By Todd Williams
Some of the biggest questions on many people’s minds are, How do I make more money? What is the secret to increasing my wealth? Should I get a part time job and trade more hours for dollars? Should I work harder or smarter? What must I do?
We all have bills to pay, we need things, we want things, and we want things now, not later, and above all, we want it easy!
I have a relative who wanted wealth easy and without working for it. They joined a group of people who had an investment program that promised “big money.” They were given a printout as to what type of return could be expected at the various levels of investment dollars. The numbers were staggering! After justifying why they should invest, my relative was so excited that they quit the job they were working for 30 years, and convinced (recruited) many of their friends to join in the program. (Needless to say a recruitment attempt was made towards me but later abandoned due to my “attitude and lack of faith” towards the whole thing.
It all seemed to work for the first 90-120 days. The accounts were growing as promised. (At least that is what the statements said.) My relative was even able to get some money back upon request at one time. It was a time of gloating, and pats on the back. All was great… until one day, no one would answer the phone at the “ Headquarters” of the investment program. Days later, a letter from a government agency arrived in the mail.
The program was a Ponzi scheme. A Ponzi scheme is a scam that relies on a number of investors. When a new investor joins the “program”, a portion of the money is used to pay off existing investors to give the appearance of faithfulness. Many people lost hard earned money, and my poor relative gave up their job, lost their integrity, and lost their pride. Unfortunately, my relative is still not working, and is still chasing scheme after scheme. They have not learned the basic money lessons inherent in the story. What lesson can be learned from this story?
I. Sheep get sheered.
A lot of people lost a lot of money because they invested in something they knew very little about. People don’t get involved in human relationships with people they never met or have any knowledge of. Why invest hard earned money into something you do not understand?
Ignorance is not bliss. Baaa!
II. Pigs get fat
There is nothing wrong with making a lot of money, or earning a big return on invested dollars. One should look for ways in which they can increase their wealth either through investment, or work.. The important thing to understand is that income is in direct proportion to the number of lives you effect or influence in some way. For example, Bill Gates makes money because his company products are used by a large percentage of computer users throughout the world. The more people you help to reach their goals, the more money you are likely to make. Oink!
III. Hogs get slaughtered
The character Gordon Gecko in the movie “Wall Street” said, “greed is good.” Well, trying to get something for nothing is a violation of natural laws. The Law of Seeds states: if you want to get something, you must plant a seed. Too many of us want to get rich but don’t want to plant seeds, or to have wealth in proportion with the amount of lives we influence in a positive way. Having a great amount of wealth disproportioned with the level of contribution is greed. My relative and others like him/her who desire returns much greater than what is reasonable set themselves up for a slaughter.
For those who like to eat bacon or ham, Gecko is correct. Greed is good, especially inside an omelet with cheese., hash browns, and a side of grits! Sueweee!
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See Also:
- The Frugal Guide to Building Wealth
- Improve Your “Save-ability”
- Eliminate Debt Before You Retire
- How To Develop Winning Money Management Skills