There is a battle going on between the 99%ers and the 53%ers. Sam @FinancialSamurai makes a good case for the 53%ers, who are the silent majority in the country who pay all the federal income taxes. They are not protesting, not occupying any parks, but going to work to make their own way.
The question I have about this issue is why do celebrity 1%ers and others in that category not only get a pass by the 99%ers, but are welcomed and celebrated? Michael Moore as pictured above recently visited Occupy Wall Street to speak. You may have seen recent stories about Kayne West, Russel Simmons, Susan Sarandon and many others also being welcomed. Surely these celebrities are part of that 1%?
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When I first started investing, I realized there were a few pretty cool things that came with it. When you realize what it’s all about, you wonder why everyone doesn’t invest because the benefits are so obvious. Here are some of the cool things:
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How can you succeed with your financial plan? Consider these four ingredients below.
For many people, planning their finances can seem complicated, daunting and just plain boring. No one wants to spend too much time on it. It’s like asking: do you want to spend your vacation time on the beach or time in the car or plane getting there? Obviously, you would want to be on the beach. But, traveling to get there is still required nonetheless.
In the same way, your financial goals can be realized more successfully if you spend some time planning them. All of this advice can be summed up with a simple idea: become your own Chief Financial Officer (CFO). As an executive, you will not be expected to know all the details or even know what the answers are, but more importantly, knowing what questions you need to ask. One of the main goals of this site is to help you learn about what you need to ask so that when you do seek professional advice you can be a better executive.
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Remember math in school? OK, I think most people want to forget, but math was a strong subject for me. I’ve forgotten a lot of that math while other key concepts I’ve kept and used over the years. There are fewer math topics more important and memorable than the derivative. My instructors of the day said that it was important because it is used in all sorts of fields. They were right.
And so it goes for investing. It’s helpful here too.
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In a previous post, I discussed why cash is not a good investment (due to inflation and and its inconsistency in its ability to generate reliable income). If you use your cash instead to invest in stocks or bonds what is it that you are getting and how does it make money?
First, Your Principal is at Risk
Holding cash in insured savings, checking accounts or in money market funds will give you virtual certainty of keeping your principal safe. So, even if interest rates go up or down at the very least you will still have your principal. When you make the transition to other investments, your principal is no longer safe. You can lose money or make money due to the change in value of the asset.
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