Monday, March 19, 2018

Financial and life advice

The goal is financial independence not wealth and certainly not super-wealth. Super-wealth is amongst the rarest of brachas and aiming for it can leave you broke. Live simply, save your pennies, and look to start your own business - that is the best way to financial independence. Sometimes your own business means a partnership with others. That's fine. Sometimes it means rising high in an organization - but that is a hard road and usually involves losing your personality and values. Many more achieve independence with their own businesses. Get married. Brachos stay with you via the woman. But get a women who lives in reality, lives simply, and understands that money doesn't grow on trees and happiness doesn't come from high living. Don't marry anyone else unless she comes with a trust fund. Trade looks for good values.

If you are middle or lower class, put some money in your simple home and some in index mutual funds. Some in the USA, some in Europe, some in Asia. Put some of your cash in foreign currency, especially the strong ones like the Swiss Frank. Take 5-10% of your money and gamble in the stock market but no more than that. You'll likely lose it. The market is pretty rigged.

Don't bury yourself in your work, especially if you are working for someone else. Work hard but not too hard. Someday that someone else will burn you, that's before or after he has gotten rich off of you and others like you.

Don't aim to learning full time. Learn in the morning and night and work in the day. That's normal life. If you find 10 million dollars in your bank account, we can talk about adjusting that schedule. 

Know that college is mostly a scam, a way for children of the rich to enjoy themselves as they conduct research that you pay for. Don't borrow for college. Go to a public college at night preferably online while you work and build real skills. Major in something that will lead to earning an income. You can educate yourself just fine with books and online lectures. 

Do some chesed, make it 10% of your life if you want, but your primary responsibility is to yourself and your family (presuming your goal is to live simply). That's not selfish, it's survival. We are talking to working people here, not ones who go on cruises. The rich need to do much more. 


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