This ain’t gonna win me any awards with people suffering from “victim think” (the idea that an unsuccessful person is victimized by other people who ARE successful):
A long time ago in a worker’s union far, far, away, your old pal Uncle Gluten sat down with a fellow co-worker and had a chat about life.
I was probably 19 at the time and worked at a local factory.
We were discussing the nature of equality and fairness… and the idea of force vs voluntary trade.
This co-worker’s argument was that he was forced to come into work every day to support his family… that he didn’t really have any other choices. And that he deserved more pay because of it.
And that the company should be “doing more” to support his family… his retirement… and so on.
… but that they weren’t.
He felt ENTITLED to more because of his NEED for more… not necessarily because he deserved it for being an exceptional employee.
I told him that he had lots of choices if he didn’t like working at the factory… but most of them probably weren’t all that appealing (especially not in that small jerkwater town).
His response was something to the effect of “see, I’m right.”
It was a very interesting learning moment for me.
Some people look at unappealing choices as not really being a choice at all.
Like… if you don’t like your job… you “don’t have a choice” to take another job.
It’s not true of course… but this is what gets fixed in peoples’ minds.
They will look at something… a situation… choices… and conclude there is only one choice… when there are a multitude of choices. And, they will (wrongly) conclude that there’s only one choice because all the other choices are unappealing TO THEM.
Let’s face it… a $100 per hour job is more appealing than a $25 per hour job. And a $25 per hour job is more appealing than a $15 per hour job.
But not everyone qualifies to make $100 per hour.
And this is what upsets some people.
The fact that there is no equality… equality of outcome, I mean.
And yet, in a sense, there is a way to nullify this problem (to some extent). And, that way is… savings.
A person making $100,000 per year who saves 5% of their income isn’t ever going to have as much as someone making $50,000 per year and saving 20% of their income.
That’s because the person making $100,000 a year is only saving $5,000 per year whereas the person making $50,000 per year is saving $10,000 per year.
And so, eventually, what happens is the person saving more accumulates more money… buys more assets… earns more in dividend income (or whatever), and augments their income beyond what they’re naturally able to earn.
So simple and yet so often overlooked.
And it’s one of many reasons the 1% exist (and also why the 99% exists).
The 99% exist because they refuse to save and invest intelligently.
Now… even if you AREN’T a “1%-er,” you can still think like one and act like one… by saving a boatload of cashola every month… every year.
… which allows you to buy more assets… make more money… and stop worrying about what if this or that happens…
By the way… most of the people who end up as 1%-ers didn’t start out that way.
They didn’t inherit wealth. They made it themselves.
Because they understand that wealth is made… and that self-made people are self-made because they rely on their own judgment and not government retirement programs… not government favors… not someone else’s “genus” in the financial markets.
And… interestingly enough… most of the big names you know today in business… they used a special type of whole life insurance to save money and grow their empires.
Just the kind of people I want in my fold.
Anyway, more info here if ye be interested in using insurance to help you save more (and manage more of your own) moolah: