I am sorry to break it to you. You are under attack my friend. There’s a sneaky ninja on the loose who steals everyone’s money from time to time, and that’s inflation ninja.
The same amount of money gets you less stuff than a few years ago, right? That’s inflation.
Crude oil that we need to travel around with our buddies jumped from $18.5 (per gallon) in 2002 to almost $80 now (4.5x increase). That’s just how terrifying of a beast inflation is! Almost 90% of people don’t have enough money to buy things they want because they didn’t barricade against the inflation ninja.
But, but, but… rest assured, your pal investing can help you here! Investing is like planting money seeds to grow them into cash trees. Some seeds mature in a few months, while others need years—depending on the sources you choose. Putting money into investment is like giving your money a side hustle; why is it lazy when we are working hard—that doesn’t seem right.
However, let’s keep it real. If the solution is investment, why are many people stuck doing things they dislike and are not racking the bucks? For example, why
- is the average American drowning in a debt of about $60,000 and finding it difficult to pay for things?
- are almost 50% of Americans thinking they can never leave debt, even in retirement?
- is it that roughly 90% of Americans are unable to buy things they want in life, like I mentioned earlier?
What’s stopping them from doing investment and living it out? Well, lack of knowledge and lack of time are the two barriers that are stinging them. These things would have stopped you in the future if you didn’t get your mind straight in time. Kudos to that! Let’s keep that head start.
Now, playing blame games is not my hobby, but we gotta understand the situation. Governments and schools are the ones who should have been doing the job I am doing right now. Make no naïve mistake—they deliberately didn’t do it!
Before you say I am spreading conspiracy theories regarding the evil agendas of schools and governments, think of this—why is personal finance not taught in school? Pythagoras theorem is not a spell that summons Pythagoras to calculate my taxes for me—why is that taught and not how to do my taxes? You don’t need anyone to teach you Pythagoras theorem again, but there’s a gap regarding something as crucial as understanding taxes? Superrrrr strange.
Now, let me show you what happens when you understand savvy finance and how some people in power benefit from your lack of knowledge. When we don’t know how to manage finances, we end up buying 3 Nikes when we only need 1, we end up buying new vehicles when the old ones work fine, and after making many more such “smart” decisions, we end up missing income tax deductions because we didn’t know any better.
So, corporations benefited, the government benefited, and you were the meal they ate for dinner!
Ultimately, zero knowledge of finance has produced a swarm of people who are stuck in their lives; with no ambition, motivation, and financial knowledge—they are not living up to the legacy of their ancestors who used to hunt saber-tooth tigers as a snack. But governments and schools deserve some (tiny bit) slack—people are also at fault for not getting the education they need.
If they ignored those impulse buys and instead spent that money to cha-ching on counters for financial books, they wouldn’t be living as miserably as they are now.
Gaining financial know-how is important for becoming wealthy. If we think of getting wealth as playing an RPG, then the best class is the wizard class, and the rule number 1 is to grind your knowledge crazily.
Before we get to the nitty-gritty details of how to make money, let me guess why you picked up this book. Though, don’t spam me if I don’t hit the bullseye okay! So, you either wanted some real money to buy something like a phone, car, etc., or you were afraid of ending up like the average American stuck in debt and just wanted to live a debt-free, financially-free life—in which you didn’t have to worry about money. If I am wrong… ignore that for a bit and read ahead.
According to a survey, teenagers at large are not sure about what wealth is, and I am pretty sure that doesn’t include you! But I still have to define it so we are on the same page.
Some teenagers think wealthy means that you have a $200,000+ annum job, some think wealthy means you gotta stash five million+ $$$ in that vault, some think that being wealthy means owning the top companies in the world, and some think being wealthy means getting fixed money through rent/interest without working. So, a lot goes on in the minds of different guys. When considering these things, they fail to consider aspects like emergencies, thefts, economic downturns, and inflation.
What we are smoking here is something different—it is the best attempt at gaining financial independence. In a nutshell, financial independence means that you don’t have to worry about spending money on things you like within reason. Let me flesh that out.
Financial independence means that you have wings that let you fly from the USA to Japan without breaking a sweat. It means revving up a BMW and owning your apartment like a boss. It means parting ways with the student loan debts like they are your dreams. Basically, having money to cover your dreams, goals, and even those unexpected throws that life sends your way. So investing is totally worth it and your future self will also appreciate you for making the decision to get financial independence.
In all of this, I want to mention that if something appears too good to be true, you are probably right. If the benefits I raised didn’t raise your spider senses, you need to grind your scam-catching instincts.
Let’s talk about the sweets I mentioned above. Flying around the world, check. Owning fancy cars, check. Owning real estate, check. That’s a sign me up, right? But if you look around, most people are not living that life. The real bro talk is that it requires breaking a sweat to land that life. Financial independence is a marathon, and it takes years to get anywhere.
But who am I to lecture? Can I even help you with your dreams?
Yes.
I can.
I am a finance professional with over 15 years of experience in the finance game—read that again, I have actual experience of the trenches; I am more qualified to guide you than some teachers who just talk theory at schools—no offense to them, but that’s the street reality.
This is not my first time around the block teaching someone finance—I have helped people achieve their financial goals through savvy budgeting, smart saving, and intelligent investing—and now, I want to do that for you. I want to help you because I enjoy empowering intelligent young men like you to take control of their lives and steer clear of the cycle of debt. My goal? To see young people like you get that financial independence.
So, if you are willing to grind and be a go-getter to live your dream life, then you are totally in the right lane my friend. Your journey of hustling and gaining knowledge continues in the next chapter!
References
Konish, L. (2021, Nov 18). 88% of Americans are worried about inflation. Here’s where they’re planning to cut back. CNBC. Retrieved Aug 31, 2023, from https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/18/inflation-has-88percent-of-americans-worried-heres-how-they-will-cut-back.html
Dickler, J. (2021, November 16). Nearly half of all Americans expect to retire in debt, survey finds. CNBC. Retrieved August 31, 2023, from https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/16/46-percent-of-americans-expect-to-retire-in-debt.html
Kirouac, M. (2023, May 10). Summary: Why Don’t Schools Teach Basic Finance? Modern Money. Retrieved September 5, 2023, from https://modernmoney.ca/personal-finance/why-dont-schools-teach-basic-finance/
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2023, August 16). Oil and petroleum products explained Oil prices and outlook. EIA. Retrieved September 5, 2023, from https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/oil-and-petroleum-products/prices-and-outlook.php%5C