Jeremy Flores10... I honestly think you’re missing the whole point when it comes to freedom of choice.
Some people want to work on Sundays, and some people want to shop on Sundays. It's as simple as that.
Calling someone "crazy" is just your own subjective take, and frankly, it says more about your perspective than anyone else...
Look, I actually agree with you that hitting the mall for a family outing on the weekend isn't exactly the peak of productivity... but I'm not judging anyone's intelligence here. I'm just talking about the right to choose how we spend our time.
Besides, plenty of people can only get things done on the weekends. Who is the church or some politicians to tell us when we can shop or trade?
It’s pretty much the same for me, stormylynx14... my goal is identical. The only difference is that I’m looking at a 15 to 20-year timeline. I haven't quite figured out how to compress all that into less than a decade yet. Not that it's impossible, far from it...
Smart people always say you need a clear goal in life to know which direction you're heading. Without one, you just end up drifting aimlessly... nowhere at all.
I’ve been chatting with friends and colleagues lately, and honestly, most of them admit they have no idea what they actually want out of life. They aren't sure where they want to be financially down the road, yet almost everyone says they aren't happy with where they are right now... they aren't doing what they love... etc. A lot of people even say that once they finally figure out what they want, they still don't take any actual steps to make it happen.
In my view, we really need goals—short-term, mid-term, and long-term. Once you pinpoint where you want to land, you have to map out the journey and then actually TAKE those necessary steps to get there.
I'm putting together a presentation for a management seminar soon and I'm covering this exact topic, so I'd love to gather as many insights and opinions as possible.
I’d suggest that Steven Ruiz and the rest of the mod team stop wasting their breath reading through the nonsense, the tantrums, and the pure ego trips happening in this thread and elsewhere on the site.
Steven Ruiz isn't really built for this kind of drama. You guys were chosen to moderate a forum that's supposed to be civilized, where people actually respect the rules once in a while...
Since you've dealt with similar personalities before, I really hope you don't waste a single ounce of energy trying to mediate these conflicts. Just ban them all... protect your peace and focus on your own lives. The internet is huge, and people who just need an outlet for their outbursts will find other trash cans to dump their nonsense in eventually...
Just a heads up: I kept things vague here so nobody can claim I'm personally attacking anyone.
Stay positive and make your lives easier... just hit the ban button. Protect your own mental health from the users...
Honestly, I’m a bit baffled... It seems like everyone is moving back home and landing amazing jobs in the USA. How on earth did you pull that off? Was it all strictly by the book—job boards, resumes, interviews, formal offers—or did you just lean on some family connections? Maybe I’ve just been away from the States for too long...
And you all claim that companies are specifically looking to hire "returnees"... Well, let’s see. What kind of roles could I actually land (even though I'm not planning to move back quite yet, but maybe one day)? I have a Bachelor of Business Administration and Theology (forget the second part, because I have zero intention of becoming a priest, even if that's where the big money is—thanks, American University), plus four years of experience as an accounts assistant, financial analyst, pricing analyst, and so on. I've worked for places like Hewlett-Packard and Honeywell. My English is solid...
Look, we can debate working abroad all day... but the bottom line is that taking that leap was a move we made to improve our own lives... at least financially. Some people save up enough to buy the essentials back home in the States, while others gain work experience that actually carries weight back in the US—which usually leads to a better-paying job later on. Essentially, you took matters into your own hands to raise your standard of living. At the end of the day, whatever move we make, it's about us pulling our own weight instead of just waiting for things around us to get better.
Personally, I’m really happy living abroad. I’ve got a great social circle, whether it's fellow expats or locals here in London, and there's always something going on. It doesn't feel like I'm far from home; I fly back a few times a year, or my family flies out to visit me... Sure, everything could be better, but it’s good enough for me. Roses don't bloom everywhere except in the Netherlands, right? If I were unhappy, I’d actually do something to change it. What I mean is... so many of my buddies back in the States have been complaining for ten years straight... and look, I won't judge because the situation for many is pretty rough, but in those ten years, they haven't done anything to improve their own circumstances. You can't just sit around waiting for politicians to fix everything; that's only going to help themselves.
Man... damn, there isn't enough money in the world to buy back the youth you lost stuck in that endless work-home loop...
That’s true, but there's another danger: the idea that once you've achieved something between ages 20 and 40, you're set for life. The world is staring down the biggest retirement crisis in history... more people are retiring and living longer, and governments just can't keep up. That means retirees might struggle, and workers will face higher taxes just to fund those pensions. Plus, if you happen to lose your job after 40, you're basically on your own; nobody's looking out for you then. So yeah, enjoy your youth, but what you build during those years is what’s going to carry you for a long time...
You aren't crazy at all, nimbleskipper17... The whole point is that we constantly trade things we think have little value for the things we truly cherish. And that's exactly what you did... You swapped a life in the US for a life back home in the States, trading it all for free time, sunshine, family, and a better childhood for your kids. As long as you're happy, that's all that matters...
My question was really aimed at those people who just aren't happy with where they're at right now. Because, honestly... $1333 Getting paid through VSS... living at home with your parents when you're 35 and already have 15 years of experience under your belt. It’s enough to make anyone bitter, and honestly, I’d be frustrated too. The real question is whether people like that can actually see the bigger picture and realize things will eventually improve, or if they’ll just focus on taking matters into their own hands and building something better for themselves, regardless of what the government or politicians are doing...
Someone actually suggested I check out a different thread here regarding career paths and how much we're all pulling in...
It’s pretty obvious that so many people with advanced degrees or decades of experience are stuck making peanuts...
Do you think things will ever actually turn around? Is that small glimmer of hope what keeps you going, or are you planning to take matters into your own hands to fix your situation? Let's be real—nobody expects anything useful from the government anymore... Why not just look at moving abroad to change your life? Even if things feel rough, maybe it's worth it to give your kids a better shot...
What do you see happening over the next 5 to 10 years? Whether it's on a global scale, at the federal level, or just in your own life... what would make things better for you? Are you rooting for change, or are you content with how things are? Like, "I don't care how much money I make, as long as I have free time, sunshine, and my family"... or would you still prefer to see your bank account reflect what you actually deserve?$1333
I’ve read three books by Napoleon Hill and honestly, none of them really clicked for me. It feels like that typical cultish approach. I definitely prefer the stuff from Kiyosaki because he actually gets down to business and says something concrete. In fact, I was talking about specifics regarding real estate in my other thread. Now, Kiyosaki can be pretty tedious since he tries to pitch that cash flow game every ten pages... but you have to realize his target audience is the average American, who—let's face it—often needs things simplified with games and pictures just to grasp the basics. Reading is great, but it can never be a substitute for actual action. It's just a supplement...
"There is no difference between a person who does not read a good book and a person who cannot read it." Someone famous once said that...
stormylynx14, any money you make from rentals is generally categorized as taxable income everywhere. However, the interest you pay on a mortgage is deductible—at least in the United Kingdom and most other places I know—so you only end up paying tax on what's left after the interest is accounted for. For example, if you have a standard repayment loan where the monthly payment is $700 and the interest portion is $500, you’re only taxed on that remaining $200. You can even drive that number down further by claiming depreciation, furniture wear and tear, repair costs, or even repainting... as long as you keep all your receipts, you can write them off. But seriously, pick up a book on American real estate tax laws and rental properties. It'll clear up exactly what you can claim and what you're obligated to pay...
My strategy is to start small with real estate... because when you're starting out, you're going to make mistakes, just like in any new business. It's much better to make those mistakes on a small scale rather than a massive one... kind of like playing Monopoly... once you've built up those four little green houses, you trade them in for a fancy big red hotel...
All these self-proclaimed experts and market wizards love preaching diversification to the masses. It’s just like preachers repeating the same old stories until people accept them as gospel, even when it's nothing but a fairy tale. The end result? Those "experts" get fat off the land, much like they profit from regular folks who are so desperate to diversify—and too lazy to actually learn how to focus—that they dump their cash into mutual funds just so those "pros" can manage it for them.
It's such a cliché. In the US, there are more investment funds than there are actual companies traded on all the exchanges... all because average investors prefer handing their money over to someone else to babysit.
And then you hear these experts bragging about how their funds averaged a 20% return... blah, blah, blah. They just drone on about averages. But averages are for average investors.
If you actually want to achieve something, you have to be an above-average investor and take direct control of your own capital. No one looks after a child better than a parent (at least, that's how it should work). Similarly, no one is going to care about your money more than you do. Everyone else is just looking for their cut.
Learn the rules of the game, pick a lane, and trust your own instincts...
Put in the work for a while and master the mechanics of the financial world. If you don't, you won't have anything left of that $20,000 you started with. It would be like trying to raise a puppy without knowing a single thing about nutrition, only to end up feeding it something that makes it sick or causes it to vomit.
I agree that you shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket, but that isn't what traditional diversification really means. Investing in yourself, your own financial education, and a specific asset is like placing your eggs in two different baskets instead... a form of hedging.
Diversification? Please... that’s just a fancy way of saying you're de-worsifying...
Focus, my friend. That's the secret, not diversification. Learn everything there is to know about one specific investment until you're basically an expert. Then, put your energy there and you'll see those above-average returns...
It honestly drives me crazy when people refuse to put in even two minutes of effort to actually read something before they start spewing their mindless nonsense online.
This thread isn't even about MLM... which, for the record, I find just as obnoxious as ignorant people.
Jerry Moore2...I replied to you over there, hope it helps.
Since I’m running another thread here (New York Stock Exchange versus Real Estate) and some topics seem to overlap with this one, I want to highlight a few recurring themes I see from many participants...
When I was talking about real estate, mortgages, and the fundamental perks of investing in property, I often heard people say:
"That’s impossible in America."
"That's impossible in other countries."
"It's too complicated."
"There's too much risk."
"What if you lose everything?"
Personally, I think success in business often doesn't depend on what you need to do but rather who you need to be...
I believe so much depends on an individual's mental reality...
If someone's mental reality tells them that things like this are impossible in the US, or that they are too complex, too risky, or that failing is just too bad... then that person truly lacks the mental reality required for success and will never achieve it.
First off, losing or falling down is only bad for losers. A winner knows that losing is part of winning, and for them, losing is actually a good thing because they learn lessons that lead to much bigger gains later on...
Second, if a person is hardwired to believe something is impossible—even when others are proving it can be done right before their eyes—there’s no helping them unless they change that mindset. They have to shift that mental reality from "impossible" to "totally doable"...
Take the Wright brothers, for example... Wright, Orwill, and Wilbur Wright... at a specific point in history, they said: "We are going to be the first humans to fly.".
In the mental reality of people back then, that sounded completely insane and foolish...
However, the Wright brothers spent their time on a bicycle in a field, crashing hundreds of times before they finally became the first people to take flight and change the world...
Millions of people will never "fly" financially simply because they are afraid of falling, believing in their own mental reality that failure is a disaster...
The Wright brothers took risks, but it was calculated. They didn't try to fly off the tallest skyscraper in the world only to die instantly if they failed. No, their risk was a field with a bicycle. Every time they crashed, they might bruise themselves or break a finger or an arm, but they learned something every single time. They took off even though the mental reality of 99.9999% of people was that flight was impossible...
Their mental reality told them otherwise—not because they saw people flying, but because they shifted their own perception until it told them it was possible...
On the flip side, there are people who refuse to change their mental reality even when thousands of others prove to them that something is achievable...
When Christopher Columbus sailed in one direction and ended up proving the world was round, there were still thousands of people insisting the earth was flat... simply because that was their mental reality...
The point is, you can only achieve what fits within your own mental reality...
At least ask me something... I usually need a little nudge or a good question to get the gears turning. I can't just sit here and scribble aimlessly...
I’m sure you have some kind of roadmap for where you want to be in the next 15 to 35 years. You’re at Point A right now, and you know exactly where Point B lies.
Think of it like this: suppose you want to get from where you live in Washington, D.C., all the way to New York City... since that's your favorite place to be.
You wouldn't just hop on a plane and call it a day. You’d plan a more unconventional journey... maybe hitchhike your way to Boston first, then bike through Milwaukee because the scenery is gorgeous... after that, you rent a car to head toward Brussels, using the money you saved up working as a waiter in Milwaukee. Then, you take a Calley Taxi from Brussels, catch a ferry across the water, and eventually reach Dale, where I'll be waiting for you. And just like that, you're in New York City.
So, you finally reached Point B... that place in New York City where you truly belong. To get there, you used a variety of different modes of transport to make the trip happen.
That’s why investors often talk about "investment vehicles." Depending on the situation, they pick different tools—sometimes it's stocks, sometimes bonds, sometimes real estate, or even just starting out with education and experience...
Now... it’s wonderful for those people who travel from Point A to Point B in vehicles they absolutely love and enjoy along the way (I'm talking about people who genuinely love what they do)....
They reach Point B, their ultimate destination, and they actually enjoyed the ride getting there. It's a great way to live...
But look, man, if you and I aren't quite lucky enough to travel from Point A to Point B in vehicles we truly enjoy... that shouldn't stop us from making the trip. Our ultimate goal is still Point B. Even if the journey itself isn't a blast, we keep moving because reaching Point B is the whole point.