Would You Work For Monopoly Money?

I've decided to write as I go instead of setting up a weekly schedule. Simply because I'm a little busy starting to put into practice what I'm learning. For starters I am in the middle of a phenomenal book called "Why We Want You To Be Rich" by Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki. Two financial geniuses, a millionaire and a billionaire, two different personalities have the same mind when it comes to their concerns about America and it's people. Look them up if you don't know who they are, or even better buy the book and follow along with me.

The first thing that stared me in the face happened almost two decades before I was born, and to find out that I was thinking completely in the wrong realm when it came to money makes me a little upset. Did you know your money isn't real? In 1971, Pres. Hoover took America off the gold standard, which gave the dollar it's hard value, and put the U.S. on a credit system, and now our dollar is a currency. Sounds the same but they work in completely two different ways. Our dollar is a note, it's an IOU, backed by the Federal Reserve Bank, which sounds like the government but it isn't. Think about that for a moment.

Every time you pay the clerk for that new sweeter, you're giving them a promise from the government, that has a promise from the Federal Reserve, to honor your IOU to pay that clerk, or rather that business. Every time you and I get paid we get paid with an IOU. That's why with your bank deposits are called credits and withdrawals are called debits. It's fake. It's not real money because it's currency with a value based on a promise not something real, and in fact is now more effected by economic events than gold.

So, why is that such a big deal? I'm sure you have read or at least heard about the Fed. Reserve printing millions upon millions of dollars and causing a wreck on the U.S. economy. That's because it drives the value of the dollar down making it worth less. Donald and Robert's book explains it like this, "Our money stopped being money and became a currency when it ceased to be backed by gold. This is the year that "saving money" became obsolete and bad financial advise. Today, the middle class has very little in savings." Like me, you have probably been told something along the lines of, "Get a good education so you can get a good job and be financially secure," or "get a college degree so you can get the high paying jobs and you'll be better off." Well, as Robert and Donald point out, this was good advise in the Industrial Age, but is bad advise in the Information Age, which began in 1971.

I don't know about you, but I don't have much in savings at all. I used to believe that was because what my parents and others would tell me, "Your young. Everyone starts off struggling." While that may be true, when I look over the last 3 1/2 years my wife and I have been married, I don't like the pace of our growth since we still have very little to show in the bank. Every time we try to save money it goes right our the door to something else. Also, when I look at interest rates the banks want to pay on savings, money markets, CD's, etc. I just stare in disbelief, and think to myself, "If this is what I'm supposed to do to invest like the rich do and diversify, how in the world did they get rich?" Well, the easy answer is, they didn't get rich by these types of investments.

To wrap things up, even that $100 bill in your wallet you get every now and then is fake, but everyone buys into the promise so it works, for now. We did exactly what Germany did right before their economy tanked, their currency became worthless, and Hitler took over with the Nazi's. If you try to save your money, you are saving an IOU that continues to go down in value, or depreciate. It's like buying brand new Mercedes Benz and just letting it set in your drive way to look at while it's value goes down every second it's sitting there. Lastly, a good academic education is priceless, until you try to cash a check on it. What we need is to increase our financial education, which is what Donald and Robert are all about. Donald Trump summed up their message like this, "Robert's and my message is, with the proper financial education and planning you can ride out the turbulence of what is happening in our financial world today and through this education you can become richer (and not poorer 'Robert') by finding ways to solve problems."

Financial quote:

"Yes, we did produce a near perfect Republic. But will they keep it? Or will they in their enjoyment of plenty, lose the memory of freedom? Material abundance without character is the surest way to destruction. Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God just."   - Thomas Jefferson

This is where we have come to, Jefferson's nightmare come true. We must establish a rally of character and integrity in our homes and become more financially astute so we are not enslaved to those who are.

Hosea 4:6 says, "My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge." God had spoken to his people through His prophets and they continually denied their knowledge and paid the consequence. I am not saying I am a prophet, or that Robert or Donald are, but we are feeling the consequences of the "lack of knowledge" both spiritually and financially in our country today. Don't depend on your adviser or pastor to be completely honest with you, they may be ignorant of the whole truth as well. Seek out the truth and you will see what it brings. I like to put it like this, Jesus said that you can't serve two masters and that you can't serve God and money. Well, when it come to money, if you don't master it, it will master over you. May God grace be with us all and Christ to His glory.

Shooting the Sacred Cows of Money

Shooting the Sacred Cows of Money: "Shooting the Sacred Cows of Money is an eye-opening mini-documentary that takes on our cultural myths about money and investing—and shows you how to move from the established mindset to the enlightened mindset about money."

Kicking Off My Financial Education

I would like to start by saying thank you. If you are reading this blog then it is probably because of one of three reasons. 1) You find yourself stuck in a rut with no clue how to get out, 2) you are curious why you feel like a slave to your debit card, or 3) you are a kind friend helping me out as I asked you to check out my blog. I thank you all, and relate to those of you who feel stuck financially. That's why I started this blog, to share with others my journey to financial stewardship and freedom by growing my financial education.

This week was especially a great week, because the number one financial educator I follow and number one personal financial author in the nation and maybe even the world, Robert Kiyosaki, had a live online event. While I did not get to watch live online I did follow on Twitter (@jessary27) on my Rich Dad Event, @RichDadEvent.

Here are some of the tweets that blew me away.

* Education is a process The end of the public educ process is a job Financial education's process ends w cash flow for life

*Part of financial education teaches how to pay zero tax ... legally. Employees can't do this, entrepreneurs and investors can.

*A high paying job is a myth. Those jobs will either tax you so high as to take your wealth or get shipped over seas.

*The 'poor mindset' uses words like I, me, mine. The rich say, ours, we, us.

* People are looking to Obama to provide jobs ... he's NEVER had a job. He doesn't even know what one looks like.

* Bernacke says he doesn't know why the price of gold is rising...could it be because of the TRILLIONS of dollars you printed?

*I use 100% debt so I pay zero% taxes. Thats Xtreme financial intelligence

*Mutual funds in 401k is taxed at 35%. Mutual funds OUTSIDE of 401k get taxed at 15%. 401k is a scam to raise employee taxes

*I never got sued until I got rich. You need your asset protection BEFORE you get rich

* Taxes are the punishment for everyone too lazy to get financial education

*Lazy people use their own money. Its harder to get someone else to pay for it then to work harder & pay for it yourself.

*Money isn't money. The dollar is a promise to pay the deficit. When you save money, you are saving debt. Think about that.


Yea, think about that. The old advice of "go to school, get a good secure job, and you'll do well" (Robert K.), is over. Since 1971 when President Nixon took us off the gold standard and on to a credit system, the dollar became an IOU. "This is the year "saving money" became obsolete and bad financial advice" (Robert K.). It's both "funny" and very sad how most middle and lower class have probably never heard that for the past nearly 40 years! What's up with that?

Well, that's one of the reasons I follow Robert, because when I read what he says the light bulb comes on. The more I read and look at scripture it typically lines up at principle. That is also why I will be sharing my thoughts here as I read through the book "Why We Want You To Be Rich" by Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki. A fantastic and must read if you want clear and precise understanding of our financial crisis today. Lack of financial education got us in this mess, and Robert and Donald believe it can get us out. I agree. Blessings!