Chapter 11 start to act

I wish I could say that getting rich came easy to me, but it didn't. So, when I'm asked how to get started in this category, I offer my day-to-day thinking. I can guarantee that finding a business opportunity is really easy, it's like riding a bicycle, it's wobbly at first, but soon you'll be able to control it. In matters of money, too, the initial hurdles will be yours to work through. But finding the chance of a lifetime in a multi-million dollar relationship requires awakening our own financial genius.I believe that each of us has an inner financial talent, the problem is, this financial talent has been dormant.The reason this talent lies dormant is because our culture has indoctrinated us with the need for money as the root of all evil, which drives us to learn a certain skill and work for money , but fails to teach us how to make money work for us.We are told that we don't have to worry about our financial future because once we retire, the company or the government will take care of us.However, our children who are educated in the same school system now may not pay companies and governments the money they need to provide this care in the future.But the existing information still tells us to work hard, earn money to survive, and when we need money, we can always borrow money.

What is even more unfortunate is that 90% of Westerners subscribe to this dogma simply because they believe it is easier to get a job and work for money.If you don't want to be in the 90%, here are ten steps you can take to awaken your financial genius. If you don't want to follow, do it your own way, your financial talents are enough to teach you without a teacher. In Peru, I asked a gold miner who had worked for forty-five years why he was so confident in finding a new gold mine. He replied: Gold mines are everywhere, but most people are not trained to find them. I think this is true.For example, in real estate, I can find four or five potential big deals in one day, while most people often return empty-handed even if they are only in the same neighborhood.Why?That's because they haven't taken the time to develop their financial talents.

I suggest you take the following ten steps to develop a God-given talent that only you can control: 1. I need a surreal reason: spiritual power.If you ask people if they want to be rich or financially free, most of them will say yes. But when you think about the reality, the road ahead seems long and bumpy, and it seems easier to work for money and entrust the rest to a broker. I once met a female athlete who dreamed of being on the U.S. Olympic swimming team. To do this, she had to get up at four every morning, swim for three hours, and then go to school.She doesn't have parties with friends on weekends, and she has to find time to revise her lessons to stay on track.

When I asked what drove her to do this with superhuman ambition and sacrifice, she simply said: I did this for myself and the people I love, and it was the power of love that made me sacrifice to overcome difficulties. This cause or purpose is a combination of wanted and unwanted.When people ask me why I want to be rich, I say it's a combination of emotional wanting and not wanting. I can cite some examples of wanting that arose out of wanting in the first place.I don't want to work all my life; I don't want the things my parents craved, like job security and a suburban house; The father who worked hard all his life had unpaid bills when he died.The rich don't do that, they work hard and pass the fruits of their work on to posterity.

The second is wanting.I want to be free to travel the world; I want to live my life the way I want; I want to be able to do this when I am young; I want to be free with my time and life; I want money to work for me . These are my spiritual motivations from the bottom of my heart.What kind of person are you? If you're not strong enough, the harsh realities of the road ahead will hold you back. I've failed many times, but each time it's this deep spiritual drive that keeps me going.I wanted to be financially free when I was forty, but it wasn't until I was forty-seven, after a lot of learning and training, that I really realized my goal.

When I talk about this, I wish I could talk about it lightly, but it's not easy, but it's not hard to do.My advice is, give yourself a strong reason or purpose.If this is not the case, you will find it difficult to move forward in life. 2. Make your own choices every day: the power of choice, which is the main reason why people want to live in a free country. We need to have the power to choose. Financially speaking, with every dollar we earn, we get an opportunity to choose whether our future will be rich, poor, or average.Our money habits reflect who we are, and some people are poor because they have bad money habits.

The nice thing about being a kid was that I could play Monopoly all the time.But since no one ever told me that Monopoly was only for kids, I still love it as an adult.rich dad used a game to show me the difference between assets and liabilities, so when i was a kid, i chose to be rich like the game and i knew all i had to do was learn to be like the game Continue to invest to acquire more real assets.My best friend Mike took over his father's assets, but he still has to learn how to manage them.The reason why many wealthy families have not been rich for three generations is because they have not cultivated an expert to manage their assets.

Most people don't choose to be rich, for 90% of the people, being rich is too much trouble, so they say, I'm not interested in money, or I don't want to be rich, or I don't Worried, I am still young, when I start earning money, I will think about the future, or my spouse will control the property and so on.A common problem with these statements is that it hinders people from choosing to think about two things: the first is time, which is your most precious asset; the second is learning, because you have no money, you have to learn even more.In fact, we should make a choice every day: that is, to choose how to use our time, our money and what we have learned in our minds to achieve our goals. This is the power of choice.We all have opportunities, I choose to be rich, and I work on my choices every day.

Invest in education first.In fact, when you are poor, the only real asset you have is your mind, the most powerful tool we have under our control.As I said about the power of choice, as we grow up, each of us has to choose what kind of knowledge to inject into our brains.You can watch TV all day, read golf magazines, take pottery lessons or financial planning classes, the choice is yours.In terms of investment, most people choose to invest directly in a certain project instead of investing in learning about the project they want to invest in first. A friend of mine who is a very wealthy lady recently had her apartment burglarized. The thieves took her TV, VCR, but left all the books she was reading.We presumably make a similar choice, ninety percent of us will buy a television, and only about ten percent will buy books or tapes on business and investing.

So, how do I do it?I go to a seminar.I like seminars that are at least two days long, so that I can concentrate on a certain topic.In 1973, I saw on TV that someone was advertising a three-day seminar on how to buy real estate without paying any down payment.Taking this class only cost me $385 and helped me earn back at least $2 million.More importantly, it created a new life for me, and because of this course, I didn't have to work hard for a living in the later years.I have to attend such trainings at least twice a year. I like to listen to tapes because they can be played back quickly.I have heard Peter.One of Lynch's tapes contains a passage that I totally disagree with.However, I didn't feel arrogant because of this, but I pressed the replay button and listened to this five-minute speech at least twenty times, maybe more times.Suddenly, I opened my mind and understood the truth of what he said.It was like magic, and I felt like I had opened a window into the mind of one of the greatest investors of our time.From this, I was able to deeply know and understand his profound knowledge and experience, and gained a lot of lessons from it.

The most direct result is: I still retain my habitual way of thinking about problems in the past, and at the same time I learned from Peter.Lynch's way of thinking analyzing the same problem or situation. I have two trains of thought, not just one. It is really rare to have more than one train of thought to analyze a certain problem or trend.Today I often ask myself, this matter Peter.What will Lynch do?Or Donald.Tram, Warren.Buffett, George.What would Soros do?The only way I have been able to enter their deep thoughts is to read or listen to what they have to say, very humbly.Arrogant or critical people are often people who lack self-confidence and are afraid to take risks.If you want to learn something new, you need to make mistakes in order to fully understand what you've learned. If you can read this far, you don't have an arrogance problem, because arrogant people rarely read books or buy tapes. Why?Because they think they are the center of the universe. There are many intelligent people who instinctively defend themselves when a new idea negates an old way of thinking.In this case, their so-called cleverness and arrogance combined equal ignorance.Many of us are highly educated and believe they are smart, but their balance sheets are a mess.A truly intelligent person welcomes new ideas because new ideas add to the pool of ideas that have accumulated over time.Listening is more important than speaking, otherwise, God would not have arranged for us two ears, but only one mouth.Too many people talk rather than listen, forgoing the opportunity to absorb new ideas and possibilities, and prefer to argue rather than ask questions and listen to others. I like to take a long-term view of my wealth and I don't believe in the get-rich-quick notion of lottery tickets or gamblers.I may be short-term stock trading, but in the long-term I value education more.If you want to fly a plane, I suggest you take a course on the principles of flight first instead of sitting in the cockpit.I am often appalled by people who invest in stocks or real estate but never invest in their most important asset, mind.Because, you buy a property or two does not make you an expert in real estate. 3. Choose your friends carefully: the power of relationships.First of all, I would not use financial status as a criterion for picking friends.I have both poor and wealthy friends, because I believe that three people must have my teacher, and I am willing to work hard to learn from each of them. But I have to admit that I do go out of my way to make rich friends, not the money they have, but the knowledge they have to get rich.In many cases, these wealthy people will become my close friends, of course, not always. I think that my poor friend is my teacher as well as my rich friend.I notice how my rich friends talk about money (and I don't mean wealth), they are interested in the topic.That way, by talking I learn from them and they learn from me.Other friends of mine who are struggling financially don't like to talk about money, business or investing, they often think it's rude or unwise.But I can also learn a lot of other knowledge from them, and I can learn what not to do. I have a few friends who have made billions of dollars in a short period of time.Three of them talked to me about the same phenomenon: their friends who had no money never asked them how to make money.But they often ask for one or two things: one is a loan, and the other is a job. Caution: Don't listen to what the faint of heart say.I have friends like this, and I like them a lot, but they live a chick life.When it comes to money, especially investing, the sky is falling and they will always tell you why something is not working.The problem is if people take their word for it and blindly accept this alarming message, you end up being a chick too.As the old adage goes: all chickens are alike. The CBS program has a lot of information about investing.If you watch their shows, you usually see a bunch of so-called experts arguing.One expert will say that the market is heading for a recession, while another claims that the market is booming.If you're smart, listen to both sides and keep an open mind because there's truth to both.Unfortunately, most poor people only listen to the chick point of view. I have had many close friends try to talk me out of a particular trade or investment. A few years ago, a friend told me that he was very happy because he found a certificate of deposit with a six percent interest rate. I told him my return on investment from the state was sixteen percent. The next day, he sent me an article stating that my investment was dangerous.And now, all these years later, I've been getting sixteen percent a year on my investment, and he's still only getting six percent. I would say that in the process of accumulating wealth, the most difficult thing is to stick to your own choices and not blindly follow the crowd. Because in a highly competitive market, groups sometimes mean being slow to respond and being slaughtered.If a big deal is listed on the front page of an investment magazine, in most cases it's too late to do it at this point, and it's time to look for new opportunities.As we usually say: there will be another wave.When people are always in a hurry to catch up with the past wave, they are often eliminated by the new wave. Savvy investors don't complain about the timing of the market. If they miss it, they look for the next opportunity and find their place in it.The reason this is so difficult for most investors is that they get scared if something they buy is not as popular.Timid investors always follow everyone's footsteps. When their desire finally drives them to take risks, the smart investors have already made profits and exited at this moment.The wise investor, who buys an unpopular investment, understands that profits are made when he buys it, not when he sells it, and he waits patiently for the opportunity to grow his investment.As I said, they don't care about market timing, like a surfer, they are always waiting for the next big wave to pick them up. Insider trading is everywhere.Some forms of insider trading are illegal, while others are legal.Either way, they are insider transactions.The only difference is how close you really are to the inside story. You can have rich friends who are close to the inside, because the money is earned on the inside information, so you can buy before the boom and sell before the crisis.I don't mean to do it illegally, but the earlier the information is obtained, the greater the chance of profit and the lower the risk. This is the role of friends.This is also a financial quotient. 4. Master one mode and then learn a new one: the power of rapid learning.A baker makes bread by following a recipe, even if it's just in his head.The same is true for earning money, which is why money is sometimes called a bagel. Most of us have heard the proverb: You eat yourself.I have a saying that has a similar meaning but a different way of saying it: what you learn is what you will become.In other words, you have to pay attention to what you have to learn, because your mental strength is very strong, and what you learn will become what you become.For example, you learn to cook, you cook, and you become a chef.If you don't want to be a chef anymore, then you have to study other things, such as taking some teacher training courses to become a school teacher.So, be sure to choose carefully what you study. When it comes to money, most people generally only know one basic money-making formula they learned in school, which is to work for money.It seems to me that this formula is the one that dominates the world: Millions of people get up every day, go to work, earn money, pay bills, balance their checkbooks, buy mutual funds, and go back to work. This is a general, basic formula or formula. If you're tired of what you're doing and you're not making enough money, it's time to change your formula for making money.Years ago, when I was twenty-six, I took a weekend class on how to buy bankruptcy real estate.There I learned a formula and started trying to put the rules I had learned into practice, a step that many people fail to do.During the three years I worked for Xerox, I learned and mastered the art of buying bankruptcy estates in my spare time, and I made millions using this formula.But after a while, that formula didn't work as well, because a lot of other people started doing it too. So I started looking for other formulas.For many of the short courses I have attended, I may not have directly used the information I learned, but I still learned a lot of new things from it. I have attended tutorial classes for financial instrument traders, tutorial classes for commodity options traders, and learning classes for beginners.I was also away from my professional field, discussing issues with many scholars in nuclear physics and space science.Even though I wouldn't be working on a nuclear power plant or a space shuttle, the new knowledge and opportunities I learned there made my stock and real estate investments richer and more profitable. Most junior colleges and community colleges offer classes in financial planning and traditional investing, which are great places to start. I'm always looking for formulas to make money faster, which is why I've always made more money per day than many people make in a lifetime, all things being equal. One more thing, in today's rapidly changing world, you are not required to learn too much, because when you learn it is often outdated, the problem is how fast you learn, which is what I said earlier The most important thing is to have the ability to learn quickly, this skill is invaluable.Finding a shortcut is critical if you want to make money. Working for money is a caveman-era formula that is long outdated. 5. Pay yourself first: the power of self-discipline.If you can't control yourself, don't try to get rich.You might first think of disciplining yourself by joining the Naval Special Forces or a religious order, but I believe it makes no sense to invest, earn, and spend money.It is because of this lack of self-discipline that most lottery winners go bankrupt soon after winning millions of dollars.It is also because of the lack of self-discipline that people immediately go out to buy a new car or go on a boat trip after getting a salary increase. As a result, life appears to be poorer than before the salary increase. It's hard to say which of these ten steps is the most important, but of all of them, step five is the hardest to master if it's not something you're used to doing.I would venture to say that lack of self-discipline is the number one factor that separates the rich from the poor from the middle class. Simply put, people who are less confident and less tolerant of financial stress will never become rich.As I said, I learned a lesson from my rich dad: life pushes you around.Life pushes you around not because of the awesome people driving you, but because of your personal lack of self-control and discipline.Those who lack inner grit often fall prey to those with a lot of self-discipline. In the entrepreneurial classes I teach, I often remind people not to focus solely on their products, services, or production facilities, but to focus on developing their management talents.The three most important management skills necessary to start your own business are: one.cash flow management; two.HR management; three.Personal time management. I would say that these three management skills apply not just to business but to anything.For example, your management of your own daily life or the management of your family, business, charity, city and country. Self-discipline can enhance any of the above skills.I take the phrase pay yourself first very seriously. Pay yourself first is a quote from George.The Richest Man in Babylon by Klassen.The book has sold millions of copies, and millions of people have mastered the phrase, but few follow the advice.I said that financial literacy enables one to read the numbers and see what's going on behind them.Looking at a person's income statement and balance sheet, I can easily see if a person is putting into practice the mantra of paying themselves first. Seeing is believing.Let's compare the financial statements of people who follow pay yourself first versus those who follow pay others first. At the moment, I can hear the laughing at me from those who don't believe they should pay themselves first, and I can hear the laughter of all the responsible people who pay their bills on time.Actually, I'm not saying people are irresponsible and don't pay their bills, I'm just saying do what the book says: pay yourself first. Many of my wife's bookkeepers, accountants, and bankers have great doubts about our attitude toward the phrase pay yourself first.The reason, really, is that these financial experts, like most people, pay themselves last in real life, and they pay everyone else first. There have been months in my past life when, for various reasons, my cash flow was well below the bills payable, but I still paid myself first, my personal needs first.My accountants and bookkeepers are totally taken aback, they will call you for debt, the IRS will put you in jail, you are ruining your credit rating by doing this, they will cut the power, I am unmoved , continue to pay yourself first. why?You will ask, because of everything mentioned in the book "The Richest Man in Babylon", because of the power of self-discipline and inner fortitude, in layman's terms, that is courage.During my first month working with my rich dad, he taught me to recognize how most people are driven from outside.A debt collector calls and asks you to pay, so you pay him instead of yourself.Your real estate agent tells you to move on and the government will give you a tax break on your house, so you believe him.The real purpose of this book is to tell you that you can get rich if you have the guts not to follow the crowd.You may not be a weak person, but when it comes to money, many people tend to be cowardly. I'm not advocating irresponsibility, the reason I don't have high credit card debt, as well as consumer debt, is that I want to pay myself first.The reason I reduce my income is that I don't want the government to take too much away from it, as some of you have seen in the video (Secrets of the Rich), but I might get it from me through a Nevada business income from asset items.Because if I work for money, the government takes a fair amount of it. I was the last to pay the bills, but I was smart enough to get by financially.I don't like spending in debt, and I do have more debt than most people, it's just that I never pay them: someone else pays for me, they're called a renter.So the first rule of paying yourself first won't get you into debt all at once.I did pay the bills last, some small, insignificant bills. Second, I still pay myself first when I am occasionally short on funds.I'd rather have the creditors and the government cry out, the more anxious they are the merrier I am.Why?Because these people are cheering for me, they are motivating me to go out and make more money.So I pay myself first, invest, then let the creditors yell at me, but I'll pay off my debts, my wife and I have good credit, we're not in debt, or dipping into savings, selling stocks to pay Consume debt because it would be too financially unwise to do so. So, the answer is: one.Don't take on an excessive amount of debt.Keep your spending low.First increase your own assets, and then use the cash flow generated from your own assets to buy a big house or a good car.It's not wise to get caught in the rat race. two.When you're short on cash, take outside pressure not to dip into your savings or investments. Use that pressure to unleash your financial genius and come up with new ways to earn more money before paying the bills.Doing so will not only improve your ability to make money, but also improve your financial quotient. Many times I have been in financial trouble, but by using my brain to find ways to generate more income, I am steadfast in maintaining the safety and integrity of my assets.My bookkeeper would be overwhelmed and scramble to pay off my debts, but I'm holding on to my fortress of assets like a strong warrior. Poor people have bad habits, and a common bad habit is to use savings casually. Rich people know that saving can only be used to create more money, not to pay bills. I know it sounds harsh to say this, but like I said, if you're not strong enough, you're going to let the world push you anyway. If you don't like financial stress, find a formula that works for you, such as spending less, keeping money in the bank, paying more than normal income taxes, buying safe mutual funds, and doing what the average person does.But this violates the principle of paying yourself first. This principle does not encourage self-sacrifice or financial austerity, and it does not mean paying yourself first and then starving.Life is supposed to be joyful, and if you awaken your financial genius, you have the opportunity to have many of the good things in life: Getting rich doesn't come at the expense of living comfortably and paying the bills.This is financial quotient. 6. Compensate your agent well: the power of good advice.I often see people put up a sign in front of their house, saying: Homeowner sells directly, no intermediaries, or as I heard on TV today: Discount what the agent says. My rich dad taught me to do the opposite of these people.He insisted on paying professionals well, and I adopted that policy.Today, I employ expensive lawyers, accountants, real estate agents, and stockbrokers. Why do you want to do this?Because I think if they are professionals, their services will create wealth for you, and the more wealth they create, the more money I will make. We live in the information age, and information is priceless.A good broker should give you information, but also take the time to educate you.I've had several agents willing to do that for me, and some still taught me when I had no or very little money, so I keep using them today as well. The money I paid the broker was a fraction of the money I made based on their information.I would love to see my realtor or stockbroker make a lot of money because that usually means I make a lot of money too. A good broker not only makes me money but also saves me time.In this way, when I bought a piece of vacant land for $9,000 and then immediately changed hands for two.While selling for $50,000, I'll be able to buy a Porsche soon enough. Brokers are your eyes and ears in the market, they watch the market closely instead of me all day while I go golfing. In addition, it is difficult for people who sell their houses directly to fully estimate the value of their properties. In this case, why not spend a small amount of money and use it in exchange for time to earn more money?I find it odd that so many poor and middle class people would rather tip fifteen to twenty percent for poor service in a restaurant, but complain about paying brokers three to seven percent in commission.It is not financially wise for them to tip generously on expense items but be stingy on asset items. But it must also be pointed out that the ability of each agent is different. Unfortunately, most agents are just salesmen, especially some real estate agents.They sell properties while owning little or no real estate themselves.Know that there is a world of difference between a broker selling a home and a broker selling investments, and the same goes for stockbrokers, bond brokers, mutual fund brokers, and insurance brokers who call themselves financial planning experts. Same. Blind use of incompetent agents is like a fairy tale where you have to kiss many frogs to find a prince.Remember that old adage: If you need an encyclopedia, never ask an encyclopedia salesman. When I meet with any fee-for-service professional, I start by finding out how much property or stock they personally own and what percentage they pay in taxes. This goes for my tax advisor as well as my accountant. I have an accountant, she is very concerned about her property, her profession is accountant, but her property is real estate.I also once hired a small business accountant who didn't own real estate and I ended up firing him because we had different areas of interest. Find a broker who has your best interests at heart.Many brokers will take the time to educate you, then they may be the best asset you can find.You treat them fairly and they will mostly treat you fairly.If you're always thinking about reducing the commission you pay them, why should they try to serve your interests?This is very simple logic. I once said that personnel management is one of the important management skills.Many people will only manage people who are not as smart or as capable as they are, such as subordinates at work.Many middle managers stay in middle management and don't get promoted because they only know how to work with people below them but not with people above them.The real skill is being able to manage and pay well for people who are smarter than you in some technical field.That's why the company has an advisory board, which you should have, and that's your financial intelligence. 7. Be an Indian Giver: The Power of Selflessness.When the first white settlers arrived in America, they were surprised and uncomfortable with the cultural habits of the Indians.For example, when an Indian saw a white person who was cold, the Indians gave that person a blanket, but the white settlers mistook it as a gift, and were offended when the Indian asked for the blanket back. The Indians were also disappointed when they found that the white settlers had no intention of returning their blankets.This is where the term Native American giver comes in, representing a simple cultural misunderstanding. In the world of property projects, being an Indian giver is very important in obtaining wealth.The number one question for a sophisticated investor is: How quickly do I need to recoup my investment?They want to be sure of the return on their investment, which is why ROI is important. For example, I found a forfeited collateral a few blocks from my house, the bank asked for $60,000, I offered $50,000, and they took it, simply because one of the conditions of the offer was to offer $50,000 Cash check.They realized I was serious.Most investors will say, haven't you frozen a large amount of cash?Wouldn't it be better to apply for a loan?答案是：有道理，但不適用於這一案例。 我的投資公司使用這處資產在冬季作為度假出租屋。當那些雪鳥（指那些冬季到南方度假的北方人）來到亞利桑那州時，這所房子每年可有四個月能以每月二千五百美元的價格租出。在淡季則以每月一千美元的價格出租。用了大約三年時間，我收回了投資。現在我依舊擁有這筆資產，並且它每個月都能給我創造現金流入。 在股票市場上我也這樣做。經常地，我的經紀人會打電話給我，建議我動用一筆數額可觀的資金，用來購買他認為會有上漲行情的公司股票，比如擁有某種新產品的公司的股票。於是，我會在股票上漲前的一周到一個月期間將資金調入，贏利後，我便抽回投入的初始資金，並不再擔心此後市場的波動，因為我投入的初始資金已經收回，並又投資於其他資產了。我的資金通過投入又收回，使我擁有了一筆從技術上來說是無償取得的資產。 確實，在許多情況下我曾損失過資金，但我總是能負擔得起損失的資金。我想，在平均每十項投資中，我會有二至三項贏利，同時五至六項不賺不賠，二至三項虧本。但是我會將自己可能發生的損失限制在那個時期我所擁有的資金量這一範圍內。 對於那些討厭風險的人來說，他們把錢存在銀行裡，從長遠來看，有儲蓄總比沒有好。但是，這樣做需要花很長時間才能收回資金，而且在大部分情況下，你不會平白得到一些東西。 在我的每一次投資中，必有一些投資是沒有什麼盈利的，比如一項共同管轄權利，一處小型貨棧，一片土地，一處房子，股票份額，寫字樓等，這些項目的風險很低。其原因在一些書籍中專門講到，我就在這裡不予展開了。這就像雷．克羅克，以麥當勞而出名，他出讓漢堡包特許經營權並不是因為他喜歡漢堡包，而是因為他希望出讓特許經營權後房地產能夠升值。 因此明智的投資者必定不光看到投資回報率，而且還要看到一旦收回投資，你因此所擁有的資產就如同白得。這也是財商。 八、資產用來購買奢侈品：集中的力量。一位朋友的孩子養成了亂花錢的壞毛病，剛十六歲他就很自然地想擁有自己的汽車，理由是：他所有的朋友都從父母那裡得到了汽車。 兒子想動用他上大學的儲蓄作為首期付款買輛汽車，於是他父親就從辦公室給我打來電話。 你認為我應該允許他這樣做嗎？或者我應該像其他父母那樣就給他買一輛汽車？ 對此我回答說：從短期來看這樣做可能減輕你的精神壓力，但從長遠來看這樣做會教給他什麼呢？你能不能利用他這種希望擁有一輛汽車的慾望來激勵你兒子去學點東西呢？ 我朋友心裡豁然一亮，趕忙回家了。 兩個月後，我再次遇到這位朋友。你兒子擁有了自己的汽車嗎？I asked. 不，他沒有。但我給了他三千美元，我告訴他可以使用我的錢而不能動用他上大學的錢。 啊，你很慷慨呀！I said. 也不是，這筆錢只是作為一個繩套。我接受了你的建議，利用他這種想擁有一輛汽車的強烈願望，促使他能夠學到一些東西。 那麼，繩套是什麼？I asked. 首先，我們玩了一次你的現金流遊戲，然後我們就如何明智地使用金錢的問題進行了一次長談。之後我給了他一張《華爾街日報》的訂閱單，以及一些關於股票市場的書籍。 what's next?我問，你的方法是什麼呢？ 我告訴他這三千美元歸他所有了，但他不能直接用它來購買汽車，他可以用這筆錢來買賣股票，也可以尋找他自己的股票經紀人。而一旦他把這三千美元增值到六千美元，就可以用掙到的三千美元去買汽車，而我當初給他的三千美元仍要用在他上大學的支出上。 那麼，結果怎麼樣？I asked. 開始在交易中他很幸運，但幾天之後他就把掙到的錢全賠光了，接下來他真正開始感興趣了。今天，我想他可能已經損失了二千美元，但他的興趣更大了，不僅讀完了我買給他的所有書籍，還到圖書館去閱讀更多的書。他如饑似渴地閱讀《華爾街日報》，關注市場指標，看哥倫比亞全國廣播公司的節目而不是從前愛看的音樂電視。現在他只剩下一千美元了，但他的興趣和學習勁頭沖天。他知道如果自己賠光了那筆錢，他就不得不再多步行兩年，可他似乎並不在意這些了，他甚至看起來對獲得一輛汽車也不那麼感興趣了，因為他發現了一項更有趣的遊戲。 要是他賠光了所有的錢怎麼辦？I asked. 如果碰到難關，那就得跨過去。我寧可他現在賠掉一切而不願等到他像我們這樣的年齡時再去冒險賠光一切。而且，我想這是我用於教育他的所有錢中效果最好的三千美元，他從中學到的知識將使他受益終身。他還似乎對金錢的獲得和力量產生了新的尊重，我想他不會再大手大腳花錢了。 在首先支付你自己一節中，我說到如果一個人沒有自律的能力，最好別想著去致富。因為從理論上來講，一項資產產生現金流量的過程是容易的，但是擁有控制金錢的堅強意志卻是困難的。由於種種外在的誘惑，在今天的消費者世界裡，在支出項目上揮霍金錢更加容易。因為意志薄弱，金錢的流出簡直會無遮無攔，這就是大多數人貧困和財務困窘的原因。 我在此給出了有關財商的數字例子，在這一例子中控制金錢的能力就是以錢生錢的能力。 假設我們在年初給一百個人每人一萬美元，我想到了年底會出現這樣的情況：有八十人會分文不剩。事實上，許多人可能會通過支付首期付款來購買一輛新車、一台電冰箱、電視機、錄影機或去度假，從而背上很重的債務。 有十六人會將這一萬美元增值五％至十％。 有四人會將這一萬美元增值到二萬美元至數百萬美元。 我們上學去學習某種技能專長，這樣我們可以為金錢而工作，但我的觀點是：學會讓金錢為你工作更加重要。 和其他人一樣，我也喜歡奢侈品，差別在於有些人貸款購買奢侈品並掉入一個相互攀比的陷阱，而當我想買一輛保時捷車時，最簡單的方法可能也是讓我的銀行家提供一筆貸款，但實際上我不會這麼做，我選擇的是集中資源於資產項而不是負債項目。 作為一種習慣，我用自己希望消費的慾望來激發並利用我的財務天賦去進行投資。 今天，我們常常是借錢來獲得我們想要的某種東西，而不是把注意力集中在為自己創造金錢上。這樣做在短期來看很容易，但長期來看卻會產生問題。不論是個人還是國家，這都是一種壞習慣。記住，最容易的道路往往會越走越艱難，而艱難的道路往往會越走越輕鬆。 你能越早訓練自己和自己所愛的人成為金錢的主人，結果就會越好。金錢是一種強有力的力量，不幸的是，大多數人們用金錢的力量來對付自己。如果你的財商很低，金錢就會比你更精明，它會從你身上溜走。如果你沒有金錢精明，你就將為之工作一生。 要成為金錢的主人，你需要比金錢更精明，然後，金錢才能按你的要求辦事，服從你，這樣你就成了金錢的主人，而不是它的奴隸。This is financial quotient. 九、對英雄的崇拜：神話的力量。少年時代，我非常崇拜威利．梅斯、漢克．阿龍、約吉．貝拉，他們是我心目中的英雄。作為青少年棒球聯賽的參加者，我希望自己能像他們那樣。我珍藏著他們的球星卡，我想知道與他們有關的一切。我知道他們的平均擊球得分，他們掙多少錢，以及他們是怎樣在少年棒球聯賽上嶄露頭角的。 在我九到十歲的時候，每次當我上場擊球或打第一壘或充當接球手時，我便不再是我自己，我成了約吉或者漢克，這是我學到的最有力量的方法之一。但當我們長大成人後，卻失去這種能力，我們失去了心目中的英雄，我們失去了過去的天真。 今天，我看到年輕的小伙子們在我家附近打籃球。在庭院裡他們不再是小約翰尼，他們是邁克爾．喬丹、奧尼爾和約翰遜。 模仿或趕超大英雄確實是一條很好的學習途徑。所以，當像辛普森這樣的人物名譽掃地時，人們會感到巨大的震驚和不安。 這不僅僅是一場法庭審判，這是英雄的失落。一個伴隨著人們成長起來的人，一個人們仰慕的人，一個人們奉為楷模的人，突然之間變成了必須從人們心目中抹去的人。 隨著年齡增長，我心目中又有了新的英雄，如高爾夫球英雄彼得．雅各布森、弗雷德．庫普勒斯和泰戈爾．伍茲。我模仿他們的動作，竭盡全力去搜集與他們有關的資料。我還崇拜像唐納德．特朗普、沃倫．巴菲特，彼得．林奇、喬治．索羅斯和吉姆．羅傑斯這樣的投資家。現在我年紀大了，但我還像小時候記得ERAS或RBI的棒球明星們那樣記得這些新英雄的情況。我跟隨沃倫．巴菲特的選擇進行投資，還閱讀有關他對市場的所有看法；我閱讀彼得．林奇的書，以弄懂他怎樣選擇股票；我還閱讀了有關唐納德．特拉姆的書，試圖發現他進行談判和撮合交易的技巧。 就像在棒球場上一樣，我不再是我自己。在市場上或進行交易談判時，我下意識地模仿特拉姆的那種氣勢；當分析某種趨勢時，我學著像彼得．林奇那樣思考，通過偶像的模範作用，我們發揮出自身巨大的潛能。 英雄人物不僅僅是激勵我們，他們還會使難題看起來容易一些。正因為如此，英雄人物激發我們努力做得像他們一樣，如果他們能做到，那我也能。 在投資問題上，許許多多的人總覺得十分困難，而了解和學習英雄們卻會使這些事情看上去容易一些。 十、先予後取：給予的力量。我的兩個爸爸都是教師。我的富爸爸教給了我一生受用的經驗，那就是樂善好施的必要性。我的受到良好教育的爸爸花了很長時間廣泛傳授知識，卻幾乎沒有施捨錢財。他常常說要是有額外的錢，就會施捨給別人，可是，他很少會有多餘的錢。 我的富爸爸既提供金錢也提供教育，他堅信應對社會有所貢獻。如果你想獲得，你首先需要給予。他總是這樣說，即使當他缺錢時，他仍繼續向教堂或他支持的慈善機構捐錢。 如果我能給你提供一種思路的話，那一定是這個思路：當你感到手頭短缺或需要什麼時，首先要想到給予，只有先予，你才會在將來取得回報，無論金錢、微笑、愛情還是友誼，都是這樣。我知道人們常常會把這件事放在最後，但事實證明這樣做對我總是大有助益的。我相信互利互惠的原則是正確的，我為自己想要的東西付出成本。 我需要金錢，所以我給予別人以金錢，然後我又成倍地收回這些金錢；我想做銷售，所以我幫助其他人出售東西，這樣我也能做銷售了；我需要訂立合同做生意，所以我會盡自己所能去幫助其他人得到合同，就像魔術一樣，我所需要的合同也來到了我手中。多年前我曾聽到一句諺語說上帝不需要得到什麼，可人類卻需要付出什麼。 我的富爸爸常常說，窮人比富人更貪婪。他解釋說，如果一個人很富有，那麼這個人就能提供其他人想要的東西。截至今天，每當我覺得自己需要點什麼，或者缺錢，或者缺少幫助時，我就去想一想，自己心裡到底需要什麼，然後首先為此而付出。 而一旦我為此而付出，那我總是能得到回報。 這使我想起了一個故事，說的是一位抱著柴禾的人坐在寒冷的夜裡，衝著一隻因缺柴而熄滅的大火爐叫道：你什麼時候給我以溫暖，我什麼時候才會給你添加柴禾。推而廣之，涉及到金錢、愛情、幸福、銷售以及合同等等，人們都應記住必須為自己需要的東西首先付出，然後才能得到加倍回報。常常是在思索我需要什麼東西的過程中，以及思索我能為自己需要的東西而付給別人什麼的過程中，我會突然變得非常慷慨好施。每當我感到人們不對我微笑時，我就開始笑著對人問好，然後，非常神奇地，似乎我周圍突然多出了許多微笑著的人。的確，你的世界就是你的一面鏡子。 因此最後我要說，先予後取。我發現，越是真誠地教那些想學習的人，我從中學到的就更多。如果你想學習有關金錢的知識，那就要先告訴別人你的看法，然後，新的思想和好的靈感就會如同山洪爆發，噴湧而出。 也有許多次雖然我付出了但並沒有任何回報，或者得到的並非我想要的東西，但憑心而論，我的大多數付出都是取得了很好的回報的。 我爸爸培養老師，最終成為一名資深教師並受到大家的尊敬。同樣的我的富爸爸總是把自己從事商務的經驗和知識教給年輕人，回想起來，當他將那些自己懂得的知識十分慷慨地傳授給別人時，他變得更加聰明。在這個世界上有許多力量比我們所擁有的能力更強，你也許可以憑自己的努力獲得成功，但是如果有了這種力量的幫助，你就更容易成功或者取得更偉大的成功。你所應當做的是：對自己擁有的東西慷慨大度一些。反過來，你也一定會得到慷慨的回報。