to be Bs or Is.
Instead of walking away with a solid financial education, most kids leave school—some already deeply in debt—prepared only to work hard, save money, get out of debt, invest for the long term and diversify.
Warren Buffett says the following about diversification:
“Diversification is protection against ignorance.
(It) makes very little sense if you know what you are doing.”
One of the keys to becoming rich is to know what you are doing.
Back Onstage
“Fifteen minutes,” said the event manager to Donald.
“OK,” he said. “I’m ready.”
As we headed toward the stage, Donald said, “So the reason we want them to become rich is so they can solve their own financial problems. Too many people are betting on the stock market, the government or a pension to be the solution.”
“That’s a good place to start,” I said.
“We’ll tell people why we got rich, not how…and why we keep working even though we have enough money.”
“We want them to find out their own whys, rather than expect a handout from the government. That’s how we can help solve the problem. Obviously we can’t help everyone, because not everyone has the talent to become rich, but we can help those who do and have the desire to be rich.”
“This entitlement mentality is a monster problem,” said Donald.
“Huge,” I agreed.
“Bigger even than the national debt, the falling dollar, the oil crisis and retirement programs. And those are very big and very real problems,” Donald added.
“Problems aren’t the issue,” I said. “We all have money problems…even you and I. It’s how we solve the problem that’s the issue.”
“That’s exactly right,” said Donald. “We, as a nation, cannot solve our financial problems if we think with an entitlement mentality. It’s this mentality that’s really at the core of the problem. That’s why we want people to become rich.”
As I headed up the stage stairs to get ready to introduce Donald, I said, “Our financial problems are caused by the way we think. We have to change the way we think about money.”
With that, I walked onstage to introduce Donald Trump to thousands of fans and students.
Donald’s View
Groupthink
As Robert says, “We as a nation cannot solve a large financial crisis with the same old thinking.” I couldn’t agree more. This entitlement mentality is everywhere. In fact, it has become epidemic in our economy.
I guess we’ve all probably heard the term “groupthink” by now. It’s that old herd mentality that seems to bring out the best and the worst in people. By the best, I mean that sometimes a shepherd will surface. But that’s an unlikely scenario. It’s usually the wolves that will surface first, and the herd will be primed and ready to follow. What we’re trying to do here is break up the herd before we are incapable of seeing, hearing, thinking and doing for ourselves. People who are capable of thinking for themselves will rarely be part of any herd.
While we are focused on the groupthink that keeps people from thinking for themselves financially and has them blindly turning their money over to financial advisors, it reminds me of another story.
For my radio program on Clear Channel, I decided to speak about “Object Orange.” This isn’t about Jeanne-Claude and Christo’s “Gates” project last year in Central Park, but about something happening in Detroit, Michigan.
Detroit has a problem with ramshackle, empty homes because the city has lost nearly a million people in the last 50 years. A group of artists in the city was tired of looking at vacant, dilapidated buildings around town. So they decided to do something about it.
To call attention to the abandoned buildings, the artists secretly painted the eyesores bright orange overnight. Because it’s hard to miss a bright orange, rundown building, several of the houses have since been torn down—which was the goal in the first place.
The artists are remaining anonymous because obviously they could get in trouble for trespassing. They are also hoping other renegades with paintbrushes will join their project.
This is a great example of people taking action and accomplishing something. They took matters into their own hands instead of waiting for someone else to do something about it. It’s unconventional, but it seems to be working.
People who are capable of thinking for themselves will rarely be part of any herd.
– Donald J. Trump
It’s an overused term at this point, but “out-of-the-box” thinking is obviously alive and well—certainly in Detroit. Artists aren’t the only people around who have the right to exercise that part of the brain—we all do. Let’s try to start thinking like that no matter where we live or what we do. The worst thing for us, individually and as a nation, is to become passive observers—or to slowly sink into our comfort zones.
As I’ve said before, the best way to have an edge is to live on one. We are not in a position—even if we are the so-called superpower—to rest on our laurels. That is the first indication of impending decline. We’ve got some challenges ahead, and it’s best to be aware of them. Let’s not succumb to the Big Groupthink, which is really just a good way of sinking our own ship.
Today, more than ever, people must change the way they think about their finances and their financial futures.
Robert and I want you to expand your thinking. We can all benefit from the wisdom of Descartes: “I think; therefore I am.”
Think bigger!
Robert’s View
Raising Your Financial IQ
There are many definitions of intelligence. One of the more practical ones I learned from my rich dad is, “Intelligence is the ability to solve problems.” For example, in school, if you can solve math problems, you are considered intelligent. Out of school, if you can fix a car, you are deemed to have automotive intelligence. When it comes to money, the bigger financial problems you can solve, the higher your financial intelligence.
Today, our world faces some serious financial problems. Many are interrelated problems, one causing the other. Some of the more pressing ones are:
1. Value of the dollar falling
2. National debt increasing
3. Baby boomers starting to retire
4. Oil prices rising
5. Gap increasing between the rich and everyone else
6. Wages decreasing
7. Jobs being exported
8. Social Security and Medicare going bankrupt
9. Savings being wiped out