When I was a kid people would ask me, “Jamie, what do you want to be when you grow up?” Now, some people may want to be doctors,nurses or lawyers (well maybe not lawyers).

But perhaps astronauts,policemen, actors, actresses and so on — it is different for different people.

I did not know exactly what I wanted to be, so when people would ask me that question at a young age, I would answer, “When I grow up I want to be rich.”

I do not know if it was from watching the American

TV show “Dallas” too much, but that looked pretty good to me because J.R. Ewing did not seem to work too much, drove around in expensive cars and lived on nice ranches, if you recall.

Or it could have been from playing too much Monopoly with my brothers, or perhaps it was just in the back of my mind that I linked being rich to being above average and going for it in life.

I grew up in a small country town on a 2,000 acre farm which my family still have to this day, in a small town called Glen Innes, which is in Northern New South Wales, Australia. If you go there in winter you will never forget it, it is rather cold, however quite warm in summer

and usually nice and green.

Growing up with a farm background, the two things that were conditioned into me from an early age were that life was hard work and a struggle. In order to do well in life and make money, you had to work really hard. That is what my father had done and what my grandfather did when he was alive. And the second part of the equation for the “ultimate success formula” was that you needed to go to school, study hard to get really good grades and with those

really good grades, hopefully one day you would get a really good secure job.

Then, on the proviso that you worked hard for 40, 50 or

60 years of your life you would get to retire to the “good life”. Now I often wonder in the 21st century how that formula is going for people.

Has anyone ever bothered to check that out?

When do you measure Education’s Success, at Graduation or

Retirement?

The following facts exist for every 100 people at age 65.

DID YOU KNOW…

25 ARE DEAD

20 HAVE ANNUAL INCOMES UNDER $10,000

( Below Poverty Level )

51 HAVE ANNUAL INCOMES BETWEEN $10,000

AND $ 35,000 (Median is $ 18,000)

4 HAVE ANNUAL INCOMES OVER $ 35,000

YET 1 IN EVERY 100 IS A MILLIONAIRE

Today’s average 50 year old has only $2,300 saved

towards their retirement.

Only 5% of the population can put their hands on

$ 10,000 when they are 65.

When Social Security was started there were 16 people

working for every one person on the program.

Today the ratio is 3:1

In the next 12 years

It is projected to be 1:1…

Source: “The Millionaire Next Door”

By: Eugene Chan

To be truly wealthy is to have money that lasts forever. This may be a blunt statement, but suddenly coming across a large sum of money does not necessarily mean you have become a wealthy person.

To be wealthy is a state of mind. A person with a wealthy mindset may not necessarily be financially rich just yet but will be soon enough. On the other hand, a rich person without a wealthy mindset will squander the money very quickly.

This could not be more true than those who win the lottery. After a few years, these lottery winners no longer possess the millions they came across so suddenly. An amount of money that should have lasted for at least a generation has been fleeted away.

Case in point is UK lottery winner Michael Carroll who won £10 million in 2002 at the age of 19. It is reported that he had lost all his winnings 18 months later on things such as holiday homes, luxury cars, drugs, parties, jewellery and famously, a rural mansion used none other than as a dodgem car racetrack for his new friends.

What is even sadder are cases of other lottery winners that end up with greater financial debt after their windfalls dry up than they had to begin. Some have even declared bankruptcy to be back where they had started - with nothing.

From this, it is fair to say that being rich does not necessarily mean you are wealthy. A truly wealthy person would still possess the majority of the millions of dollars (if not more) because a wealthy person understands the fundamentals of how to manage their money.

It can even be said that a wealthy person has a good relationship with money. Money sticks with them rather than repel away from them. It is through this understanding of how to manage money that dictates how long you will remain rich, or how soon you will become rich.

A wealthy person knows to save their money. With the money that is saved, they firstly spend on things that earn them an income such as quality businesses, real estate and shares. In other words, the money a wealthy person retains is used to further create more money. The money they earn from their investments is then used to fund a rich lifestyle.

On the contrary, for a (temporarily) rich person that does not have a wealthy mindset, they would have chosen to firstly spend on material things and eventually have no money left.

However, nobody is born with a wealthy mindset and it certainly cannot be won. Importantly, a wealthy mindset is learnt. If Michael Carroll had a wealthy mindset when he won the lottery, he would likely still be living very nicely with most of his winnings intact.

If a wealthy individual were to lose all their money today, it is likely that within a number of years, they would be back to a relatively comfortable financial position. Individuals such as Donald Trump, Martha Stewart and Sir Richard Branson have faced financial setbacks in their lives but were able to rebuild their financial positions because each has a wealthy mindset. These individuals firstly focussed on redeveloping their businesses rather than wasting their remaining fortunes on frivolous items and lifestyle decisions. Today, they enjoy life's luxuries because of their wealthy mindset.

Michael Carroll clearly demonstrates that being rich does not always mean you are wealthy. On the other hand, having a wealthy mindset certainly gives you a greater chance at being rich because you understand how to manage and appreciate money. Each of us can learn to be wealthy. By developing this wealthy mindset, you will ultimately attract more money to you than repel it. Only then can you be rich and truly wealthy.

Author Bio

Eugene Chan is the founder of http://save-money-make-money.blogspot.com which provides practical ideas to save money everyday.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com - Free Website Content

Wealth. What is it? What is your definition? Have you ever actually thought what "a lot of money" looks like?

Chances are, the picture you have in your head of "a lot of money" is pretty fuzzy. Is it easier to picture a crisp, clean $100 note? What about a cheque for a million dollars?

Have you ever thought about how much money you need to achieve absolute financial freedom?

What would you like as a lump sum? How long will it take you to get there?

The best way of getting to financial independence is to picture where you want to be and work backwards from there.

Everyone's idea of wealth is different. Some people may be happy with earning another $2,000 per month. Others may not feel comfortable until they've got a spare $100,000 in their back pocket.

Ask yourself, where do you want to be...what would you like to have?

Do you want the latest toys, would you like to be able to give generous gifts, take 10 weeks of overseas travel per year, give $1,000,000 to your favourite charities, sponsor children all over the world?

There is a very useful tool for determining where you're at now, and where you want to be in the future. Think of a wealth creation bucket made up of different levels:

Level 5 = Absolute Financial Freedom

Level 4 = Financial Freedom

Level 3 = Financial Independence

Level 2 = Financial Security

Level 1 = Financial Protection

For example, if you lost your job, would you have enough savings to survive for 12 months? What is the miniumum amount of money you need in order to buy food, rent, pay the bills, insure your assets, and basically survive? Your monthly survival figure might be $3,000. 3X12 = $36,000 so

that is your Level 1.

Next, what if you didn't work at all, would your assets generate enough cash to survive while you sleep? Add another $36,000 to get to Level 2.

Level 3 is Financial Independence. How much money would you like per year in investment earning so that you can choose not to work? An example might be $90,000.

Level 4. How much would you like to earn per year to have financial freedom so you can enter in to new investments, grow your net worth, and improve your lifestyle? Your figure might be closer to $200,000.

Finally, Level 5. Absolute Financial Freedom. What would you like in expendable income per year in order for you to do exactly whatever you want? This figure might be $500,000 or more.

Lastly, add a ZERO to your level 5 figure, and that is the lump sum you need to get to sustain your level 5 lifestyle. It might be $5,000,000. It sounds like a lot of money, but it's achievable with the right tools...if you learn to be wealthy.

Can you define Absolute Financial Freedom?

If you were to learn to be wealthy, what would it be like to do whatever you want, whenever you want, however you want, wherever you want?

More coming soon...

"We have always known there was more to life than just working hard. We had our own business for some ten years, and boy did we work hard. We had tried all sorts of investments, read all the books, but without a mentor. Thank goodness we have never stopped looking for more. After finding Jamie's advertisement in the newspaper we ordered his tape and attended his seminar in Adelaide in September 2002.

From that, we immediately set up a line of credit with our bank, re-valued our house (we already had a CMT with an existing broker) had some monies in the bank, and started trading immediately writing call options. We have since established a margin lending account and have started utilising it with a 50% margin (likelihood of a margin call is minimal) plus we have security (extra monies in the bank waiting further opportunities).

We have also established our own self managed superannuation fund, and we intend to trade this with options and other equities. We have put a twelve month limit on our dreams, and firmly believe this is achievable using just some of Jamie's strategies.

Properties are the next step for us, and the options will take care of themselves. All we need now is a like minded group of people to join our Millionaires Club as we are in a rural area. Where are you all??? Thanks a million Jamie." - Sandy and Andrew Schutz

"As owner of an Accounting Firm since doing Jamie's course we have improved our client education in helping and assisting them to build wealth through alliances with stock brokers and finance brokers. Personally I am currently sourcing Finance for a Shopping Centre valued at $5 million which I can purchase for $4.2 million." - Craig Stowe (Accountant)

Did you know...

Only 1% of us will become truly wealthy? And of those Australians who are independently wealthy, that 70% of them own their own business? Think about it...

We think nothing of borrowing $20,000 to buy a car (which loses value rapidly) and yet we consider borrowing the same amount of cash "risky."

Remember, real assets make money while you sleep, and put cash in your pocket if you choose to stop working.

Managing your money is YOUR JOB. Don't rely on the banks or financial advisors to make you wealthy. It is your responsibility to educate yourself in order to make your dreams a reality. Take action!

To survive and become rich in today's world, we need some key skills:

- Communication

- Negotiation

- Creative Thinking

- Marketing

What is the essence of money? Money is a reflection of VALUE exchanged between one person and another.

An example of a real asset is a business, shares, or property.

There are many ways to get started with investing for your future. Order the DVD here for some tips on getting started:

http://www.learntobewealthynow.com/freedvd.html

Live a life by design...don't leave it to fate.

Here's my quote of the week, from a movie I watched recently...

I don't want to spend my life making a living... I want to spend my life making a LIFE.

Until next time...

It is three years next month that I started my journey towards financial freedom. What an incredible journey it has been!

My last day as an employee marked the beginning of a process of self discovery and learning.

A twist of fate meant that a few choices were taken away from me, so I stepped up and made my own opportunities.

I made it my business to learn how people become wealthy. Why should some of us be a slave to our jobs and a slave to the banks, and yet others have the freedom to work when they want and travel as they please?

Through Jamie McIntyre and 21st Century Academy I have learned so much. I am now an active trader, have bought more property, learned the secrets to wealth creation, and most importantly…taken control of my future.

It was so easy once I decided to learn. Why doesn’t everyone know this?

In the process of learning the secrets myself, I have discovered my life purpose: Helping others learn how to become wealthy.

This is my first post. More news and articles coming soon…