Wealth
Accumulation
Is America Still The Land Of Opportunity?
A
recent Survey of Consumer Finances conducted
by the Federal Reserve Board revealed these
statistics about the state of America’s
finances.
Do any
of these facts hit home with you?
- The typical American
family earns about $45,000 per year.
From 2001 to 2004, family debt increased
33% (adjusted for inflation). Surprisingly
little of this debt stems from unnecessary
spending. Instead, credit is being used
to pay for necessities like housing,
household expenses and health care,
particularly in low- and middle-income
families.
- Average net worth,
which grew rapidly during the boom of
the 1990s, rose only 1.5% between 2001
and 2004 for the average American family.
In other words, for most of us, the
worth of our investments is not keeping
up with the inflation rate.
- The middle class
is being squeezed more tightly than
ever. Among the wealthiest 10% of
Americans, net worth rose to $831,600,
or a 6.5% increase from 2001. Meanwhile,
the net worth of those in the bottom
25% fell 1.5% to $13,300.
- More than a third
-- 36% -- of those who owe more than
$10,000 on their cards have household
incomes under $50,000. 13% who owe that
much have household incomes under $30,000.
The percentage of disposable income
used to pay debts is near record highs.
The report
doesn’t point out these more unsettling
statistics:
- In February, 2007,
the US Commerce Department reported
that the personal savings rate for 2006
was a negative 1%. The rate for 2004
was a negative .4%. For comparison,
in the midst of the Depression in 1933,
the PSR was -1.5%. If 2007 figures
show a decrease similar to those of
2006, we’ll have a worse record
than during the Depression. (Source:
Associated Press)
- “The US is becoming
less of a meritocracy, where skill and
intelligence determine success, and
becoming more of a class-bound society,
where economic background, including
the better education money can provide,
matters more. There are still many rags-to-riches
stories. But there's stagnation in the
underclass.” (Source: Christian
Science Monitor)
- According to a new
Federal Reserve data-based economic
analysis commissioned by the Consumer
Federation of America, “...more
than half of American households (56
percent) are behind where they should
be in saving for a comfortable retirement.”
A related CFA public opinion survey
found that 59% of Americans do not expect
to maintain their current standard of
living in retirement.
Does this
sound like a nation of people who believe
in and are profiting from the American Dream—or
simply a nation of people who want to live
the Dream lifestyle without really being
able to find a way to finance it? In fact,
we have to ask...
Is the American
Dream still alive and achievable?
Defining
the Dream
The immensely
popular 19th-century author Horatio Alger
is largely credited with defining the American
Dream as well as the means to achieve it.
His books told the rags-to-riches stories
of people who succeeded because of the opportunities
they had in the Greatest Nation on earth.
It didn’t matter who they were. No
matter how hopeless their situations seemed,
his characters found wealth and success
through determination and hard work—and
of course, because they believed in the
American Dream.
The Dream
Today
We believe
the American Dream is alive and well. The
21st century continues to offer incredible
opportunities. Escalating wealth is mostly
a matter of finding the right opportunities
and having the determination and guts to
follow them through.
The materials and methods for accumulation
of wealth have changed, but the opportunities
are greater today than at any other time.
One simply needs to learn about the new
materials and methods!
So
Many Things Have Changed:
Dealing With Fear and Uncertainty
The
events of September 11, 2001, permanently
changed our country and its citizens. Our
assumptions that we are safe in our own
land faded to fear and uneasiness. Maybe
you used to enjoy travel, but now airports
make you nervous. Perhaps you dwell on the
possibilities of another terrorist attack.
We’re all dogged by an unstable job
market where mass layoffs and outsourcing
threaten our livelihoods. The future is
fraught with uncertainty about whether we’re
making wise investments, whether the CEO
will abscond with the pension funds, and
whether Social Security will be there for
us.
Even weather patterns are unstable, taking
lives with devastating hurricanes, tornadoes,
tsunamis, heat waves, and blizzards. Fear
can make you want to simply maintain the
status quo and not take any chances—yet
that is exactly what you must do to avoid
becoming a victim of fear, because fear
is the only thing that can prevent you from
taking advantage of all the possibilities
that are open to you. FDR’s famous
statement still applies: “The only
thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
But think about this: All kinds of fears
have always held people back from trying
to improve their lives. We’ve used
fear as a convenient excuse not to get on
with the lives we’d like to live. It’s
so much easier to stay where we are, complaining
that we’ll never get ahead.
The opportunity is there for the taking,
but you must be prepared to leave your comfort
zone, summon up your strength and determination,
and set a course towards wealth accumulation.
While money isn’t everything, it can
certainly do a lot to alleviate uncertainty
and to enrich your life and the lives of
those you care most about.
Worrying about the future doesn’t change
it. No one has ever been able to predict
what will happen, or when, or why. You
only have today and the lessons you have
learned from your past. You can take charge
of today’s reality and make it sing
with tomorrow’s dreams.
Accumulating
Wealth:
The Opportunity Has Never Been Better
Horatio Alger
may have been right in the 1800s when he
claimed that anyone willing to work hard
could succeed. Today, the picture is different.
It is painfully possible to work very, very
hard and not get ahead. If
you live from paycheck to paycheck and worry
constantly about how you will meet your
financial obligations, you’re living
in a world of stress. You don’t even
have the luxury of worrying about the stock
market, because you’ve got nothing
to invest.
Yet more people are amassing wealth today
than at any other time.
True, the
financial picture for many of us doesn’t
measure up to the rosy pictures we hear
of a growing economy. We worry about the
war on terror, how we’ll afford gas
to get to work, and whether our jobs will
still be there for us tomorrow.
Yet you can begin your journey
to financial success today.
Instead
of the dubious prospect of accumulating
wealth working for someone else, you can
take control of your finances by owning
your own business. It is much, much easier
than you can imagine because you can do
it with your own home-based business.
Did you know that two thirds of all American
millionaires are self-employed?
Think about it. Who makes the most money?
The restaurant manager or the restaurant
owner? The car salesman or the dealership
owner? Owners are self-employed, and they
are much more likely to be wealthy than
the people who work for them.
We’re not suggesting that you buy a
restaurant or an automobile dealership.
It isn’t necessary to take that kind
of risk or put in that kind of work. You
own home-based business can be every bit
as lucrative and much less stressful than
a bricks-and-mortar business.
You probably already have the only equipment
you’ll need—a computer and a telephone.
That’s all! Now all you need is
the information that has transformed so
many people’s lives.
Take
Control
Don't let
someone else decide your future for you.
Take the first step today toward assuring
a secure financial future for you and your
family. And don’t wait until it’s
too late. Today is the time to get started
in an extraordinary business that has
already changed the lives of so many,
freeing them of fear and worry and showing
them that they can live lifestyles they
thought were meant only for others.
When you accumulate wealth, you generate
a steady residual income that pays you every
day. Are you ready to discover how you can
begin to build that kind of income-producing
resource? Then you’ve come to the right
place.
Simply fill out the form below, and I will
get back to you with additional information.
Sincerely,
Keith & Penny
916-391-1448 (USA)Pacific
347-632-5474 (USA)East Coast
0131-202-6068 (UK)
0163-374-6556 (UK)
07-3103-2120 (Australia)
09-3103-2120 (New Zealand)
Skype Lagden95831
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