Are You Investing or Gambling?

What do you invest in?  Why did you choose to invest there?

If you're like most people, you have a 401(k).  Maybe you put money in an IRA or mutual funds.  Perhaps you've purchased stocks because you thought the market was ripe.

If you are investing in these types of products, you probably don't have any idea inwhat you are investing.  You know little or nothing about the companies where your money is going or how or if they create real value.  You're accepting a relatively high level of risk for the promise of low returns.  In essence, you're not really investing.  You're gambling.  

"Investing" in this manner is a bad idea for a number of reasons.  For one, the anonymity and diversity inherent in such products means you likely know very little about your investments.  You don't know what returns you should expect.  You know nothing about the value they create.  You don't know how to mitigate the risks you are taking.

Yet beyond the risks and low returns, this kind of gamble-investing puts you in a harmful accumulation mindset that is actually detrimental to your ability to create real prosperty.  A mindset that, combined with your lack of real control over your investments, engenders fear and uncertainty that are harmful not only materially, but spiritually. 

Real investors know exactly how they're creating value for others, how they can manage the growth and disposition of their investments, and how they can mitigate risks to near zero.  They possess the ability to contribute to and create favorable conditions to get healthy returns on their investments.  They have an exit strategy that allows them to profit under almost any circumstance, and they practice the theories of utilization and velocity, as opposed to accumulation.  

That certainly doesn't describe people 'investing' in 401(k)s and mutual funds.

Investing 'Close to Home'

Is oil a good investment?  What about real estate?  Or a chain of restaurants?  There is no single, right answer to those questions.  

If you happen to know, or are willing to perform the due diligence necessary to gain knowledge of real estate - all the ins and outs of contracts, renters, and buyers -  real estate may be a good investment for you.  If you have a love for real estate and real estate dovetails with your Soul Purpose, all the better.  

Investing close to home and in line with your Soul Purpose enables you to evaluate if your prospective investment truly creates value, allowing you to mitigate risk.  Investing close to home and in what you know gives you the best chance at positive returns.  And doing so allows you to invest without the fear and worry that, ultimately, limits confidence and productivity.

Are you investing wisely?  Or are you buying what they're selling? 

How can you begin investing closer to home?

Well, the first step is often to free up financial resources - taking money that's currently being misused or mis-invested and redirect it where it can help accelerate your ability to create value for others and increase your cash flow.

For most people, that means finding out where you are leaking cash.  And I guarantee I can find out exactly where your leaks are with a 7-Step Cash Recovery Analysis.  This is the same analysis that I use to start my personal coaching clients on their road to financial freedom, and as part of my desire to create instant value for you, I'm willing to give you this analysis as a no-obligation test drive of my coaching services.  

If our core principles make sense to you, you owe it to yourself to prove that they really work.  If you're willing to commit to taking action on the results of my analysis, I will have my team perform the analysis as my gift to you.