Tuesday, June 30, 2009

How to Be a Millionaire

How to be a millionaire? You may be a bum wishing to have a million bucks, or you may be an aspiring young professional who wants to know if you are on the right path. Below are seven ways people become millionaires. Some are by pure luck but there’s no need to worry as others are based much less on chance and more on planning and wits. With some effort, you can have a big fat bank account one day too.

lotteryFirst and the easiest, Win the Lottery - Without a doubt, this is the quickest way to become a millionaire. I was in Vegas the other day, and there are a ton of ways to strike it big as well. The problem? Your chances are one in a billion. Good luck and start rolling the dice!

Be Innovative - Most people believe that the easy inventions are already out in the marketplace but yet, new gadgets come out every day. Ideas are everywhere, so get your thinking caps going. If you aren’t the thinking type, you can always…

Learn from Madoff - Of course, you will also be on the front page of every newspaper and be in jail for 150 years but at least your wife can enjoy a good life with money you stole from other people.

If you take this path btw, let me know so I can report you before you start.

Corporate Slave - Okay, this is the first way to be a millionaire while avoiding the headlines. Many high paid professionals end up with significant wealth built up. Of course, they get beaten up at work daily as they climb the corporate ladder and then pay obscene amounts of government taxes afterward, but hey - nothing is going to stop you from becoming a millionaire right?

Forget Million, I was Born a Billionaire - Parents are rich aint’ a crime right? Even if you aren’t born that way, you might get a second chance. Get adopted!

Marry Rich - If you go to any bars or restaurants that are within close proximity to high end neighborhoods, you will see many very attractive ladies at the bar. There are some fairy tales alright, but most die trying.

Save Your Ass Off Millionaire - You can keep trying, but this is exactly how most of us will become a millionaire. It’s not glamorous like winning the nodel prize but no one will bother you (that’s a good thing when you are wealthy) because no one will ever know you are rich either.

Since this is actually the most probable way of becoming a millionaire, I’ve outlined a few steps you can take.

  1. Stop Watching TV
    But everyone watches TV! Yes, couch potato the third, that’s why so few ever become millionaires. While you are watching TV, your competition, the more successful and the people you envy are all making money. Stop watching TV. In fact, cancel it if you always give in.
  2. Generate Some Income
    • Working smarter and harder at work - If you have to choose between the two, please err on the side of being smart. Be friendly and helpful to coworkers, know when you should work hard and when to say no to distractions.
    • Getting a Side Job - If you are earning less than $40,000 and trying to feed a family of four, you could probably write a book on money saving advice. Stop reading up on frugal living and write about it instead! Start your own business and earn more money!
  3. All the rubbish about a penny saved equal two pennies earned is incredibly true because pondering about that all day will save you exactly two pennies. If you ever want to save enough money to make your family proud, start earning some to begin with. This includes:

  4. Save Some Dough
    Alright, what I said in step one was misleading (it wouldn’t be the first time so stop complaining). After you have decent income coming in every month, you need to save at least some of it. How much? It all depends on how fast you want to become a millionaire. There’s no right or wrong answer. No pain, no gain my friend.
    Extra: What a tip? Start by resisting the temptation to improve your standard of living too quickly. It’s fun when you start going to fancier restaurants and living in bigger houses but there’s no going back (or at least without major pain). You can always go later. There’s really no rush.
  5. Investing It in Diversified Index Funds
    I keep telling everyone that I’m becoming an index fund convert. No, I’m not those that liked index funds from the get go or someone who lost a bunch of money in the stock market betting on individual securities. In fact, I made a small fortune in the stock market. However, it was risky, tiring, frustrating and stressful. I wanted a life. If you really want to be a millionaire, stick with index funds. You don’t need the crap and you don’t want to buy tissues after you bought Bear Sterns based on rumors that it was good value.

You are probably thinking right now - Tell me something I don’t know. Well, if you know everything already, why aren’t you a millionaire? Don’t be a smart bum that knows everything. Be a millionaire that got started reading and applying every common sense advice ever written.


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