Mine certainly did. My retirement nest egg was right where I'd been taught it should be: in a diversified portfolio, invested for the long-term. When the Dow was at 13,000 plus, I was working full-time and putting in the maximum amount allowed through payroll deduction. Well, just like Humpty Dumpty, it had a great fall, right along with the stock market. And I'm telling you, "all the king's horses and all the king's men" couldn't put my nest egg back together again.
There is very little within the mainstream media or traditional financial advisors' counsel that offers any truly helpful guidance, free from conflicts of interest. When the market is strong, they look good; when it comes tumbling down, they advise us to take a long view, think long term, remember that the market goes in cycles, and hope for the best. For most of my career and adult life, I accepted that counsel. What else could I do? Well, there are other, viable options and exciting opportunities about which I was, until recently, completely unaware.
As author Robert Kiyosaki writes, "There are three levels of financial advice: advice for the poor, advice for the middle class and advice for the rich." I grew up with the advice for the middle class. By following that advice, I was not well-served. Today I am learning what the rich have always known about currency vs. money, monetary policies, debt, and investing to win. I have shifted my focus from buying "depreciating toys" to focusing on real assets, profitable investments and cash flow. This is a profound paradigm shift for me. It is a crucial distinction and one I truly believe we all need to learn in order to survive what lies ahead. Merely being out of debt and having money in savings will not be enough to weather what is coming.
Now that I am aware of the alternatives, I have become empowered, energized, and most significantly of all - hopeful again. I no longer trust the hype and spin of "all the king's men." Having done so in the past has simply cost me too much. At one point, not long ago, I also believed I was simply too old to "make it all back again." I certainly don't believe that anymore - because I am making it back, along with gaining a growing understanding of how things really work (something I never had before becoming part of Wealth Masters International).
What all the conventional wisdom and "all the king's men" couldn't put back together again, I am learning to put back together myself - with the education, insights, tools and training of a most unique partnership. Through CarbonCopy Pro's powerful, all-inclusive system (called a Business in a Box), I am learning how to market anything to anyone, anywhere in the world - though the Internet. I have become a mid-life Internet marketer - and I am loving it. What products or services do I market?
This proven Business system is combined with the top-tier product line of Wealth Masters International (WMI). Through WMI I am receiving a world-class education in debt elimination, wealth accumulation and asset protection. What I am learning (and implementing) - regarding investment opportunities alone - is more than worth the cost of the products. My portfolio looks completely different than it did when I was in my former 403(b) plan. The gains I am experiencing do not resemble what is happening in the market. The only way to state this is to say I am involved in an incredible opportunity that is providing me with thoroughly credible results.
It is an honor and a blessing to be a part of this home-based business and this amazing community; and to be affiliated with leaders who have such wisdom and experience, acumen, integrity and a deep commitment to helping others.
For those who have no desire to be an Internet marketer when you grow up, happily you still have the unparalleled opportunity to acquire the WMI products. You can still have all of the benefits of the life-transforming education, debt elimination program, wealth building strategies, and investment opportunities, without being engaged in the business side. This is the best retirement planning strategy I know of, if one doesn't want to have to work the rest of one's life - assuming there will be jobs. I don't know a single soul who couldn't benefit from these products, given our stormy economic times. Sadly though, I do know individuals who have no interest in learning about history and how to better prepare themselves against the torrents raging in our future; and intellectually I must accept this.
Our economy is at a breaking point, and the conventional attempts to mitigate the situation are actually causing more problems. The value of the dollar continues to slide because our main monetary policy is to keep printing more currency - a diminishing paper currency worth less and less because it is no longer backed by the gold standard. Our national debt is simply and seriously out of control. There are multiple factors that make inflation or hyperinflation inevitable. We are facing another crushing wave of foreclosures in the housing market, and the commercial real estate market as well. Many believe that the real unemployment numbers are actually much higher than what is being reported, and jobs are not being replaced or created.
Having never been one to "buy into" doom and gloom scenarios, it has taken quite a bit to shake me from my quiescence. Had I lived in the Biblical times of Noah, I am certain that I would have been one of his neighbors who thought he was crazy. Forget some benign thought that he was "over-reacting." I would have used the phrase, "He has surely gone off the deep end." But in comparison, there were very few signs to indicate the coming of the flood of which Noah was certain. Noah was a righteous man, and he did as he was commanded to do by God. There was wickedness, corruption and violence upon the earth. And God, angry and aggrieved, had determined to blot it out.
Today, we have history, patterns and precedent, along with blatant corporate greed and failed policies. We are repeating the same mistakes that lead to the Great Depression. I urge you to read and learn for yourself. Don't take my word for this. Read Guide to Investing in Gold & Silver - Protect Your Financial Future, a compelling book by Michael Maloney (Robert Kiyosaki's personal precious metals advisor) for a compelling history of currency vs. money (and much more). His book really scared me, but it also startled me into action.
Taking action has restored my hope, enabled me to embrace what is possible, and to do retirement planning that is realistic, given the realities of today. Once again my future is bright, and I no longer fear the thought of retiring some day. I am especially grateful that I am positioning myself to be able to help my family and friends. I am no longer stuck in a dizzying maze of "what ifs" and am not caught up in "paralysis by analysis." I am learning, and acting on the knowledge I am acquiring, and it is empowering.
Economically, these are indeed perilous times; and every indication is that they will get worse before they get better. Thankfully, with crisis comes opportunity. It is my profound hope that you will position yourself to be on the upside of opportunity. There are viable options and exciting opportunities available to you. But in order to seize these very real opportunities knowledge must be gained, decisions must be made, and action must be taken.
It is my fervent hope that yours will truly be a pivotal, positively enlivening, and prosperous New Year!
As a successful, mid-life Internet marketer and mentor, Linda is committed to helping others avoid going from Baby Boomer to Bust. Despite today's rocky economy, there are viable options and exciting opportunities. You may personally ask her about them by visiting her websites and using the contact information.
Linda Compton has a BA in Philosophy; a Masters degree in Gerontology; and a Master of Divinity degree. She was ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA) in 1987. She has 30 years combined professional experience in multi-national corporate management, non-profit leadership, the interfaith movement and philanthropy. Currently her passion is Internet marketing and mentoring. http://www.WealthwithHeart.net and http://www.WealthyandWiseToday.net
No comments:
Post a Comment