“To successfully play any game, there are three things you must know: the rules, the stakes, the quitting time”  ~ Chinese proverb

Money isn’t everything, but it’s a necessary tool to make your life easier, less stressful, and helpful with time management. I can’t count the times someone has asked me how to have more money, but when it comes down to the work of learning how to acquire it and then keep it, almost all drop by the wayside.

Many people find the subject of wealth acquisition boring and are unwilling to educate themselves. Fine, no one will make you learn. It’s not like when you were a child and your mom made you clean your room. It’s your choice. Understand, however, that having a certain amount of money is a necessity in having a good life. Without enough, you risk simply going from one crisis to another.

To use an analogy – money acquisition and management is like any game. If you don’t know the rules – you won’t win. Can you play a game of chess, tennis, baseball, or any other game successfully without studying the game and knowing the rules? Obviously no, and yet people will spend a lifetime working for money, sacrificing time with family as well as their own health, all the while, cursing the word “work” but won’t spend the time necessary to learn about the rules of the money game. 

Ask yourself this question. How can an immigrant come to this country with no money, maybe not even know our language, and after a lifetime of working be financially wealthy? It happens all the time. Then ask, why are most Americans, who should have all the home court advantage, broke or near broke when they retire?

In part, I believe when immigrants travel to the United States, they come from a country with little or no social safety nets. They understand that if they are to be successful, they must learn the rules of the money game. And so they learn the rules which greatly increases their odds to prosper. Every one of us will have to deal with money. Don’t be lazy!  Learn about money – how to make it, keep it, and use it wisely.