They say every journey begins with a single step. Well this one also began with just $1. Actually $5 whole dollars!
It’s like one of my favorite comedians said (Martin Lawrence for those folks wondering), “I got a dollar and a dream to make myself some cream.”
The first thing I needed was a J-O-B! After, I found one with a good match, I picked the ultimate goal of a one million dollar net worth.
However, its a marathon and not a sprint. I’m doing the long-play of investing my money over time. Money not quickly acquired tends not to be easily lost.
I’m going to take you from my early days growing up with my siblings in a two-bedroom apartment to buying a condo with the Roth IRA!
I started off as a telephone operator and waitress making $2.38 plus tips as a teen to getting a job at one of the most prestigious and richest universities in the world.
I’ve gone from wearing holes in my shoes to staying at the Ritz Carlton and shopping at Prada (however, I did not but that $1,000 cashmere scarf!).
I went from reading about blogs, to writing my own and riding shotgun to dinner with none other than JD Roth of Get Rich Slowly. Sound interesting. Do you want to know more? You just have to keep on reading or listening to my videos on Tiktok to find out.
My earliest memories with money was watching my father go to the local liquor store to cash his paycheck. He would always give me a few dollars to buy some snacks.
I thought money is wonderful. It allows you to buy things.
That was my first taste of sweet, sweet freedom. The freedom to buy the things you want. I learned how to save to buy the things I wanted, but I needed to learn how to earn money.
The House of Representatives and Senate voted to pass the bill and President Biden signed it into law today.
The market has been on a tear once the debt-ceiling bill passed.
The Dow went up 700 points on Friday and Google is up, way up!
As of 30 May, GOOGL stock price was up almost 40% year-to-date. That is great news for investors in the stock. GOOGL opened 2020 at $67.42 on 2 January 2020 and would close at $86.81 on 31 December, a 28% rise.
In its Q4 2021 earnings report, Alphabet announced its decision of a 20-for-1 stock split by way of a one-time special dividend on each share of the company’s Class A, Class B and Class C stock. Stockholders recorded in the company’s books at the close of business on 1 July 2022 received 19 additional shares of the same class of stock that they already held by the close of 15 July 2022.
Keep in mind that GOOGL was trading at $2,200 a share just before the split. The stock closed at $2,255.34 on 15 July 2022 and opened at a split-adjusted price of $112.64 on 18 July.
The reason they proposed the 20-for-1 was to make shares more accessible. If you invested $10,000 in Google’s IPO is more than $300,000!
Although, that much exposure to one stock can be pretty risky as anything over 10% of your portfolio can result in more losses than an investor would like.
That would mean you would need to have a $3 million-dollar portfolio to have this type of exposure to one stock. You may likely want to diversity in index funds such as the VTSAX or VFIAX to keep things more level.
My suggestion is now that we have averted a financial meltdown is to go and buy some stock. The upside can be tremendous if the market continues its upward trajectory.
The easiest method to increase your stock holdings and limit the risk is to invest in a total stock market fund like the VTSAX. It has a market cap of over $1 trillion.
For those investors that could not afford to buy GOOGL or Amazon at their peak price of over $2,000, this is your moment.
Both AMZN and GOOGL are poised to go higher with more people online than ever.
What makes GOOGL special is their powerful search engine. GOOGL handles over 90% of all search queries worldwide, Google is dominating the global search engine market share.
There are 8 billion people on the planet. An estimated 37 per cent of the world’s population – or 2.9 billion people – have still never, ever used the Internet. Therefore, GOOGL has no where to go but up. Get a ticket to this ride as fast as you can.
Personally, I feel the stock is undervalued.
Maybe that is why the company board of directors just approved a $70 billion-dollar buyback in April of this year. What that spells for investors…Cha Ching!
GOOGL also owns YouTube, which just closed on an NFL Sunday ticket access deal worth $2.5 billion. They are making money hand over fist.
Their balance sheet is so healthy because they are flush with cash and so little debt. Alphabet had $12.9 billion in debt in December 2022; about the same as the year before. However, it does have $113.8billion in cash offsetting this, leading to net cash of $100.9 billion.
That is why they can afford a $70 billion dollar stock buyback. Typically, when this occurs the stock price goes up in value due to less shares being available.
Your girl has got in on this by buying shares throughout the last year. Even with a modest stock split in the future, I would own thousands of shares.
At that point, I would likely diversify some this into index funds to limit my exposure to losses in case the market does a swan dive.
As of 30 May, according to Coin Price Forecast, Alphabet price could hit $155 by the end of 2023 and then might reach $163 by the end of 2024. Analysts estimate it could rise to $219 within the year of 2025, and was anticipated to reach $252 in 2026, $302 in 2029 and $362 in 2033.
GOOGL is minting millionaires.
GOOGL can help facilitate the American Dream.
Instead of hoop dreams or being a movie star or Rockstar, you can be a financial Rockstar. You can be a stockstar!
Therefore, if you have champagne wishes and caviar dreams, then this is the place to be.
The automakers at BMW has been using this slogan since 1973 and it is featured on all advertising for BMW automobiles and motorcycles.
Their tagline explicitly uses the word pleasure to describe driving. And if you want that pleasure its’s going to cost you, at a premium.
New cars are now averaging $700 per month.
The University of Maryland College Park (UMD) has an annual Room and Board that is about this cost of $700 per month for that new car: Room (Standard 2-person w/AC, includes Telecom fee) $8,860.
https://reslife.umd.edu/
For some perspective, keep in mind that $700 times 12 months = $8,400.
A mere $260 more will keep you housed and fed on a university campus at the UMD, which is considered a Public Ivy, for an entire year.
Penn State and other public and private colleges are even higher.
When looking at these new car prices, you may see why some Facebook engineers chose to live in their cars rather than pay $3,000 rent on top of that car payment.
Most folks just do not have $3,000 per month to shell out on just rent and car payments, let alone $3,700.
Therefore, before you decide to start writing that check out for $700 every month, I want you to stop and consider this. Gas prices are topping $3 per gallon. Insurance keeps on moving on up like The Jefferson’s!
Expenses for the average joe in the middles class keeps on going higher and seems never ending.
Instead of paying $8,400 a year to floss in a new BMW, you can invest that money instead.
Let’s say the car payment will last you seven years. During that time if you put that money into stocks you could have a nice head start on your retirement savings. That sounds real good considering the average portfolio is worth about $30,000 for folks under 30.
Please also take note that I said to invest in stocks and not cryptocurrency. No Dogecoin, Bitcoin, Ethereum, Tether or Binance USD. After the FTX bankruptcy, no one can call these investments safe.
Going back to the new car payment being invested instead, over a seven-year period with a rate of return (ROI) of 10%, you could have $87,661 in your 401(k).
Please note that the ROI of 10% is doable as that is what the stock market has averaged. The historical average yearly return of the S&P 500 is 10.356% over the last 100 years, as of end of November 2022. This assumes dividends are reinvested.
If you decide not to invest another penny, over 26 years, you would have 1,044,764. Not buying a new car can literally make you a millionaire.
Maybe that is why Jim Cramer decided to keep investing in stocks even though he couldn’t afford rent and had to live in his car. He knew what it could mean for his future. By the age of 45, he had amassed a $1.5 million dollar nest egg in his brokerage accounts.
Remember those people on Pimp my ride from the MTV show. Wonder if they still even have those cars from back in 2008.
With all the money they spent on custom rims and tricked out this and that, if even one car was repossessed, it was all for naught! #*k cars!!
Buy the product. Own the business. Get the stock. Let those dividends pay for your future car with cold hard cash.
Take a lesson straight out of South Park’s playbook.
However, instead of foreign stocks, I prefer to just stick with domestic, as most companies are international and provide you with global exposure.
You just have to decide which one you want more: a new car or financial freedom sooner rather than later.
After reading about a couple earning half a million dollars, I could not believe they did not have anything saved for retirement. Especially considering the couple were ages 65 and 59.
You don’t just start in at the top making that kind of money. Oh no. You have to toil in the salt mines for YEARS to make that kind of dough!
All their money is tied up in their home. They have a home worth a million dollars but a stock portfolio worth $0.
That is the type conundrum that just baffles those that are way lower on the income scale.
That would mean making $500,00 for just four years, they have earned $2 million dollars and not ONE RED CENT went to their retirement accounts.
I didn’t read anything about owning any vacation or rental property, old savings bonds, having a few shares in Apple stock, nada.
This couple is burning through money faster than those kids were buying chocolate bars in Willy Wonka. And if you saw the 1971 movie, you saw what pandemonium that was.
I mean where is the money going?
There has to be some sort of financial household accountability and management. Once all the expenses are tracked, you can look for ways to cut. At this income level, I find it hard to believe they do not have a financial advisor or accountant.
This couple could save a small fortune, if they sold their home, ate out less, and sold the pricey cars.
THE STRUGGLE IS REALLY NONEXISTENT
As soon as they earn the money, its spent. We have a serious cash flow problem here. We gotta stop the bleeding. This is a sinking financial ship and we have to plug those leaks. There has to be ways to save.
The couple own a home that will be paid for in 7 years, and at this time is worth around $1.4 million. They stated, “If we sold it tomorrow, we could net $1 million in equity. Home prices are going up faster , so it would be difficult to find a home for less than $750,000 (if we were lucky).”
One word: move.
Drop the financial anchor that is your home and move on. Is this home really worth you living today with nothing?
Take the $1 million in equity and but a modest $300,000 home with cash, then pay off any other debt you owe and start maxing put your retirement accounts. Keep a minimum $100,000 cash high yield savings account and start investing the rest.
If the couple does this, they could stash away $22,500 in a 401(k) and $7,000 in a spousal IRA for 7 years and have over $300,000 with the stock market average return of 10%.
If they can max out two 401k’s, then that would be the equivalent to investing $45,000 per year. Using the same factors as above, that would net the couple a col almost half-a-million ($500k) in retirement savings.
“Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.” —John Quincy Adams
Stocks are down and housing prices are up. We have seen a shift in way consumers are spending. Mortgages are in. High-priced stocks are out.
Although the stock market has had an astounding run since the Pandemic began in March 2020, it is the acquisition of housing has most Americans chomping at the bit.
The US has minted more than half the world’s new millionaires over the last few years as investments in equities and tech stocks propelled assets higher. Real estate, is generally considered to be a more stable investment than volatile stocks or fluctuation cryptocurrencies and is a tangible asset. Real estate investing has also created 90% of the world’s millionaires.
However, not too far behind is stocks as nearly 70% of their wealth gains over the past year and a half have come from market gains. The wealthiest 1% know this. That is why they own 89% of all US stocks.
Those at the top of the economic food chain know the wealth comes from the owning of assets. The top 1% own a lot of stock my friends. And those at the bottom of the economic pyramid own so little. Meaning they are not keeping up with the rise of inflation and their purchasing power is steadily decreasing.
The dollar in their pocket is worth less now than it was yesterday. This means you are able to afford less at the grocery market and to purchase other consumer goods. For example, the cost of a pound of brisket was listed as $9 a pound. My sister sent me a screenshot of a 9.67 pound of brisket in her grocery store. The cost: $87.
I am sure somewhere my grandmother is looking down upon us and thinking that the family may very well have to turn vegetarian or severely cut back on meat consumption. I know grandma, I know.
According to Pew Research, the Consumer Price Index, the most widely followed inflation gauge, increased 7.0% from December 2020 to December 2021 – its highest rate in nearly 40 years. Families are spending $30 more per week at the local grocery store or farmer’s market. An increase in prices also mean less that is being invested and saved.
The price of lumber has increased by 288% making the cost of homes go up by an average of $36,000. The average new car price is now $47,000. As of 2021, the average monthly car payment in the US is $575 for new vehicles and $430 for used vehicles.
When I put these numbers in my compound interest calculator, it informs me that if I can invest either one of these amounts monthly for 30 years, I can become a millionaire. Therefore, I have come to the conclusion that new cars are wealth stealers and must be avoided at all costs. Rejecting new cars has made me richer. Things have gotten so far out of whack for the average household that people have begun to put groceries and gas on credit! This an absolute no-no. Building wealth requires cash.
Even if using OPM – other people’s money – you still have to bring some cash to the table to invest in index funds or put a down payment on a home. You must have capital to work with if you want to build wealth.
And companies are all too happy to part you from this wealth whether you have some or not. Case in point, I recently looked up the Kelley Blue Book value of my car. I just wanted to know what it was worth. Little did I know that this information gets sent over to local car dealerships who within mere seconds of me inquiring started sending me a barrage of solicitations for my business to put me into a new car.
I know very well that the average car payment is over $500.
These salespeople are looking to increase their monthly sales quota. I continue to get offers to get me into a new car by email, phone and text over the next week.
At this point, my Spider-sense is tingling. Why are folks still calling me after a week? I get it. Business is all about sales. They make fat commissions of us folks once we sign on the dotted line.
I prefer to keep my money where it is; in my pocket.
Just for kicks, I decide to look up the cost of food, housing and cars from the last 30 years.
After doing all of this research, I have come to the conclusion that the future is going to be expensive.
Therefore, it is unwise to use credit for present consumption with yet unearned future dollars.
We can prepare for the increases in living expenses by investing our dollars today. Don’t believe me. Just take a look at all the charts I provide in this article.
Numbers don’t lie.
The constant outflow of discretionary dollars on basic cost of living has consistently gone up. The cost of homes, education, cars, gas, and food are going through the roof!
I truly feel that incomes have not kept pace with the cost of homes and education. Equity may have increased, but so has the cost of homes.
In 1976, the cost of Harvard University tuition was $3,740. In 2019, it was $54,002. How can they justify it? It is almost like that owl in the how do we get to the center of a Tootsie Pop commercial: the world may never know.
This is a mystery that I do not even think Scooby-Doo and the gang could solve no matter how many Scooby snacks Velma has in her back pocket.
I do not say these things to scare you. I am merely your jedi money guide on this journey. I want you to invest.
Own your primary residence and buy those index funds.
As the stock market goes down, buy the dip. Buy low. Get those high returns to sell high.
I did this back in 2013 when I bought shares of Apple (AAPL) for $258. The stock went on to split twice. Once for a 4-for-1 basis on August 28, 2020, a 7-for-1 basis on June 9, 2014. Prior to each split the stock was trading well over $500. It was $656 in 2014 and $656 in 2020.
It went from a billion-dollar company to a $2 trillion-dollar one. At the time of this writing, it is hovering around a $3 trillion-dollar market cap. Off a small one-time investment, I made tens of thousands of dollars.
And that small home that was purchased years ago. It has increased in value over $100k. The equity has gone up by over $100,000 and counting. That is why we invest my friends. So we can keep earning money in our sleep. Our money can work without taking vacations or sick leave. We can’t.
So here is your homework for this evening. I want you to find a home you would like to buy and a stock you would like to purchase. Figure out how much of a down payment or initial but in you will need. Divide this amount by how long you think it will take you to save up these funds.
For example, the VTSAX has a minimum initial investment of $3k. You decide you want to but this investment in a year. Therefore, you divide $3,000/12 months = $250. That is how much you must save every month to but this index fund. Doing the math will allow you to slowly build your dreams.
Let us not forget the wisdom of one of the greatest investors of all time: Warren Buffet. He reminded us that American living standards advanced seven fold in the 1900s, while the Dow rose from 66 to over 11,000. The Dow now stands at 34,934.27 today in 2022. “The model has worked well for America. If you look at all these disparate businesses, such as if you looked at the Dow Jones as a single entity… (though it rotated)… but going from 66 to 11,000 is doing something right. Owning a group of good business isn’t a bad plan.” Yes, owning is good for your pocketbook in the long run. Now I want you to go out and get some assets.
But before you do here is some more Buffet wisdom, “Only buy something that you’d be perfectly happy to hold if the market shut down for 10 years.” And lastly, “The stock market is a no-called-strike game. You don’t have to swing at everything — you can wait for your pitch.” Patience is key. It will take you to the promised land of financial independence.
When I read the tea leaves on the stock market, I see it rising to 100,000.
Why you ask? A little research.
The Dow Jones industrial average index (DJIA) opened in 2018 just shy of 25,000 on Jan. 2, and a little over two weeks later it already had topped 26,000. The DJIA would need to rise by 20% to hit 30,000. We did that. As reported by Kigplinger, the DJIA has enjoyed an annualized increase of 7.33% since 1950, based on Yahoo Finance historical data. Therefore, the DJIA will double every 10 years (9.82 years, to be exact). If we continue at our 1950-2017 pace, the DJIA index will double, or hit 50,000, in 10 years.
If a $100,000 in the market at a 10% return will net you $1,000,000 in 30 years, then you can become a multi-millionaire with help of the stock market. And that excludes housing equity. So get out there and start putting your dollars to work.
Millionaires know that you get rich by saving $20 bucks at a time.
Top of the morning to you! Happy Monday! On this sunny day in December, Christmas is a mere 13 days away. Some people are already receiving excellent Christmas gifts in the form of overtime pay.
And I thought having that in my retirement accounts was good news. That is a Merry Christmas present indeed. Let’s get right to it!
I know some of you out there haven’t heard from me in the blogosphere for some time now. But you know what, I feel like Dr. Dre in Forgot About Dre.
I’ve been busy behind the scenes trying to get this blog off and my finances to newer heights! I never left you.
And to prove that I’m still here back better and stronger than ever, I will be posting some new articles here in the near future about climbing that millionaire ladder and moving on up to a deluxe apartment in the sky.
The stock market is minting millionaires every day. Let Mr. Market make you richer whilst you sit back and sip Mojitos letting your hard earned dollars work for you. Let the money flock to you like ducks to water or a moth to a flame.
Thanks to the IRS tax code, you can now contribute $20,500 in 2022 to your 401k. I’m going to ride that pony into the million-dollar sunset. TE-HEY! You should do the same. Save until it hurts. Invest until you owe so little in taxes you rival the tax returns of Jeff Bezos and Amazon for the last few year paying $0 in taxes.
That is because the more you invest, the less you pay in income taxes. But enough about all that. Let’s talk about these $300,000 sanitation workers shall we?
That was 2016. Many were left scratching their heads wondering just how could someone sign up for overtime almost every day, work 361 days in the year, and earn $162,000 in overtime pay. Not me. The system allowed no limit on overtime, so he got it. End of story.
Let’s say that after taxes was able to bank enough to max out his 401k for the next five years. In 2016, the IRS contribution limit was $18,000.
So, hypothetically speaking, if you invested that same amount annually for five years would invest that would be $90,000 cash in the market. During that time, $18,000 per year could grow into $124,431.47. If he let that money sit in the market without adding another dime of his base pay or overtime, that could turn into $1,003,205 over 20 years. He would become a millionaire based on one year of overtime pay.
Now let’s fast forward to 2021. Sanitation workers in NYC have earned upwards of $300,000 and receiving $153,000 in overtime pay. Cha-ching! Bank that money baby! They too can turn this windfall into riches by simply investing this money.
The NASDAQ has gone up 750% since 2009. No time like the present to invest. Brokerages have not only gone to $0 trade commissions, but companies have also recorded record high turnout in 2020 and 2021 of new customers entering the market and signing up on their platforms.
If these overtime kings put that money to work, they can make a fortune.
All this from one year of overtime pay. With many companies not even offering overtime, that is awesome that these guys are able to not only make a living but even build wealth off of it. Therefore, college admissions counselors everywhere beware! Haha! No $100,000 MBA required!
