I Want To Be Rich!

Whether we know it or not, sometimes we hold onto beliefs that can actually inhibit our ability to make money. I’ve been guilty of some of the thought patterns explored below, and once I learned to face and negate them, greater income sources opened up to me.

See if you, too, harbor any of these bad money beliefs.

I will fund your business idea with $10.000 grant

Best way towards riches is your own unique idea. You always have to consider to make money yourself and continue earning it more and more easily. As you know already, internet is one of the markets that is expending extremely fast. Maybe you have a good idea for online home business that could bring quite a buck? Then you should definitely go for it! I will fund your business idea with $10.000 grant!  

1. “Only certain people get rich.”

Maybe you grew up in a family that experienced a serious lack of funds and deep down believe it’ll always be that way, as if you somehow inherited “poorness” like a disease. Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s faulty to think that only people such as Oprah or Bill Gates were intended to be blessed with large sums of money. Even Ms. Winfrey was poor once, and if richness can happen to her, it can happen to just about anyone. Why not create a $1 million business this weekend?

2. “There are no jobs out there.”

Buying into doom and gloom job reports give some people an excuse to give up their search for employment. As author James Altucher notes, however, millionaires learn to look for hidden opportunities and make their own entrepreneurial moves. Get inspired by this guy who left Google to sell brain pills.

Your 10.000$ here!

3. “Giving income away will make me lose cash.”

It seems logical that if you have $500 and give away $100 to help a family in need, you’d only have $400 left over. Conversely, if you choose to keep that $500 and skip helping the people whose light may have pricked your heart, common math would tell you that you’d still have $500 for yourself. But life doesn’t work in logical ways; it works mysteriously and circuitously, whereby you may find that opening the door to being charitable comes back to you in fabulous ways.

4. “It’s a zero-sum game – to win, somebody has to lose.”

Simply because one person gains $1 million doesn’t mean that another person has lost out. Instead of viewing money as a big pie whereby those with larger slices are cheating those with slivers, Bill Gates once spoke of a concept called “the creation of wealth,” whereby companies like Microsoft generated funding that wouldn’t have been there otherwise. I view it almost as money being printed out of thin air instead of funds being stolen via some “the rich get richer and poor get poorer” idea.

5. “Impoverished people are holier, less selfish, etc.”

Yes, we’ve had great examples of folks who’ve walked this Earth that intentionally lived in poverty and focused more on non-material attributes. But that doesn’t mean doing so makes us saints. You can be just as effective by having money and using it in altruistic ways to help others, instead of taking a vow of poverty if your life isn’t meant to duplicate that direction.

6. “Wealthy people are jerks.”

Some rich people are full of themselves. Some rich people are kind and caring. Certain disadvantaged members of the public are lovely, whilst others are cruel. Money in and of itself is merely a tool. Having a lot of it only magnifies a person’s true character. Great wealth doesn’t create character.

7. “I’ll hit the lottery one day.”

Out of all the major lessons I remember from the popular book titled The Millionaire Next Door, the one that sticks out is that millionaires don’t always look like the flashy Rolls Royce driving folks we see in the movies. That’s because some of them plod away at doing all the non-glamorous things it can take to get rich: driving older cars, living beneath our means, etc.

As long as we’re solely waiting for some sweet Powerball-winning day to make us rich, it kind of takes the onus off of getting there the hard way. Like one stockbroker told me, “Continue on with your get-rich-quick plan, and in the meantime, save money as well.”

8. “I’d better lower my prices/salary in order to gain sales/clients.”

If you’re trying to get rich through your business, there could be times when you’re tempted to cut your hourly rate or the prices of your products or services in order to make ends meet. This could be a great business move – after all, the marketing term “loss leader” wasn’t invented for nothing.

However, if you’re constantly undercutting your own value just because you’re afraid of losing clients or due to fears that what you bring to the table is not good enough to compete with others, it could be more symptomatic of deeper issues.

A graphic artist who provides high-quality image editing might decide that her level of expertise and skills are worth $50 per hour. If clients looking for a cheap deal try to talk her down to $10 per  hour and she accepts, the artist may discover that she’s effectively lowered her annual salary below the poverty level. Instead of kowtowing to cheap clients out of anxiety, it would be better to politely decline and move on to others that are more than willing to pay higher rates for quality work.

Don't navigate from this page! Apply for your 10.0004 here!

9. “My business has to be shady to make money.”

The talk of the Internet recently was about a New York-area hotel that had the gall to charge people $500 for any negative reviews posted about them on sites like Yelp. Setting aside the fact that the practice might actually be illegal, most readers agreed that instead of threatening guests with fines for negative reviews, the hotel should actually do their best to provide positive customer experiences and gain great reviews naturally.

Amazon is king when it comes to “the customer is always right” theory. They even allow consumers to return Kindle books within seven days if they don’t like them – one of the many ways the online retailing giant has won the trust of goo-gobs of people that love to fork over their credit and debit card numbers to “The Everything Store,” as goes their motto.

Businesses and leaders who adopt the same thought-process – that is, harboring quality customer relationship management training, honesty and good ethics – are the ones that stand a greater chance of making their owners and employees rich. Those firms and folks that believe they must adhere to shady, confusing practices that rely on trickery to make a lot of money are the ones that will burn out like a shooting star streaking across the night sky.

I want to be a millionaire

So it turns out that the internet is good for more than just porn and video games – you can make money off it too! Think of the internet as a giant country called Imaginationland. By playing your cards right, you can make some easy money online doing things you’re already doing. So, if you are extremely successful, you could too find your riches and grab a million or two. Here are some lifehacks to start you off:

1. Website Building

If the internet is a country, then websites are like real estates. I’m hoping by now you have a general understanding that real estates are valuable in the physical world – digital real estates work the same way. By building a website, you’re creating your own plot of online “land.”

You can fill this land with whatever you want, but you have to promote it through social media (and anywhere else you can think of) for this to be successful. When you build traffic to your land, you can sell people whatever you have to offer. In order to build a website, you need a host (i.e GoDaddy), a template (i.e WordPress), and content.

The first two parts are easy to find, and content is only as difficult as you make it. You can post blogs, items for sale, pictures, videos, or whatever you want. Opening up your own website gives you the potential to make money from the avenues I’m going to mention.

2. B2B Marketing

An online business model I love is utilized by GetVoiP, an affiliate marketer based in New York. GetVoiP acts as an agent for business communication providers. They maintain updated listings of VoiP providers, including ratings, comparisons, consumer reviews, in-depth knowledge of market and end-user trends, and expert opinions from business professionals on a variety of topics related to business consumers. By not only keeping abreast of news, but providing detailed analysis of products being offered, GetVoiP is able to generate traffic to their site and increase their clout with businesses.

The more online clout you have as a business, the more money you’ll make. If you’re known for making lasting connections (as is the case with GetVoiP above), then you’ll have no issues building your online brand. You’ll be recognized in your community and begin to build a buzz in your industry. Tracking your numbers (how many people view your site, click each ad, and make a purchase from that click) gives you the leverage to expand this part of your business, enabling you to continue building your online rep.

10.000$ are only yours! Claim it!

3. Google Adsense

If that sounds like too much technical information for you, there is an easy button – Google’s advertising platform is as simple as signing up, enabling (on Blogger) or pasting a small code on your website, and allowing the advertisements to automatically roll in. The problem with this program is that you don’t get any commissions – and you don’t get to control the ad content. This is useful for some, but powerful users will want something a little more robust.

4. Amazon Associates

Amazon has an Associates program for site owners and bloggers. They offer a search tool to find the right products and services from their site and a variety of ad styles to display on your site, including text-based and banner images (digital billboards) like this:

Each item purchased through your Amazon links give you a commission. It doesn’t take high volume traffic to achieve results, either. I began making money with the program when I only had 1,000 hits per month on my site. They can apply your earnings to your Amazon account balance, issue you a check, or direct deposit into your bank account. If you love Amazon, you’ll love their associate’s program. Click here for another Lifehack dedicated to Amazon Associates.

5. Rakuten Linkshare

Amazon and Google are far from your only options for online advertising. Rakuten Linkshare is a great place to search for other affiliates for your ads. Through their program, you can get customized ad links, email links, and banner ads for Starbucks, Walmart, iTunes, and a slew of other popular brands. With this program, you can also find smaller companies, regional or specialized brands, and more. I run a combination of Google, Amazon, and Rakuten’s programs, and my monthly income is approximately $150 from these programs. It’s not a lot of money, but it’s also not a lot of work for residual (it means recurring…since the ads are permanent…) income.

6. Company Referral Programs

Speaking of the benefits of permanent ads, banners and links aren’t the only ways to earn a little bit of dough off your online endeavors. By having a website, you gain the power of emailing companies to ask them for things. I have no shame in letting the yoga company whose mat I’m looking into purchasing know that I have a blog and write for yoga publications – it sometimes gets me discounts.

Other times, I gain a valuable business contact in PR, advertising, or other aspects of corporate sales. Sometimes I just get a free drink. Either way, money in and of itself is worthless. Ditch the middle man and use the internet to barter what you have and can do for what you need.

7. Klout

If you have a social media account, try out Klout. The company tracks your social media usage, determines how big and what type of audience you draw based on the subject matter of your updates and posts. Using this information, you’re qualified to receive free items, tickets, etc. Check their website often to find ways of earning free stuff by doing what you’re already doing online…boring the rest of us…

8. EBay

If you have anything you want to sell, then EBay is the place you need to seriously consider doing it first. Personally I’m not a fan of the site because of the work it takes to build up a reputation. If you’re willing to grind through that process, you’ll be rewarded with many privileges – people have gotten rich selling books about how they got rich selling everything on EBay: Click here for a few tips from the pros.

9. Amazon

If you start getting too big for EBay or decide you want to try a different flavor, Amazon has a marketplace as well. I prefer using Amazon because I can depend on their shipping, have a Prime account, and trust their reviews (overall, not usually singularly, although occasionally that as well). Learn more about Amazon’s marketplace by clicking on this Lifehack, and delve into the marketplace.

The difference between Amazon and EBay is that EBay (though still filled with new items) is seen as a used marketplace between individual parties, whereas Amazon (which is filled with offers for new and used merchandise from the 3rd parties) is viewed as a Wal-Mart-type superstore. As a consumer, this difference leads me to use Amazon, so it only makes sense to target on my own demographic.

 Claim your 10.000$ right now!

10. Etsy

If you’re crafty (and I mean that in more than one way, wink wink), you’ll enjoy Etsy. Handcrafted items are the bread and butter here. Plenty of people make decent side money on the site, which is basically an EBay for crafters and artists. Set up a sellers account with Etsy, and you’ll be asked to set up your virtual storefront and put up at least 5 goods for sale.

Once you have this down, you’ll be a budding Etsy entrepreneur. Provide great quality to your customers, and they’ll often return. Many people are willing to pay a premium for quality handmade designs. Etsy (like EBay and Amazon) takes a cut off the top for selling items through their site. PayPal takes another cut, and you have to be careful with taxes on all income, so be diligent while building your online business.

11. Craigslist

Craigslist is the modern equivalent of the classified ads that dominated the days of newspapers. These quick ads are easy to navigate and use, and they’re geographically linked. Whether you’re selling something or offering a service, this lifehack is a great place to start learning the intricacies of Craigslist.

Posting ads on Craigslist is technically easy, but people often have fears about posting their personal information on the site. I communicate mostly through email when doing business on Craigslist, and I’ve never run into any issues. I’ve never been ripped off, nor have I been murdered or raped for using the site. It takes common sense, so use your best judgment, but don’t assume someone is a thief just because of their preferred communication method. For an extra bonus, google “funny Craigslist ads” to see some delightful examples of guerilla and grassroots marketing.

12. Indeed

Maybe what you need is a job. It doesn’t matter which job search site you prefer using (even Craigslist) – Indeed tracks them all, and then some. You can find jobs posted on company websites, through temp agencies, and more at Indeed. If money is something you really need, Indeed is most definitely the place you want to visit to browse career opportunities.

13. Elance

Where Indeed excels at finding job postings across the web and acting as a search crawler for employment, maybe a full-fledged career is too big of a commitment at this point in your life. Elance is a site to find freelance work of all types. I’ve used it for quick writing, editing, copywriting, resume building, and other odd jobs and temp gigs. The experience has been great.

Elance offers a wide array of technical, data entry, accounting, and other freelance and temp gigs. If you’re just looking for something short and sweet, log in, input and showcase your marketable skills, and begin searching through their job database, using any parameters you desire. Once you submit a bid, you’ll receive an acceptance or denial – you may get a few rejections, but don’t sweat it. Negotiate the terms of your bid, and get to work. You have money to make.

14. Mturk

If you’ve heard of crowdsourcing (and even if you haven’t), Amazon’s Mechanical Turk program is a great place to get involved. Much like at Elance, you input your info and skills. You then are able to search for different menial tasks ranging from identifying inappropriate web content to transcribing audio recordings to basic data entry work.

Just like at any other job, the more work you do, and the better your quality, the more opportunities you’ll have to make money. The payouts are often small, and your payment is received in Amazon credit, but Mturk is a great place to make mindless money while veg’ing on the couch watching TV.

15. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a social media site for professionals. This isn’t a direct way to make money, but it’s a great way to connect to your current and potential peers, customers, clients, vendors, and more here. You’ll build a reputation and get in the loop on important developments in your chosen career path and/or industry. One day an old college buddy may hit you up for a dream job you never considered at the exact moment you are looking for a new vocation. Whether you like it or not, keeping your LinkedIn profile current is a great way to get surprised with new work opportunities out the blue.

16. Care.com

If you’re an experienced nanny or babysitter, Care.com is the place you want to make money. By listing yourself on the Craigslist of Childcare, you’ll broaden your reach and increase your odds of finding the right gig at the right time. You can be pickier with what kids you watch when you have the reputation and traffic to pull in more customers. Join Care.com and start making money by investing in the future of our youth.

17. ThePirateBay

I support bootlegging – I don’t see it as being immoral or unethical in any way. I used to bootleg quite a bit in my youth, and I still do on occasion today (although not yet today in particular, I more meant “in the present”). If you want to hustle for your money, do what you must, baby. Download some software, music, movies, or other assorted digital goodness here and start slangin. It’s not an easy life, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

1.000.000$ given away already! Claim your 10.000$ here!

18. iTunes

If you’re a musician, writer, artist, tech nerd, pundit, or can produce any type of audio, video, or text worth consuming, you may be able to sell some stuff in Apple’s flagship iTunes store. By selling your work here, you’re able to stand next to the marketing clout of big business. You can make a healthy living off the iTunes store, and there’s no better time than now. Learn more about iTunes with this lifehack.

19. Yelp!

If you have a business, you want to get listed on Yelp! You may not use the software, but some people do, and they use it religiously (and I don’t mean they’ll kill you over it). By listing your business on Yelp!, you’re putting yourself on the map. From here, you also need to start using Yelp! Write reviews of places you go. It’ll be worth it in the long run.

Soon, you’ll have a dozen or so reviews under your belt and can hire yourself out as a Yelp! reviewer. There are ethical and moral questions to doing this, but the title of this piece is “ways to make money,” not “ethical ways to make money,” and I am a former Bank of America/Countrywide employee, so what’d you expect?

20. Wikipedia

Another seemingly free site you can make money from is Wikipedia. People who say it’s easy to edit Wikipedia have clearly never tried editing Wikipedia – it’s a pain. Thankfully it’s a pain for companies as well, so many of them are willing to pay editors to assist them in the editing process. You’ll become a bounty hunter in a way, choosing your own lines to cross and keep. If editing is something you like to do, and you’re willing to put in the work it takes to learn Wikipedia’s dispute process, roll up your sleeves and try this one out.

21. Blogging

I make the bulk of my money from blogging. In addition to the advertising revenue streams mentioned above, I also receive flat rate payments for blogging from various blogs throughout the web. I’m paid to write as a whistleblower, financial analyst, reviewer, commentator, and more. Writing for other sites builds traffic to my personal blog. The traffic for this blog gives me clout to present to advertisers.

To create your own blog, you don’t even need a web domain. You can start a completely free blog on either WordPress or Blogger. Each of these sites has its ups and downs, but you can’t beat the price. You generally want to keep blog posts between 150-500 words until you have a few dozen under your belt. Links between your blog posts encourage people to stay on your blog once they find it, increasing traffic. Once your blog is up, promote it on social media for the greatest effect.

22. Kickstarter

If you have a passion project, Kickstarter may be exactly what you need to get it off the ground. Celebs like Zach Braff and Melissa Joan Hart have used this site in attempts to fund their movie projects. Some crack dealers in Canada inspired a “crackstarter” campaign from Gawker for pictures of the Toronto mayor smoking crack with them. All you need is a dream, a goal, a budget, and a great pitch to convince people to come to the site and donate to your Kickstarter campaign. Panhandling isn’t dead – it’s gone digital…

23. Extreme Couponing

If you’ve never heard of extreme couponing, check out this lifehack on the subject. Once you’re versed on the idea, what you have to do is a bit difficult at first, but it’s a great way to both save and make money: go to hip2save.com and get a feel for the types of deals that are out there (both online and in the physical world). Once you’re comfortable with the process, start searching for the best deals in grocery, retail, and online shopping. After a month or two of extreme couponing, you’ll have enough cleaning, hygiene, and food supplies stocked up to save a noticeable amount of money. Now maybe you don’t need to make as much…?

24. Social Media

No matter what you do to make money online, promote it on your social media accounts. You have a base of people who are already interested in you and have a vested interest in your brand – why would you not want to take advantage of that? By promoting yourself and your projects on your social media accounts, you’re greatly increasing the chances of people actually giving you money in exchange for your goods and services. Stop being shy and get out there.

Millionaire advice: Best ways to get rich!

We tend to assume that if we work hard and save money then one day we will end up wealthy. This is wishful thinking. We are more likely to end up with some modest but useful savings. If you want to accumulate serious wealth then there a number of approaches you can use and some are much more effective than others. 

Get your 10.000$ right here!

There are some ways to capitalize on my free money giveaway, no strings attached, that you may want to try to get in on.   All over the world,  millionaires and billionaires giving away money  as I do also, are handing out cash to those that are in need.   If  you are  in need of some assistance, perhaps this is a good option for you.   Once you find  a  list of  millionaires that give cash to help out others, you can write to them.   If you are saying,  I need cash now, let's explore how you should construct a  letter to try to get in on a free money giveaway, no strings attached.

 1. Start your own business and eventually sell it. 

This is the most effective and proven way to become rich. If you can find a new approach to a customer need and build a profitable business that addresses that need then you have created real value. It could be a cleaning business, a hairdresser痴, a consultancy or an investment bank. It will probably take years of very hard work to build up the enterprise. Most new businesses fail so the risks are high. You need all the skills, dynamism, perseverance and diligence of an entrepreneur. But if you can pull it off the potential rewards are huge. This is how many of the seriously wealthy people did it.

Best way definitely is for you to try to make money yourself. As you know already, internet is one of the markets that is expending extremely fast. Maybe you have a good idea for online home business that could bring quite a buck? Then you should definitely go for it!  I am also willing to help you develop in this field! Get 10.000$ strait from me for realistic home business ideas.   

 2. Join a start-up and get stock. 

If you can accumulate equity positions in one or more start-up companies then there is an opportunity for a serious capital gain if the company thrives and either floats or is sold to a larger enterprise. Only a small minority of start-ups succeed in realising large capital gains so the odds are not good. However, you can use your judgement to see which business idea and which management team are likely to succeed. Early employees in Apple, Google and Microsoft became millionaires on this basis.

 3. Exploit your skill as a self-employed expert. 

If you can develop a marketable skill and retain your independence then you can reap considerable rewards. This is how sports stars, authors and entertainers become rich. In general the self-employed expert has greater earnings opportunities than one who works for a company. There are risks and you have to have something special. Your success is in your own hands so this is a popular route for people who have developed a skill and want to strike out on their own.

 4. Develop property. 

Buying, developing and selling property is a well-established way to build a significant capital position. One of the key elements is that by borrowing money you can gain leverage on your investment. Say you borrow $200,000 and put in $50,000 of your own to buy a property for $250,000. Then you develop the property and sell it for $400,000. The property has increased in value by 60% but your $50,000 has now grown fourfold to $200,000. You have to select the right properties in the right areas and develop them wisely. You are at risk from booms and busts in the property market. However, in the long term this remains a proven way to accumulate wealth.

 5. Build a portfolio of stocks and shares. 

If you can make steady investments in stocks over a long period, choose wisely and reinvest the dividends then you can build a large store of wealth. Of course stocks can go down as well as up and many small investors lose heart when their portfolio plunges. But over the long-term equities are as good an investment as property and much more liquid. Stock market crashes represent great buying opportunities for those with cash and strong nerves.

 6. Inherit wealth. 

It helps if you were born to successful or wealthy parents but failing that, you could marry fortuitously!

Get your 10.000$ right here!

Here’s a few more ideas that are not necessarily bad but are somewhat riskier if your goal is wealth:

 1. Work in a steady job, cut back expenditures and save in the bank. 

This is prudent practice and reduces your financial risk but is not an effective method of becoming rich. You should keep your expense within your income but if you want to make serious money then you must significantly boost your income or find ways to multiply your capital. Revisit some of the ideas above.

 2. Be an inventor. 

Invent a something that everyone needs and patent your invention. Then licence out your invention and watch the royalties roll in. This is another very difficult route to wealth. Some inventors do get rich this way but securing the patent is arduous and signing a good licensing deal is not easy. However more big companies are looking outside for innovations they can market so it is not impossible.

 3. Gamble. 

We hear about lottery winners and poker stars so this approach can sometimes work but the numbers are so unfavorable that it represents a lousy plan for becoming rich. You are strongly advised to avoid this method and use one of the first six above.

There are more important things in life than accumulating wealth. Who wants to end up rich, unloved, lonely and in poor health? However, if you can enjoy a balanced life and at the same time become rich, why not do so? Plan your route and relish the journey! 

Millionaire advice: How to get rich?

Many people think that getting rich must be a complex, fancy process that’s out of their reach. Though there are many paths to financial freedom, the reality is that building wealth can be a series of simple, small steps that you accomplish over time.

Click the Image! 10.000$ are yours!

Firstly, there are some ways to capitalize on a free money giveaway, no strings attached, that you may want to try to get in on.  All over the world, millionaires and billionaires giving money away as I do also, are handing out cash to those that are in need.  If you are in need of some assistance, perhaps this is a good option for you.  Once you find a list of millionaires that give cash to help out others, you can write to them.  If you are saying, I need cash now, let's explore how you should construct a letter to try to get in on a free money giveaway, no strings attached.

Also, you can try to make money yourself. As you know already, internet is one of the markets that is expending extremely fast. Maybe you have a good idea for online home business that could bring quite a buck? Then you should definitely go for it! I am also willing to help you develop in this field! 

In this episode I’m going to give you 5 principles of building wealth. If you’re already following them, you’re on the right path to achieving financial success. If not, you’ll know exactly what to do.

Principle #1: Start Saving Early and Automate It

One of the most important factors in how much wealth you accumulate depends on when you start saving. Starting early allows your money to compound and grow exponentially over time—even if you don’t have much to invest.

Never make the mistake of thinking that you’ll start saving in the future. If you wait until you have more money, get a raise, earn a bonus, or get a tax refund, you’re burning precious time. That’s because waiting to invest even small amounts today will really cost you in the long run.

For instance, let’s say you invest $200 a month starting in your mid-20s and get a 7% average return. If you do that for 4 decades, you’ll have close to $525,000 when you’re in your mid-60's.

But if you wait to start investing until your mid-30s and invest twice as much each month, or $400, you’d only have about $485,000 to spend during retirement, assuming the same return.

In other words, waiting 10 years to get started means you had to pay more out-of-pocket for decades—and left you $40,000 short!

Because it’s so easy to procrastinate saving, the best strategy is to automate it. Have money automatically transferred from your paycheck or bank account into a savings or investment account every single month.

Putting your financial future on autopilot simplifies your life and insures you’ll slowly get rich. I’ll tell you more about where to put your money in next principles.

Principle #2: Save Money for the Short-Term

Though we tend to use the terms saving and investing interchangeably, they’re really not the same thing. Savings is the cash you keep on hand for short-term planned purchases and unexpected emergencies.

For instance, if you’re saving money for a down payment on a house that you plan to buy within the next year or two, keep it 100% safe in a high-yield bank account that’s FDIC-insured.

Your savings should never be invested because the value could drop at the exact moment you really need all the money.

If you don’t have an emergency fund that’s equal to at least 3 to 6 months’ worth of your living expenses, make accumulating one a top financial priority. Set aside 10% of your gross pay until you have a healthy cash cushion to land on if you lose your job or can’t work for an extended period of time.

Principle #3: Invest for the Long-Term

Investments are the opposite of savings because they’re for your distant future, like retirement. If you’re relying on being healthy enough to work until the day you die, or on living off of Social Security as a sole source of income, that’s extremely risky.

Over time, a diversified stock portfolio has historically earned an average of 10%. But even if you only get a 7% return on your investments, you’ll have over $1 million to spend during retirement if you put aside $400 a month for 40 years.

So start investing a minimum of 10% of your gross income for retirement. Yes, that’s 10% in addition to the 10% for savings that I previously mentioned. Consider these amounts monthly obligations to yourself—no different than any bill with a due date.

If you think that’s more saving and investing than you can afford, start tracking your spending carefully and categorizing it. I promise that when you see exactly how you’re spending money, you’ll find opportunities to save it. Then divert those amounts to savings or investments instead.

Principle #4: Use Tax-Advantaged Retirement Accounts

If your employer offers a retirement plan, like a 401(k) or a 403(b), start participating as soon as possible—especially if they match some amount of your contributions. Here’s why matching is such a big deal:

Let’s say you get a full match on the first 3% of your salary that you contribute to a 401(k). If you earn $40,000 a year and contribute 10% of your salary, that comes out to $4,000 (10% of $40,000) a year or $333 a month. If that’s all you invested over 40 years with a 7% average return, you’d have a nest egg in excess of $875,000.

But now consider what happens when your matching funds kick in: If your employer matches contributions up to 3% of your salary, they’ll add an additional $1,200 (3% of $40,000) a year or $100 a month into your account.

Now you’re socking away $5,200 ($4,000 plus $1,200) a year instead of $4,000, which means you’ll have over $1.1 million after 40 years. That’s about $260,000 more thanks to those additional matching funds!

Even if your employer doesn’t match contributions, I’m still a big fan of using workplace retirement accounts because they give you multiple benefits. Not only do they automate investing by deducting contributions straight out of your paycheck before you can spend them, retirement plans also save you money on taxes each year. And you can take all your money with you—including your vested matching funds—if you leave the company.

If your job doesn’t offer a retirement plan or you’re self-employed, it’s easy to create your own with an Individual Retirement Arrangement or IRA.

Principle #5: Don’t Pay High Interest

Every dollar of interest you pay to a lender or a credit card company is a dollar that won’t be making you rich.

Get rid of high-interest debt as soon as possible so you can put your money to better use. Make a list of your debts and the interest rates you’re paying. Reducing the highest-interest accounts first will save you the most money so you can use it to pay off the debt even faster.

Click the Image! 10.000$ are yours!

But if you want the satisfaction of eliminating a smaller debt first, even if it isn’t your most expensive debt, that’s fine too. The idea is to be conscious of what you’re really paying on your debt and to create a plan to cut your interest payments. Remember that if you’re only making minimum payments on your credit cards, you’re making the card company rich, instead of building wealth for yourself.

Financial Advice To Get Rich

The key to building wealth is to start saving and investing right away. Don’t get discouraged if you have to start small; putting away just $25 a month is better than nothing. And if you didn’t start investing in your 20s, don’t stress out about it—simply take action and get started right now.

Setting up your accounts and automating contributions is a powerful step in the right direction. Years from now when you’ve got savings and investments to fall back on or to fund the lifestyle of your dreams, you’ll be really glad that you took control of your financial future.