5 Simple Rules To Creating Wealth

These are five simple rules that everyone should know when looking to create wealth. The concept of creating wealth is very simple to understand, what is difficult is the EXECUTION to create it. A legendary billionaire investor once said that, “Success is 1% ideas and 99% execution”. Millions of people have good ideas, but don’t know how to execute it.

Nonetheless, understanding the concept of creating wealth is quite simple and is the real first step to becoming rich.

1. Change your mentality – The most integral factor of creating wealth starts with the mind. It will guide all your actions and thoughts for the rest of your life and will determine whether you will ever be rich or not. One of the first things you must understand is that if you SPEND more than you EARN, you will have nothing saved and (not die broke), but live broke.

2. Understanding the value of items – Understand that CARS, CLOTHES, and ACCESSORIES have no real value. They do not generate income nor do they appreciate in value, so placing value on items of no value will only make you poor. This is the second biggest mistake that individuals make. Let us use a common mistake that people make. Instead of buying a house they buy a car. A man or woman who bought a house two years ago would have seen their wealth increase by almost 50% in Jamaica, while an individual that bought a car would have seen their wealth decrease by 50% in the last two years.

3. Understand that money by itself has no value – A $100 note will always and forever be worth only $100. But with inflation and devaluation, over time, that $100 note has even less and less value. Put $100 under your bed today and I guarantee you that by next year that $100 cannot by the same thing that it can today. Another grave mistake that people make which is even worst than putting value on money is back to point #2 which is placing value on items that have even less value than money itself. Based on devaluation and inflation in Jamaica last year, if you were to keep money under your bed (as many of us Jamaicans do) that $100 would have devalued by 17% in one year alone. Now what is absolutely worse is buying an item that devalues even faster, like a cell phone or clothes.

4. Good debt vs. bad debt – Most of us are afraid to borrow. But as we all know, debt can be considered good and bad, depending on how you use it. As I said, the key is how you use it, if you borrow money to buy a house and rent it out and have the rent pay the mortgage, that house will not only provide you a second income but also appreciate in value. If you borrow money (in the form of a credit card, that is a monthly loan to which your bank gives you access) to buy clothes (another item of no value) then that is considered bad debt. As you have borrowed money at a high interest rate to purchase an item that neither appreciates in value nor generates income.

5. Learn to see opportunities where others fail to – Most of us tend to see problems very easily, while successful people see opportunities where you see problems. Think about any successful business and try to figure out why they exist or why they were created. Most if not all were created out of a need to correct and solve a problem. Think about Microsoft, Ford Motor Co., Band Aid, Boeing, you name it. They all saw a problem and found a need to solve the problem. In the early days of computers, they were very difficult to use, so Bill Gates invented Windows and look how easy it is to use a computer today. In the early 19th century walking or riding a horse was very time consuming and tiring, and that is why Henry Ford invented the Ford Motor Car, now look how easy it is to travel.

These five simple rules, although only a part of a bigger picture, may seem quite daunting at first but if executed correctly will have you well on your way to becoming wealthy.

Surviving The Recession

Since last year, we’ve been hearing that the world is currently experiencing a recession and that it’s not expected to end anytime soon. If this is so, how do we prepare for the future? What steps can we take to ensure that we do not bow to the pressures of the recession, but at least have the resources to continue with our daily lives?

Here are some tips that should help you get a better idea about the way forward and surviving the recession:

Open a Savings Account (if you don’t already have one)
This is the perfect opportunity for you to ensure that you have some extra cash if needs be. If you haven’t started saving yet, then the time is now to start. It never hurts to save and it might be very smart to put away a small portion of your salary every month towards the future. Think about how much you will have at the end of the month if you save $500 per day.

Exercise a Culture of Spending Less
Thrifty is in during 2009. Try to limit your spending to only the necessities. Therefore, the extra two pairs of shoes or the new Louis Vuitton handbag might not be a smart choice, especially if you have enough shoes and bags to last a lifetime. Whimsical spending is certainly unwise and will lead to financial problems in the future. Safeguard your future by ensuring that you make correct financial decisions now.

Create a Budget for the Month
This might sound impossible but you may be surprised to see the amount of money you save when you list in detail all the items you need and intend to buy for that month. If you have a budget, then it is less likely that you will do on the spot shopping. Resist the urge to buy items that aren’t already on your list. Budgeting ensures that you don’t overspend on one item and not have enough for another. It puts everything in perspective and ensures that your spending takes into account all your needs.

Do Not Touch Your Savings
Ok, so maybe you’ve been saving for five months and during that time you haven’t touched a dime. Regardless, this is not the time to dip into your savings. Unless the reason is absolutely important, then leave your savings for a time when you will need it the most. It wouldn’t be wise to spend your savings on unimportant things now, without making allowances for sufficient funds to be available in the event of an emergency.

Recycle
If you can, then it would be wise to reuse those items that you can. Bottles and small containers are ideal for storage purposes. If possible, wash and reuse as much as possible to save money.