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By Garrett B. Gunderson
All too often people today are delaying their dreams for some future called retirement. They are contributing to 401(k)'s faithfully, yet not even working in the field they really want to be in. These people have fallen prey to the myth that "life will be better when I retire". What they're really doing is missing out on the rich memories and wealthy life available to them today.
Instead of locking up your money and investing in things you have limited knowledge or control over, why not start by investing in yourself? Why not invest in your own financial education, and become empowered about the many ways to invest? Why not invest in yourself and utilize your own expertise and develop your own abilities, rather than always be dependent on someone or something else that you have no control over?
This is how you minimize risk and maximize fulfillment. What would it take to live the life you want today? If you feel like you do not have the resources, what about your 401(k) or retirement accounts? Can you outperform on your own by investing in your passion and gifts in alignment with your values? With a little help, I am very confident that you can.
Ask yourself: What would it look like to fund your dream and build your life as if YOU were your own greatest asset (not your house or your retirement plan)? This is the business of YOU. How could you increase your individual wealth as if YOU were a valuable stock? What difference could you make in the world? How can you contribute and create value in a way that is consistent with enjoying your life today, rather than chronically deferring your happiness? Where do you have more control of what happens in your life in the business of YOU, or with a 401(k) and the hoax that it represents for uneducated investors?
If you are currently invested in areas that you don't understand-STOP! You are cheating yourself and your chances of getting caught up in a scam or fraud are much higher. Instead, use the money to invest in your own ability to be productive. You may think you do not have the time, but it's all about priorities. A little time now, can make a big difference later.
Think about this... How much time do you waste on a weekly basis? Could you commit to 10 minutes a day, 5 days a week for a year? What if you knew that this relatively small time commitment would transform your life?
The basic investing formula that most people have traditionally relied on in the past has resulted in failure. Money times rate times time (Money x Rate x Time) is limited at best. Handing money over to people you don't know, with complete uncertainty of the outcome, or how it will benefit you now and in the future, has lead millions to financial catastrophe. You can do better. Here are just a few ways how:
1- Find something you have interest in at a minimum, but hopefully passion in.
2- Spend time and money cultivating your ability in the area of interest you have chosen.
3- Donate your time and knowledge to people in order to build your ability to deliver value.
4- Get feedback from those you have served and capture their testimonials.
5- Consider starting a "fun" part-time or full-time business by:
a. Partnering with an existing business
b. Contracting with businesses as an independent contractor
c. Setting up ways to educate others in your field of expertise and charge them for that education (seminars, materials, CD's, DVD's, website, etc.)
d. Find or create a job within a firm that utilizes your unique expertise, abilities, and interests.
e. Work as an apprentice and study those that have gone down a similar path.
f. Consider network marketing that has a product or service that genuinely aligns with you.
Putting these simple suggestions into play will allow you to begin building your own valuable investment portfolio within yourself. It will allow you to live in a state of surety and happiness versus hoping that the stock market increases or that your financial advisor it doing the 'right thing' with your money. This simple "Retire Today" formula will give you complete control of your financial life, and allow you to do what you love - all at the same time.
Garrett B. Gunderson is a self-made multi-millionaire who has launched nearly two dozen companies. His latest book, Killing Sacred Cows: Overcoming the Financial Myths that are Destroying Your Prosperity (Greenleaf Book Group, July 2008), debunks conventional wisdom in the areas of personal finance and retirement planning.
To find out more about Garrett or how you can duplicate his astounding success, get the free investors guide at: http://GarrettBGunderson.com
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