Chapter 8 Lesson 5: Investing for the Rich

Last night, between writing, I watched a TV program about a man named Alexander.Graham.The story of Bell's youth.At that time, Bell had just applied for a patent for his telephone, but was worried that he could not meet the strong demand for his new invention.In order to get the support of big companies, Bell approached the giant Western Union at the time and asked them if they would be willing to buy his patent and his small company. His package asking price was 100,000 US dollars.Western Union bosses scoffed at him and turned him down, thinking the price was ridiculous.Then here's what happened: A multi-billion dollar industry was born and eventually AT&T was formed.

The program about Bell's entrepreneurial experience was followed by the evening news, which featured another layoff at a local company, with workers angrily denouncing the company's boss.At the gate of the factory, a laid-off manager of about forty-five years old took his wife and two children and asked the guard to allow him to go in and talk to the boss, asking the boss to reconsider his decision to fire him because he just bought a house .The camera recorded his call, and the whole world saw it. This matter naturally aroused my deep thinking. I started teaching in 1984 and it has been a very rewarding experience, even rewarding.But it’s also an unsettling profession, because I’ve taught thousands of people and discovered one thing all of them, including myself, have in common: We all have the gift of great potential.The problem, however, is that we all have some sort of self-doubt that holds us back.The obstacles holding us back are less due to a lack of technical information and more to a lack of self-confidence.

Once we leave school, most of us realize that a college degree or good grades are not enough.In the real world outside of school, there are many more important things than good grades, and I often hear people refer to these things as grit, courage, perseverance, boldness, momentum, shrewdness, bravery, toughness, brilliance, etc.Whatever you call it, it's a more fundamental determinant of people's futures than school grades. In the character of each of us, there is not only a brave, intelligent, and pungent side, but also a fearful, ignorant, and timid side. It seems that some very brave and tenacious heroes sometimes kneel down and beg for God's gift.After a year in Vietnam as a Naval Special Forces pilot, I found that both tendencies existed in me at the same time, and it did not appear that one tended to be more dominant.

However, as a teacher, I realize that excessive fear and self-doubt are the biggest factors that waste our talents.It saddens me to see students who know what to do but lack the courage to do it.In the real world, people often rely on courage rather than intelligence to stay ahead of others. In my personal experience, cultivating financial wisdom requires both professional knowledge and courage.If the fear of difficulty is too great, it will often suppress the display of talents. In my class, I try my best to persuade students to learn to take risks, to use their talents bravely, and to transform their fear of difficulties into motivation and wisdom.Many people have been touched by my advice, and some have been influenced for good, but I am also clearly aware that for most people, when it comes to money, safety always comes first .I had to answer off-the-cuff questions like: Why take the risk?Why do you have to take the trouble to improve your financial quotient?Why is financial literacy necessary?

To this, I replied that it was to get more choices. Bigger changes are yet to come.Just when I mentioned the young inventor Alexander.Graham.As Bell's story unfolds, the world is producing more people like Bell. Every year, one hundred people like Bill will be produced all over the world.People like Gates will create more companies as successful as Microsoft. Of course, more companies around the world will go bankrupt and layoffs and layoffs every year. So, why does one have to improve one's financial intelligence?No one can answer this question except yourself.However, I can tell you why I do it myself.The reason is simple, doing these jobs is the happiest thing in my life, I welcome change more than complaining about it, and I prefer making millions more than worrying about getting a promotion.The era we live in today is the most exciting era that has never existed in history. When future generations look back on today's history, they will surely sigh what an era full of opportunities it is.Old things die, new things are created, and there is a sea change happening everywhere, which is really exciting.

So why try to improve your financial intelligence?Because if you do, you will be more successful; if you don't, this time will be a frightening time for you.You'll find some people who are brave enough to get ahead, while others are caught in a vicious cycle of life and cannot extricate themselves. Three hundred years ago, land was a kind of wealth. Therefore, whoever owns land owns wealth.Later, the United States rose to become the number one power in the world relying on factories and industrial products, and industrialists took possession of the wealth.Today, information is wealth.The problem is that information travels around the world at the speed of light, and new forms of wealth no longer have the clear boundaries and boundaries of land and factories.Changes will be faster and more dramatic, and the number of millionaires will increase enormously, while many will be left far behind.

Today, I see a lot of people working and struggling because they're stuck with old ideas.They want things to stay the same, and they resist any change.Those who have lost their jobs or their homes complain about technological progress, or about the poor economy and their bosses, without realizing that the problem lies with them.Outdated thinking is their greatest burden, and arguably their greatest debt.why?The reason is simple: they don't realize that an idea or approach that was an asset yesterday has become a liability today. One afternoon, I was lecturing on investment issues and used the cash flow game as a teaching tool.My friend brought a lady with me to my class.This woman was recently divorced, was devastated by the divorce process, and was looking for some kind of answer.My friend thought it might be helpful for her to listen to my class.

The cash flow game is designed to help people understand how money moves.In the process of playing the game, one can understand the interaction between income statement and balance sheet, and understand how to record cash flow between these two sheets and by adding monthly cash flow on asset items, make your The monthly cash flow exceeds the monthly expenditure amount, and then achieves wealth growth, and finally you can break out of the rat race and move up the fast lane. As I said before, some people hate this game, many people love it, and some people don't care much about it.This lady lost an excellent opportunity to learn some financial knowledge.In the first round, she got a sporadic expense card, and at first she was very happy, oh, I got a yacht!Then, when my friend tried to explain to her how to keep numbers on the income statement and balance sheet, she was very frustrated because she never liked working with numbers.The other players at the table waited for her while my friend kept explaining the relationship between income statements, balance sheets, and monthly cash flows.Finally, she figured out the intricacies of digital records and realized that her dinghy was actually draining her money, affecting the liquidity of her assets.Later in the game, she stopped in the laid-off grid and added a child. Needless to say, this game was terrible for her.

After class, my friend came over and told me that the lady was not happy.She came to the class to learn investment knowledge, and she didn't like to spend so long playing a stupid game. My friend tried to suggest that she reflect on herself, and maybe the game reflected her situation in some way.The advice backfired and the woman asked for her money back.She said the idea that such a game would reflect her situation was downright ludicrous.Her money was returned to her immediately and she was gone. Since 1984, I've made millions of dollars simply by doing things that the school formal education system doesn't do.In school, most teachers like to talk non-stop. I didn't like this teaching method when I was a student, because I would get tired of distracting quickly.

Since 1984, I have been teaching using games and templates.I often encourage my adult students to see from games what reflects what they know and what they still need to learn.Most importantly, make the game reflect the way a person behaves, because it's a real-time feedback system.This game does not require constant explanation from the teacher, it is like an interactive dialogue between individuals, communicating with yourself all the time. Later my friend called to give me an update about the lady.She said the woman her friend left was fine and calmed down.When the lady calmed down, she began to discover that there was indeed a subtle relationship between the game and her life.

Although she and her husband didn't own a yacht, they did own everything else they could wish for.She was angry about the divorce, both because her husband had left her with another new love, and because after twenty years of marriage, they had accumulated so little that they had nothing to divide.Their twenty years of married life has indeed been a lot of fun, but all the accumulation is a pile of worthless things. She realized that the anger about the numbers stemmed from her ignorance of what those numbers meant on the income statement and balance sheet.She believes that finances are a man's business, so she only takes care of the housework and lets her husband take charge of the financial power.She realized now that he must have hidden a lot of money from her during the last five years of their marriage.She regretted not paying more attention to where the money was going, or what other women were doing. Just like playing this board game, the real world always gives us real-time feedback.The more we pay attention, the more we can learn.It's like the other day I complained to my wife that the laundry must have shrunk my pants.But my wife smiled and patted my stomach and said: Didn't you notice?It's not the pants that shrink, it's something else that makes your belly bigger. The cash flow game is designed to give each player different feedback, and its purpose is to give you different choices.If you draw a card to buy a yacht and go into debt because of it, the question arises: what can you do now?How many different financial options can you take?This is the purpose of the game to teach players to think and create new and different financial choices. I have seen more than a thousand people play this game. In the game, the people who can get out of the rat race the fastest are people who are very good at mathematics and have creative financial thinking. They understand the difference between different financial choices. significance.The people who spend the longest time in the rat race tend to be those who are not good at math and often do not understand the power of investing.Wealthy people are more creative and willing to take risks after careful planning. There are also many people who make a lot of money in the cash flow game, but don't know how to use the money.Most of them are not too successful in real life personal finances, and even if they are rich, everyone else seems to surpass them. Limiting your options is akin to clinging to old ways of thinking.I have a friend from high school who now holds three jobs.Twenty years ago, he was one of the wealthiest of my classmates, but then the local sugar plantations closed down, and his sugar company closed with it.As far as he was concerned, he had only one choice—an old one: work hard.The problem was that he couldn't find a new job that recognized his worth as much as the old company did.As a result, he overestimated the available jobs, and he was underpaid.Today, he has to work three jobs to earn enough money to maintain his standard of living. I often hear players who play cash flow games complain that the good opportunities don't come to them, so they sit there whining and waiting. I know they do the same thing in real life: wait for a good opportunity to come along. I've also seen people get chance cards and still not make enough money.So they lamented that if they had enough money, they could win the rat race, so they sat there and waited.I know they would do the same thing in real life: Seeing a lot of big business to do, but no money on hand. I've also seen people draw a chance card and read it aloud without realizing it was a good chance.They have the money, the timing, and the opportunity card, but they don't see the light of opportunity shining on them, and they don't know how to adjust their financial plans to seize this opportunity and win the rat race .I also found that most people have only one of the above problems, and only a few people have several problems at the same time.In fact, most people will have at least one opportunity to shine in front of them in their lives, but because of their own problems, they turn a blind eye to the opportunity.A year later, when they suddenly realized the value of that opportunity, it was too late. Being financially literate simply means having more options.If opportunities aren't coming your way, what else can you do to improve your financial situation?If an opportunity comes your way, but you don't have the money, and the bank won't help you, what can you do to take advantage of the opportunity?How do you turn a small fortune into millions if your hunch is wrong and what you expect doesn't happen?In other words, how many financial ways can you come up with to turn a small sum of money into millions when what you asked for didn't come along?This should rely on your financial wisdom, it depends on how creative you are in solving financial problems. But most people only know one way: work hard, save or borrow. So why would you want to improve your financial skills?Because you want to be the kind of person who can create opportunities for yourself.You want to be open to whatever happens and work to make it better.Few people know that opportunities and money can be created.But if you want to be luckier and earn more money than just work hard, then your financial skills are critical.If you're the type of person who waits for something good to happen, then you're probably going to wait a very long time.It's like having to wait for all the traffic lights to turn green for the five miles ahead before setting off on a trip. Rich dad often taught Mike and me as children that money is not a real asset. From the first time we made money out of toothpaste skins, rich dad often inspired us to understand the secrets of money.The poor and middle class work for money, he said, and the rich create it.Of course not making money like you do.The more important you are to money, the harder you will work for it.If you can understand that money is not a real asset, you will get rich faster. What is that money?Mike and I asked rhetorically, since money is not a real asset. It is something we all agree on.Rich dad replied. Our single and most important asset is our mind.If trained well, it can create enormous wealth in a flash, and make wealth no longer the preserve of kings and queens three hundred years ago.And an untrained mind will perpetuate a life of extreme poverty for future generations by teaching its own family an incorrect way of life. In the information age, money is becoming more and more unbelievable. Some people can get rich overnight from nothing with just ideas and so-called contracts.But if you ask people who buy and sell stocks or invest for a living how this is, they'll take it for granted.Because often some of them went from nothing to a millionaire in an instant, and all this was done by buying and selling contracts rather than actual money transactions.They are usually just a gesture on the exchange, or a blip on a screen before a trader moving from Lisbon to Toronto, or an order to one's own broker to buy and sell a moment later, It's all done by contract. So why develop our financial talents?Still only you can answer this question.But I can also tell you why I developed my ability in this area, because I want to make money quickly.Not that I had to do it, but I wanted to, and it was a fascinating learning process.I developed my own financial quotient because I wanted to participate in the fastest and biggest game in the world.From my own point of view, I would like to be part of this unprecedented torrent of revolution in humanity, a time when people work only with their brains and not with their bodies.In addition, this is also an action, something that is happening, this is closely following the trend of the times, this is a thrilling story, of course, this is a very interesting thing. That's why I want to improve my financial capabilities and develop the strongest assets I have.I want to be with the brave, not with the backward. I'm going to tell you a simple example of creating money.In the early nineties, Phoenix's economy was in shambles.While I was watching Good Morning America at home, a financial planning expert appeared on TV and predicted the economy, and his advice was to save.He said save a hundred dollars a month and you will be a millionaire in forty years. Yes, putting aside some money every month sounds like a really good idea. It's a choice, a choice most people are willing to make.Here's the problem: it blinds people to what's really going on, and they miss out on more and better opportunities to grow their money.So, the opportunity just missed them. As I said just now, the economy was very depressed at that time, but for investors, this was an excellent market opportunity.I had a ton of money invested in stocks and real estate and was short on cash on hand.This is because everyone is selling and I am buying.I'm not saving money, I'm investing it.My wife and I have over a million dollars of cash in what we believe to be the best investment opportunity in a rapidly rising market. A house that used to be worth $100,000 is now worth only $7.fifty thousand.But instead of going to a local real estate company to buy these properties, I go to a bankruptcy solicitor's office, or go through the courts to start a business negotiation.In these places, a seven.$50,000 homes can sometimes be bought for $20,000 or less.First, I paid the lawyer a deposit of 2,000 yuan in the form of a cash check, which I borrowed from a friend for 90 days with an interest of 200 yuan. As soon as the buying process started, I advertised the house in the newspaper for $60,000 with zero down payment on the $7.5 million house.$50,000 homes.My phone was ringing quickly and I was scouring and screening potential buyers.Then, when the house was legally owned by me, all potential buyers were allowed to physically inspect the house.The transaction was so hot that the house sold within minutes.I asked for a handling fee of $2,500, which the buyer happily paid.This money I used to pay the company that provided the brokerage service, repay my friend $2,000 and an additional $200 in interest.In this transaction, my friend was happy, the buyer of the house was happy, the lawyer was happy, and I was, of course, even happier.I paid $20,000 for a house and sold it for $60,000, and the net profit of $40,000 flowed into my equity program in the form of a bill of exchange drawn by the buyer. All the working hours add up to only five hours. If by now you are financially savvy and can read numbers, I can use the above transaction as an example to show you how money is created. In this depressed market, my wife and I made half a dozen of these simple trades in our spare time.We made $190,000 on these six buy, match, and sell trades when a lot of our money was locked up because it was invested in value-added property and the stock market.Since the asset has a coupon rate of ten percent, we have approximately one percent per year.$90,000 in income, and this income was concealed by my own company, because every year this.Most of the 90,000 yuan was used to pay our company's vehicle fees, gasoline fees, travel expenses, insurance premiums, entertainment and other expenses.When the government taxes this income, these expenses are deductible as legal pre-tax expenses. This is a simple example of using financial intelligence, using money, creating money, and keeping money. Ask: How long did it take you to save $190,000?Will the bank pay you ten percent interest?Will the currency remain unchanged for thirty years?I figured there was no way the bank savings would get me to $190,000, and even if they ended up paying the principal of that deposit, I'd have to pay taxes on it.In addition, he was paid one per year for thirty years.90,000 US dollars, in terms of income, is much higher than 500,000 US dollars, which is even more impossible for banks. Someone once asked me, what if that buyer can't pay?It's not going to happen, and if it does, that's good news.Because the real estate market in Phoenix was one of the hottest markets in the United States from 1994 to 1997.That $60,000 house could be resold for $70,000, plus another $2,500 in loan fees.This process can be continued for new buyers who still have a zero downpayment offer. So, if you're quick-witted, you'll see, when I first sold the house, I returned $2,000.Technically, I don't have any money invested in the trade, yet my return on investment is infinite.This is a great example of turning money into money. In the second deal, when the house resold, I could pocket the $2,000 and extend the loan for another thirty years.If I use the money I earn to make money again, what will be the return on investment?I don't know, but I'm sure it's more than a hundred dollar monthly deposit.Depositing one hundred dollars per month is actually saving one hundred and fifty dollars to achieve the expected return, because for forty years, the money you have deposited has been taxed at five percent income tax, and when it is due you will be taxed at five percent again. % tax rate to pay taxes.This is not very wise to say the least, perhaps safe, but not very smart. In 1997, when I started writing this book, the market trend was almost the exact opposite of what it had been five years earlier, and Phoenix real estate was the envy of America.The house we sold for $60,000 is now worth $110,000.At this point, while some estates could still be found, I would spend considerable capital and time looking for such opportunities.Such opportunities have become scarce.Thousands of buyers are looking for such opportunities, but only a few achieve meaningful success.The market has changed and now is the time to turn to other asset-enhancing projects. You can't do that here. This is against the law. you are lying. I hear these comments far more than I hear, can you tell me how to do it. The math you need is actually very simple, and you don't need to use geometry or calculus.I don't want to write much about the transaction process, because those companies that provide intermediary services will handle legitimate transactions and provide related services.I also don't have to do things like roof reinforcement, bathroom repairs, which the homeowners will do because it's their own home.Occasionally someone can't pay, but that's very rare because in that case, they have to pay a late payment fee, or they have to move out and resell the house.The court system handles these matters. Of course, these services may not be available in your area, and market conditions will vary.However, I just want to use this example to show that, with very little capital and very little risk, a simple financial process can create millions of dollars of wealth.This example also shows that money is just a paper agreement, and anyone with a high school education can do this. However, most people don't do it because most people believe in the dogma of working hard and saving hard. Put in about thirty hours of work and add $190,000 to your assets without paying a dime in taxes. Which problem is more difficult for you? one.Work hard, pay fifty percent in taxes, save money to save.The interest rate on your savings is five percent, and you're taxed on that interest. two.Take the time to improve your financial intelligence, sharpen your brain skills, and thus increase your assets. If you choose the first method to save $190,000, you have to count the time you spend, and time is your most important asset. Now you can see why I always silently shake my head when I hear parents say my kids are getting a good education at school and their studies are great, maybe it's a good education, but it's enough ? What I said above is just a small investment strategy, just to illustrate how to turn small money into big money.In addition, my success story also reflects how important it is to have a solid financial literacy foundation, and laying a solid financial literacy foundation starts with receiving a solid financial education.It is worth repeating that financial intelligence is made up of these four main skills: one.financial literacy.The ability to read and understand numbers. two.investment strategy.That is, the science of money making money. three.Markets, supply and demand.Bell provides what the market needs, Bill.So did Gates.A set worth two thousand dollars worth seven.A $50,000 house selling for $60,000 is the result of seizing the opportunity the market creates.In a market, there are always buyers and sellers. Four.laws and regulations.Be aware of accounting, corporate laws, and state and national laws and regulations.We have to play by the rules. Whether it's buying a small home or a large condo, a business, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, jewelry, baseball cards, or anything like that, you have to have the foundation, or a combination of the skills above. . In 1996, the real estate market began to recover, people poured into this market, the stock market also began to prosper, and the entire US economy began to recover.I started selling properties in 1996 and have now moved my investment targets to Peru, Norway, Malaysia and the Philippines.Investing has changed and we've been preparing to get out of real estate just as the buying in the market kicks in.Now I'm closely watching properties climb in value on an asset base and potentially sell some properties later this year, depending on some legal amendments that Congress may pass.I'm going to sell the six small properties and convert the $40,000 note into cash.I need to tell my accountant to take care of the cash and find new ways to store it. The issues I'm going to discuss next are related to the investment and withdrawal of funds, the boom and bust of the market, the growth and recession of the economy, and so on.In a person's life, almost every day you will encounter many opportunities, but we often turn a blind eye to them, but the opportunities do exist, the more the world changes, the faster the technological progress, and provide you and your family and even generations The more opportunities people have for financial security. So, why not improve your financial intelligence patiently?The reason I am constantly learning and improving is because I know the market will have booms and busts, I realize that change is coming, and I welcome change rather than dwelling on the past.The reason I want to keep improving my financial quotient is because whenever the market changes, some people will beg for a job while others will take the chances that life gives them opportunity, and turn that opportunity into millions of dollars.This is financial quotient. I'm often asked about my million dollar opportunities.Personally, I'm hesitant to use more of my personal investment experience as an example, for fear of appearing self-indulgent.It's not my intention to boast, I use these examples just to illustrate some simple practical examples numerically or temporally, and I use these examples to let everyone know that it's really easy.The more familiar you are with the four characteristics of financial intelligence, the easier it will be for you.In my case, I primarily use two vehicles to grow my money: real estate and small company stocks.Real estate is the foundation, and by buying and selling each month, my property provides a constant inflow of cash and occasional jumps in value.Then there is waiting for the rapid appreciation of small company stocks. I'm not suggesting that others do what I do, examples are just examples.If an investment opportunity is too complicated for me to figure out, I won't invest.Simple math and general common sense are all you need to do well with your finances. Here are five reasons why I use examples: one.Motivate people to learn more. two.Tens of thousands of tall buildings rise from the ground, hoping to warn people to lay a good foundation. three.Tell people that everyone can achieve great wealth. Four.Tell people that all roads lead to Rome. five.Telling people to be financially literate is not esoteric science. In 1989, I used to jog through a lovely area near Portland, Oregon, with little gingerbread houses.These houses are small and unique, and I can't help but think of Little Red Riding Hood skipping on the way to my grandmother's house. Homes for sale are everywhere, the lumber market is depressed, the stock market is nearly crashing, and the economy is in a bad mood.On one street I noticed a battered for-sale sign that had been hanging longer than any other, jogged past it one day, and ran in to meet the owner, who seemed to be in distress. How much do you want to sell the house for?I asked. The owner of the house turned around with a wry smile and said: Quote me a price. He said that the house has been on the market for more than a year, and no one has been willing to come in and take a look. I'll take a look.I said.Half an hour later, I bought the house for $20,000 less than his asking price. It was a tiny two-bedroom house with gingerbread fringe on all the windows, a pale blue with gray spots, built in 1930, and a beautiful rock fireplace inside. There are also two smaller bedrooms, making it a perfect rental. The purchase price of this house is four.$50,000 when it's actually worth six.$50,000, even though no one wanted to buy it at the time.I gave the owner a $5,000 down payment, and a week later the owner moved out happily, glad he was finally out of the house.My first tenant, a local college professor, moved in.It doesn't seem very exciting that he pays me rent every month and I spend it to pay off the mortgage, pay the fees and the management fee, and add a little less than forty dollars to my monthly cash flow in my pocket . A year later, the depressed Oregon real estate market is starting to recover.Investors from California, carrying large sums of money from their still-booming real estate markets, headed north, buying up properties in Oregon and Washington states. I take nine.For $50,000, that tiny home was sold to a young couple from California who also thought they had gotten a bargain.我希望把獲得的大約四萬美元的資本利得採用一零三一遞延稅款的方式進行交易，於是我尋找地方把資金投資出去。過了一個月左右，我在俄勒岡找到了一套有十二個房間的公寓，這套公寓正好位於比佛頓的英特爾工廠的旁邊。公寓主人住在德國，對於這片地產的價值沒有任何概念，只想盡快脫手。我給這套價值四十五萬美元的房屋報價二十七．五萬美元，最後以三十萬美元成交。我買下了它並持有了兩年，後來我們要搬到鳳凰城，因此我以四十九．五萬美元的價格賣出了它。 接著，我在亞利桑那州鳳凰城買下了一幢三十個房間的公寓樓。就像以前的俄勒岡市場一樣，當時鳳凰城的房地產市場一片低迷。 鳳凰城這幢有三十個房間的公寓樓價格為八十七．五萬美元，首期付款二十二．五萬美元。這幢三十房間公寓出租後帶來的月現金流量略高於五千美元。到一九九六年，亞利桑那州的房地產市場開始啟動，一位科羅拉多的投資者為我們的這處房產出價一百二十萬美元。 我和太太考慮過出售的事情，但我們決定等一等，看看國會是否會修改有關資本利得的法律。如果確實修改的話，我們預期這處財產的價格還會上升十％至二十％，而在持有期間，每月它還能提供五千美元的現金流入。 這個例子的要點在於說明一小筆錢是如何變為一大筆錢的。 當然，這還要靠對財務報表、投資策略以及市場和法律的了解。 如果一個人在這些方面不甚精通，那麼很明顯，他們必然會遵循標準的教條，即安全地、分散地投資並只投向比較保險的項目。 問題在於保險的投資常常過於安全，太安全則會導致低收益。 大多數大型房屋經紀公司不涉足投機交易，以保護自身及他們的客戶，這是一個明智的政策。 真正炙手可熱的交易不會提供給那些新手。一般來說，那些能使富者愈富的最好的交易總是為那些精通遊戲規則的人準備的。從技術上來講，一個被認為是不夠老練的人進行投機交易是不合規則的，當然這種事情也曾經發生過。 我越老練，就會得到越多的機會。開發財商的另一個方法，就是提供給自己更多的機會。你的財商越高，你就越容易分清一項交易是好還是壞。依靠你的智慧，你可以避免不利的交易，或者將一項不利的交易變成有利的交易。我發現，我學的東西越多確實有許多東西值得去學我掙的錢也就越多，這僅僅是因為隨著時光的流逝我積累了更多的經驗和智慧。我有許多朋友，他們安全地投資，在自己的崗位上辛勤地工作，卻未能開發出自己的財務天賦，而這種天賦的確需要時間來開發。 我的全部哲學就是把種子播在我的資產項下，這是我的公式。我從小額開始播種，有些長成了，有些則沒有。 在我們的房地產公司，我們擁有數百萬美元的財產，這是我們自己的房地產信託投資。這裡我要指出的是，這幾百萬美元資產的大部分都是由小到五千至一萬美元這樣數額的投資開始積累的。所有那些首期付款都幸運地趕上了一個快速上升的市場，並增加稅收豁免且在數年的時間裡不停地被買進賣出。 我們還擁有股票投資組合，由一家公司進行管理。我和太太將這家公司稱為我們個人的共同基金。我的一些朋友專門與像我們這樣每月都有多餘的錢進行投資的投資者打交道。我們購買高風險、投機性強的私人公司，而這些公司正準備到美國、加拿大的股票市場去上市。有個例子可以說明股票投資的獲利速度是多麼快。在一家公司上市之前，我們以每股二十五美分的價格購買了十萬股該公司股票，六個月後，這家公司上市了，每股價值上升到二美元。如果這家公司管理有方的話，價格還會繼續上揚到每股二十美元或更高。好幾次我們的二．五萬美元在不到一年的時間變成了一百萬美元。 如果你清楚自己在做什麼，那就不是在賭博；如果你把錢投進一筆交易然後只是祈禱，那便是在賭博。在任何情況下，成功的辦法就是運用你的技術知識、智慧以及對於遊戲的喜愛來減少意外情況的發生並降低風險。當然，風險總是存在的，但財商可以提高你應付意外事件發生的能力。常常有這樣的情況，對一個人來說是高風險的事情，對另一個人來說則可能是低風險甚至幾乎沒有風險。這就是我不斷鼓勵人們更多地投資於對自己的財務教育而不是股票、房地產或其他市場的原因。你越精明，就越能應付意外情況的發生。 我個人進行的股票投資交易對大多數人來說是一件風險極高的事情，因此我絕不提倡人們倣傚。我自一九七九年開始做股票投資以來賺了不少錢，不過，假使你明白為什麼這樣的投資對大部分人是高風險投資的話，你也許就擁有了在一年內將二．五萬美元變成為一百萬美元的能力，而且實際上，你只承擔著低風險。 前面說過，我所寫下的一切並不是建議，只是作為簡單的，可能的例子。從事情發生的整個過程來看，我所做的只是一小部分。對於一般人來說，依賴市場和個人的智慧，在五至十年的時間裡，每年獲得超過十萬美元的收入並不困難。如果你能夠保持適當的生活支出，十萬美元的額外收入是會很令人高興的，不管你是否工作。如果你喜歡，或者為了打發時光，你可以選擇工作，並利用政府的稅收制度來為自己服務而不是讓它來損害你的利益。 我的事業基礎是房地產。我喜歡房地產是因為它很穩定，變化比較緩慢。我把這一基礎建立得很牢靠，它提供給我相當穩定的現金流量。如果管理得當的話，它還會有使其價值增值的好機會。持有房地產這樣一個堅固的基礎，對我來說，其好處就在於使我在某種程度上敢於冒很大的風險去買入具有更大投機性的股票。 如果我在股市上掙了一大筆錢，我就會用資本利得的一部分支付資本利得稅，然而將餘額投資於房地產，以再一次加固我的資產基礎。 關於房地產還有最後一句話要講到。我周遊過全世界並講授投資，在每一個城市，我都聽到人們說，不要買便宜的房地產，但這並不符合我的經歷。 這種觀念使很多重要的降價交易被大多數人所忽略。在新加坡，儘管眼下房地產價格很高，但仍能在離城市不遠的地方發現一些低價交易機會。因此，每當我聽到某人說在這兒你不能幹那個時，我就會提醒他們，也許正確的說法應該是，其實，我不知道在這兒該如何幹那個。 好機會是用你的腦子而不是用你的眼睛看到的。大部分人沒辦法致富僅僅是因為他們沒有在財務上受到訓練，因而不能認識到機會其實就在他們面前。 我也常常被問到：我該如何著手？ 在最後一章裡，我提供了我在通向財務自由的道路上所遵循的十個步驟。但是還要注意培養對投資的興趣，感受其中的樂趣，這畢竟只是一場遊戲，有時你贏了，有時你要學習，但是一定要有樂趣。大部分人從來不贏是因為他們太害怕失去，這也是我發現的學校教育的一大誤區。在學校裡，我們被告知錯誤是壞事，如果我們犯了錯誤就會受到懲罰。然而，如果你看看人類學習的方法，就會明白人類其實就是在犯錯誤的過程中進行學習的。我們從跌倒中學會了走路，如果我們從不跌倒，我們就永遠也學不會走路。學騎自行車也是同樣的道理，儘管我的膝蓋上仍有傷疤，但我今天騎自行車時已不費吹灰之力了。富裕起來更是同樣的道理，不幸的是，大部分人不富有的主要原因就在於他們太擔心失去。勝利者是不怕失去的，但失敗者都害怕失去。失敗是成功之母，如果避開失敗，也就避開了成功。 有時我把投資看作我的網球比賽。我賣力去打，犯了錯誤，然後糾正，再犯更多的錯誤，然後再糾正，這樣水平就開始提高了。如果我輸掉了比賽，我會走向球網，和我的對手握手，笑著對他說：下週六見。 有兩種類型的投資者： one.第一種類型也是最普通的一種，即那些進行一攬子投資的人。他們聯繫一家從事經營個人投資業務的中介機構，例如房地產公司、股票經紀人或財務籌劃顧問等，然後買下一些東西。這些東西可能是共同基金、房地產信託投資、股票或債券等。這是一條較好的、清楚簡單的投資方式，就好像一位商店老闆到電腦商店去購買一台組裝好的電腦。 two.第二種類型就是那種創造投資機會的投資者。這種投資者通常會組織一項交易，如同一個人去買來電腦零部件，然後將其組裝成一台電腦。雖然我連用部件組裝電腦的第一步工序都不知道，但我卻清楚應該如何將一個個機會組織起來，也知道誰正在這樣做。 第二種類型的投資者最有可能成為職業投資者，但有時候可能要花許多年才能將一個個機會組織起來，有時它們根本就不可能集合在一起。我的富爸爸鼓勵我去做第二種類型的投資者，學會如何將機會組合在一起，有時候會因此獲得巨大的成功，但有時候也會因形勢逆轉而損失慘重。 如果你想成為第二種類型的投資者，那麼你需要發展三種主要技能，這三種技能是成為財務能手所必要的更高要求： one.如何尋找到其他人都忽視的機會。你要用心去發現別人眼裡忽視的那些機會。例如，我的一個朋友買了幢破舊不堪的房子，那房子看起來像座鬼屋，每個認識他的人都很納悶他為什麼要買下它，但我的這個朋友卻通過產權公司了解到這間房子有四間額外的空房，於是買下房子後，他把額外的空房拆掉，然後把空地賣給了一位建築商，所得資金三倍於他為整個交易所花費的成本。兩個月的時間，他掙了七．五萬美元。這筆錢雖然不算多，但它確實高於最低工資，而且在技術操作上也並不複雜。 two.如何增加資金。一般人只會去找銀行貸款，而第二種類型的投資者則知道不找銀行就能融資的辦法。因為從事房地產投資，我學會了如何不找銀行就能買下房子的技巧。房子本身並不太重要，而學到的融通資金的技巧卻是無價之寶。 我也時常聽到人們說，銀行不會借給我錢或者我沒有錢去買它。如果你想成為第二種類型的投資者，你就需要知道如何去做到那些大部分人未能做到的事情。 換句話說，大多數人眼睜睜地讓缺少資金阻止了他們去做成一筆交易，如果你能越過這些障礙，你就能比那些沒有掌握這些技能的人早一步成為百萬富翁。 有許多次，我在銀行沒有一分錢存款的情況下，買下了房子、股票或公寓樓。有一次我買了一幢價值一百二十萬美元的公寓樓，我的辦法就是成為聯繫的橋樑，即通過在賣方和買方之間訂立一紙合同來實現目的。首先，我籌集了十萬美元，這將使我能獲得九十天的寬限期來籌集餘下的款項。我為什麼要這麼做呢？就是因為我知道這麼做的價值將是二百萬美元甚至更多。但我後來再沒有去籌集款項，因為那位以前借給我十萬美元的人又給了我五萬美元買走了這交易機會，於是他取代了我的位置，我則離開了。總的工作時間：三天。所以說，你知道的比你買到的更重要。投資不是買入，而應該說是一個收集信息的過程。 three.怎樣把精明的人們組織起來。聰明的人往往會雇傭比自己更聰明的人或與他們一道工作。這樣，當你需要建議的時候，你有可以信賴的顧問。 有很多東西需要去學習，因此而得到的回報也會非常大。如果你不想學習這些技能，那麼我就建議你最好做第一種類型的投資者。你懂得了這一點就是你擁有的最大財富，你不知道這一點就是你面臨的最大風險。 風險總是無處不在，要學會駕馭風險，而不是一味迴避風險。