diagnosis’. A qualification’ of the prospect by the expert, after the gathering of relevant information is critical. ‘Qualification’ is the process of establishing whether the financial advisor has access to the appropriate financial tools with benefits that will perfectly match the personal circumstances and financial needs of the prospect, giving regard to various factors, including the prospect’s budget. It embraces a decision as to whether or not the financial advisor is dealing with the right prospect. This is a stage that can distinguish the true expert from the fake.

Integrity and trust must underpin the financial advising role, and one has to be really wary of who he/she asks for advice from. A good financial advisor is supposed to be your helper, your guide and your teacher, in your journey towards your financial goal. Needless to say he/she must have and be seen to have sufficient knowledge in the field of finance and investments, and must be abreast of trends in the financial markets.

There are several tell-tale clues of a sleazy financial advisor. One who has picked up skills from the field and not certified is very likely to be unprofessional in his/her dealings. The chances are good that securities/shares recommended will be appropriate, if the financial advisor or the company he/she works for is not tied to or totally independent of the company whose securities/shares are offered.

Steer clear of financial advisors who do not spend enough time to get to know what your real financial needs are. Such advisors will come off as wanting to just get the commission they are entitled to in their dealings with you, and not actually interested in helping and guiding you to achieve your financial goal. If you are not the right prospect, a true’ expert will candidly let you know, hopefully at the qualification’ stage or otherwise, as soon as it dawns on him/her.

A thorough research into the company the advisor works for, will be a step in the right direction. It will be a bonus if you will be chanced to have a chat with some of his/her customers chosen at random, to assist you to get a feel of the kind of service you may get. Note that it is not just the service you get during the sale or dealings that matters, but more so the after-transaction service.

The financial markets are very dynamic, and it is necessary that one’s personal circumstances and financial situation are regularly reviewed by the advisor, and any necessary changes to the financial strategy implemented with ample speed and agility, to guarantee the attainment of financial objectives. A good advisor must progressively add value to the client.

Money Making Secrets

July 29th, 2010
The Western Art of Money Wallpaper

Making money online is a trend that has become extremely popular since it is “easy”, yet it is surprising that a very small amount of people actually succeed with their online adventures to discovering how to get rich.

Money making online information is very easy to find and order an information product online since the logistics of delivering the product are very simple. Packing this knowledge suitably and marketing it is what it is all about. How successful the business is, is a matter of how well the information on these products are created and marketed. All this can easily be done right from the comfort of one’s own pc, or even at a cyber café.

Automated money making system concept that allows your beats to make money for you, even while you sleep this is a powerful concept of the producers out there just doesn’t understand. You have to leverage your producing talents into automated sales the great aspect of the concept is the fact that you don’t have to do much work after everything is set up. Automated money making system means you need a website that will allow artist to instantly download after purchasing them. Automated money making system allows you to totally take yourself out of the process. This means you can make money virtually anytime!

Internet money making opportunity plans that will help you make a decision and also save your time and increase your chances of success. Internet money making opportunity involves network marketing over the Internet. A company sets up a website for you and then provides network marketing tools helps you to drive traffic to your site.

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Money making systems are growing in popularity. One of the fastest ways to Internet marketing success is to find a good, workable money making system. The beauty of the Internet is its almost infinite variety of ways to use money making programs.

The best ways of making money on the Internet from your personal Web site, web sites that have the aim, directly or indirectly, to make money. Making money on the Internet provides many tools that can help you make some pretty big commissions without your visitors even realizing that you’re building income from their visits.

Internet marketing scams concept is very simple. The more information you have on your site, the greater the traffic potential from the free searches engines. The more traffic you have, the more you’ll earn from Ad sense. Internet marketing scams people that make any real money with these programs are the people on top.

Make money fast and easy by thinking of money as numerical and therefore exponential. A dollar that you hold in your hand is the same as $1 million dollars. No difference at all. It’s a seed that grows into a tree, then that tree spurs more seeds. Make money fast and easy always think small. Refine, refine, refine. Then duplicate, duplicate, duplicate.

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Financial planning in your 60s

July 28th, 2010

Your twenties were the party years. During your thirties and forties you raised your family. Maybe your fifties if you were lucky you enjoyed an increase in financial freedom as your children became less dependent on you for financial support. Then suddenly you are heading towards your sixties and it dawns on you that there is so much more to consider with regards to your financial situation and your pending retirement from the workforce.

The light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter, but are you ready for it?

Of course the above scenario does vary depending on whether you had your children in your early twenties (like my parents did) or you waited until you were in your forties like my Aunt did. Regardless of where you fit in with your current situation, it can never be too early or too late for financially plan for your sixties.

First things first, if you are not comfortable with financial planning don’t hesitate to hire a Financial Planner. They all should be good with figures, the current taxation laws in state, budgeting and balancing of investments that you may already have or may choose to delve into.

Maybe somebody in your family has offered to provide you with some advice, and although they may be a very close family member, unless you are very comfortable with them knowing your financial situation, I’d steer clear of family, and go with the neutral option of the professional. Oh and make sure you get yourself a Legal Will, if you haven’t already done this.

Before you hire a financial planner, it would be wise to have a good idea of a few things, such as your employment status. Are you planning to retire around 65? Or do you want to continue working? Of course this may depend a lot on what sort of work you do, whether you work for yourself and whether financially you need to continue to work. Maybe you are already retired.

Your desire to continue to work may be based on a lifestyle choice or it may be based on a financial need. Which leads to the next thought to ponder; how much money do you think you are going to need for the next say 40 years? Do you intend to travel the world, the country or just have a few trips here and there? Or are you more likely to spend your retirement on the Golf Course, Tennis court, or in your garden doing all the things you just never had time for. Are there any large purchases you were planning to make at this stage of your living? Depending on the way in which you plan to spend your retirement

Financial planners: Fee

July 26th, 2010

Fee-only financial planners don’t receive a dime in commissions on the investment products they advise you about. If you think that makes them objective, and therefore trustworthy about what the best investment are for your portfolio, you’re right.

When you go to a no-fee financial planner you are getting less than you pay for. Because that financial planner has an incentive to steer you into investments that will pay him or her a big fat commission.

Most financial planners who work on commission are interested, not in getting the investment products that best meet your needs, but instead in setting up an income stream for themselves that will keep paying them big fees for years into the future.

This is because mutual fund companies pay a percentage of the cost of your mutual fund investment to the financial planner who sold them to you. And they keep paying the financial planner, year after year, so long as you stay invested.

And don’t kid yourself. Even though you don’t pay the financial planner directly, you’re still paying every cent that he gets. It comes from the management fee your mutual fund company charges, you know the MER that lops 1% or 2% off your investment each year. That may not sound like much, but when you reach the point where you have a couple of hundred thousand of dollars invested – which isn’t that much in a retirement account – you’re looking at three to four thousand dollars per year just for management fees.

Do you remember how long it took you to save your first four thousand dollars?

Now, not all of that money goes to your financial planner of course, but rest assured, he’s well rewarded.

A fee-only financial planner never gets a commission from any of the investments they recommend for you. They may, for example, instead of recommending a mutual fund for your two hundred thousand dollar investment, recommend a basket of stocks similar to those in the mutual fund. Instead of paying 1% or 2% per year in MERs, you’ll be receiving 1% or 2% a year in dividends. That’s a difference of four to eight thousand dollars in savings to you, every single year, before the capital return on your investment even starts.

So having a fee-only financial planner can make a big difference to the success of your investment account. Sure, you’ll have to pay them up front, and you’ll have to write the check yourself. But if you go with a no-fee planner instead, the mutual fund company will be writing your financial planner’s paycheck. It’ll still be your money, though, and it will be a whole lot bigger.

How To Resolve Money Problems

July 26th, 2010
It's All About Money

Why do many intelligent, talented people under-earn? What is the psychology behind why people short-change themselves, earn less than they are capable, and experience financial problems because their needs exceed their income?

We create money problems by resisting how much cash we allow to flow into our lives. There is no shortage of money, but a reluctance to feel worthy to receive it, even if it means extreme hardship. This is “money resistance.”

Money resistance, then, is the sub-conscious reluctance to earn more money. It is also a desire to hoard money because you feel insecure about your ability to earn more. In either case, you associate pain to money and try to avoid dealing with it.

You have money resistance when your expenses exceed your income, you feel panicked about how to pay your coming expenses, and you feel uncreative and unresourceful about how to make any more money. You also lack the drive or will to explore how to solve your problem. You have a general feeling of apathy about what to do.

Money resistance is created by the subconscious mind.

Your subconscious mind, which is about 90% or more of your mind, runs you–although, you may believe you are 100% conscious. You are run by your moods, feelings, and past traumas. In the past, when you associated any kind of pain in relationship to money, your subconscious mind tried to keep you safe by trying to bring less money into your life. Thus, you have a reluctance to earn it, save it, and even spend it. There is a general feeling of discomfort around money. You’d rather not deal with it.

You know you have money resistance if you are low on money and feel the pinch.

Most people like to point out their lack of opportunities. But if the world had a dearth of opportunities, then poverty would exist for everyone. However, many people earn large amounts of money. Thus, making money is an inner game. When you feel good about serving others, they gladly pay you for it. If this is not the case, you are either not serving others or associating with negative people. Something needs to shift within you to motivate you to find the right work and be with the right people.

It is ironic that people resist money when they need it–but this is something that happens at the sub-conscious level, not at the conscious level.

It is because money is a highly-emotionally charged subject. This charge creates a strong effect on the subconscious mind. Since most of this charge is negative, that is, pain associated with handling money, a defense mechanism of avoidance kicks in. All of this happens below the threshold of conscious awareness. On the surface of things, people appear to be struggling really hard to make a small amount of money. Yet if making money had to do with hard work, ditch diggers would be millionaires. Making money is a creative act. You have to dig into your well-spring of ideas and energy to start earning more. You can start to retrain your subconscious mind to start working in alignment with your conscious desires. When it does, you will be amazed at your own resourcefulness.

The first impact of healing a money wound is that it will improve your job performance. It will also allow you to be more resourceful in finding or creating a new job if you don’t like your current work.

When you change within, your outer world changes. You become more creative, more resourceful, more outgoing, more giving. You also stop deleting all those opportunities for further education or creative self-expression that you automatically and habitually delete. Once you uproot the reluctance to earn money, you are open to looking at your environment and your relationship to other people in a whole new way.

The only way to get control back, even if things are currently out of control, is by becoming more conscious of what is sabotaging you from within. By uprooting your beliefs about money, beliefs that you don’t even know you have, you start to move in the direction of being resourceful and taking steps to improve your situation.

I was exposed to “money resistance” when working with clients in a therapeutic practice. In that setting, you get to unravel the blocks and inhibitions in people’s subconscious minds. Therapy is bringing the hidden fears into the light of awareness, so that the person can then move beyond it. One of the biggest problems people have is insufficient income to meet their needs. However, once the root cause is pulled up to the conscious mind, you automatically let go of it.

A Financial Leadership Question: Does the Accumulation of Money Equate to Wealth?

July 25th, 2010
lust money

Money is the root of….., well you know the rest. I have heard so many different conversations about money throughout my life. Some conversations demonize money, making it seem as though wanting to accumulate it is an evil sin, while others champion the notion of accumulating it, making it seem as though this pastime is humanity’s sole purpose for existing. There are other conversations about money that infer that only a small percentage of society will ever have the ability to accumulate money because of privilege, while the masses will be destined to simply chase it to no avail. There are many differing views as to what money is, how to or who can amass it, and whether it is right or wrong to do so. Well, I am not going to get into the morality issue involving the accumulation of money, instead I would like to focus on the following question: Does the accumulation of money equate to wealth? In order to properly respond to this inquiry, I will have to address some of the conversations we just touched upon by answering the following questions:

What is money?
Is money necessary?
Are some people destined to accumulate money while others are doomed to simply pursue it to no avail?
What is wealth?

What Is Money?

Money is a form of currency. It is a physical representation of value used for exchange in the marketplace. Money was not always the preferred means of exchange, however. Bartering (a economic exchange rooted in trading one set of items or services for another) was the means of exchange long ago, as the marketplace was far simpler, consisting of fewer products and services for sale, as well as fewer people in which to sell these products and services to. Prior to the formation of large villages and international trading, the marketplace did not require a complex currency/exchange system. However, as the numbers of buyers and sellers grew, it became more apparent that a more complex form of exchange would be needed. Hence, the creation and utilization of monetary-based exchange systems.

Now, while you and I can read the worth of a dollar bill on its face, as a dollar, its true worth may not be that, as a currency’s value is never stagnant, as all of the values of the different currencies’ around the world are constantly fluctuating. This fluctuation is most often based on the stability of the market(s) that a given currency supplies. Therefore, as with other currencies around the world, America’s dollar fluctuates based on the stability of the marketplaces it serves. However, there is one changing dynamic fundamental to this economic theory that seems to currently be upsetting the apple cart, and that is globalization. As the world moves closer to a global economy, each nation’s currency will be more interconnected with one another, meaning that instabilities in markets outside of one’s physical borders will have an ever increasing impact on one’s currency.

I say all of this to show you that money is simply a fluctuating commodity used for the buying and selling of products and services in the world’s various marketplaces. However, the problem is that many of us put far too much emphasis on money as a tangible good, which often leads to unsuccessfully chasing an intangible theory.

Is Money Necessary?

Yes, it is. One cannot deny the necessity of money, being that it is the primary means of exchange around the world. Money is necessary for living a life that most would deem acceptable, which includes obtaining and maintaining the basics such as shelter, food, and clothing. However, where we often begin to get ourselves into trouble is when we start to acquire some of the niceties such as big screen televisions, sports cars, or elaborate vacations. I try to be very careful when talking about these niceties, because this is where a lot of people often get carried away with the “power” of money. Be clear that niceties or luxuries are not necessities, nevertheless many people often incorrectly lump the two together, causing them to relentlessly pursue money in what some would deem a sinful way. Again, I am not here to make any moral determinations about the pursuit of money, because what one may demonize as the evil pursuit or accumulation of money, another may deem as the positive result of his/her hard work. Therefore, that determination rests in the eye of the beholder. Nevertheless, there is no getting around the necessity of money to fulfill our most basic needs.

Are Some People Destined To Accumulate Money While Others Are Doomed To Simply Pursue It To No Avail?

This question plays right into the “woe is me” conversation that many people seem to have about the accumulation of money. While it is true that some people have a leg up on money accumulation, they do not have a lock on it, because remember, money is a fluctuating commodity (an intangible theory in essence). Money is based on a perceived value. Therefore, no one is doomed to be poor or penniless. However, whether you accumulate money or simply chase it resides in your perceived self-worth. Now, I know some of you may be saying this guy is crazy, but I am telling you the truth. If you were not born with a silver spoon in your mouth, then you have to shift your thinking in regards to your self-worth. Once you do that you can begin to accumulate money if that is your desire. What do I mean by shift your thinking?

Every product or service bought or sold on the world market has a value that fluctuates based on what consumers are willing to pay for it. As I previously explained, even the value of money which is the marketplaces means of exchange fluctuates. This goes to show that everything is a commodity. Everything has a value, even you. You must now ask yourself a couple of important questions to get yourself in the proper mindset if you want to accumulate money:

What talents or skills do I possess that can be of great value to others?
What talents or skills could I learn that can be of great value to others?
Am I willing to develop my talents and skills to the best of my abilities?
Am I willing to wait until my talents and skills are honed before I put them on display?
Am I willing to put myself out there to demonstrate my talents and skills to the public?
Am I willing to demand that my talents and skills be compensated based on their value in the marketplace?

I hope you are beginning to get the picture. Just like every other product and service in the marketplace has a monetary value, so do you. The question is what do you bring to the table that is of great value to others? Many people don’t realize that they are a commodity or don’t want to acknowledge it. But whether you want to acknowledge that fact or not, we all are, and those of us that realize this early on and take the appropriate steps to develop our talents and skills before our peers tend to accumulate money at a much easier rate than those who don’t realize, refuse to accept this fact, or develop late.

Does this mean that individuals that don’t realize, refuse to accept this fact, or develops themselves late are doomed to simply live a life pursuing money to no avail? Unfortunately, the answer is most likely yes. Just look at the wealth disparity in America, a place where one is afforded the freedom to pursue his/her dreams. The masses have the wrong mindset, because they are chasing money as though it is a tangible asset. One final point on this topic, for those who fall into this category and somehow accumulate money, chances are it will be short lived if you do not realize that you must have some service or talent to contribute that society values if you want to keep the money flowing, because if not, the money will eventually run out with no way of replenishing it. Just look at the numbers of individuals that have obtained riches through the lottery or inheritance only to squander it over time.

What is Wealth?

Unlike money, wealth is not relegated to that of a fluctuating commodity used primarily for the purpose of exchange in the marketplace. Wealth represents an accumulation of any and everything dear to an individual. This can include people that you value, possessions that mean a lot to you, the remembrance of experiences that played a key role in your life, the attainment of a quality education, a high level of self-esteem, good health, happiness, and not to be left out, money (if you value it). A key difference between wealth and money is that the accumulation of wealth implies that the person doing the accumulating has some level of wisdom, self-worth, and maturity, as it is often very difficult to accumulate items of wealth if one does not understand what, why, and how to gather and maintain items he/she values.

Does The Accumulation of Money Equate to Wealth?

We have finally arrived at the overarching question: Does the accumulation of money equate to wealth? Well, after having read up to this point, what do you think? No, as the accumulation of money is only one aspect of wealth, and actually the lesser aspect in my view. Money can really only provide greater power in the marketplace, but if you realize your self-worth (which is what wealth requires), you can accumulate and maintain the money as well as all of the other things that we spoke about in regards to wealth. Remember, money is only one aspect of life and not life itself. You are life itself, and from you everything manifests. Therefore, I would pursue wealth over money any day of the week. A final thought, money without the development of self is hollow, empty, fleeting, while development of self (inside of the realization of one’s worth) breeds wealth for a lifetime.

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