The Greatest Country

Although, the subjects of my posts are mainly about health and wealth, this week I’ve just got to say something about the race for the White House.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone that seems more non-presidential than the guy with the bad hair who never talks about any specifics and who acts like a child.  Have you noticed how Mr. Donald Trump loves to call people names and constantly tells people how great he is?

Yes, we all did that when we were kids, but that’s what kids do and most of us grow up and stop doing those kinds of juvenile things. Eight years ago, I was saying how much he reminds me of Vladimir Putin who also just can’t seem to get over himself and how wonderful he thinks he is. And now we know just how much Trump wants to be like him in every way. Most of us, if we grow up thinking we’re the center of the universe, soon realize that we are not nearly as important as we once thought we were.

Trump’s big slogan for his campaign continues to irritate me: Make American Great Again. He used to just say that we were not the great country we once were but now he talks about the USA like it is the worst country that ever existed, making the most outrageous claims, even about things that have been completely debunked.

Personally, I don’t think America ever stopped being “great”.  In fact, it seems to me that our country, even with its ups and downs and hard times, keeps getting better.  I’ve been to 84 countries in my life and lived a couple years in the Middle East in Ankara, Turkey and a couple years in England and Wales, and from my distant and far observations, America has always been one of the finest countries in the world for so many reasons. One of those reasons is because of our great constitution. And now, even that seems to be threatened.

Some people would disagree with me when I say our country gets better all the time and might point out the many terrible things they see every day and night on the news.  My response to that is pretty simple.  The news, especially the cable news that runs 24 hours a day, is in the business of making money and they need to fill up those hours with things they know people will tune in for.  They know they’ll get higher viewership when their news stories are sensational, especially when it’s bad and shocking.  That’s why watching the news gives us the impression that things are much worse than they really are.

Right now, our violent crime rate is at a 50-year low even though some crimes like homicide, which has been in decline these last few years, was increasing during all 4 years of the Trump administration according to the Council on Criminal Justice. Our gross domestic product, a primary indicator of economic health, is up 8% from 4 years ago and is growing 3 times the annual average this year alone. So, there are two great reasons to appreciate the USA right now.

We are also recognized as having the largest economy in the world, being the dominant global military power, being the leading producer of both oil and natural gas, and are known for constantly shaping global culture and progress. We have the vast majority of the best ranked universities in the world and lead in entrepreneurship with nearly 6 times more startups each year than any other country.

In other words, we have power, resources, education and ingenuity like no other country on the entire globe. So, I say to my readers and to Mr. Donald Trump, “America is already great, and will continue to be great with the kind of leadership that respects and adheres to our constitution. And I am just so proud to be an American!”

Investing in Uncertain Times

The past couple of weeks have been a roller coaster in the news and it has left some people feeling anxious about the future. That can happen right before an election anyway because we feel uncertain not knowing who’s going to be in White House or what they might do. We have also been going through a couple of years of high inflation coming off the crazy time we had with the pandemic. So, it’s no wonder that some people don’t want to take risks, especially big risks with their money.

Investing your money will always come with some kind of risk. If it wasn’t risky, everybody would be doing it! But none of us would make much money if everybody was trying to do it so think of risk as a kind of filter that sorts out the people who can’t take a lot of risk or who just aren’t comfortable with it.

The problem for people who aren’t comfortable with taking some risks is that they can end up looking back and regretting that they didn’t invest back when they had the chance to really grow their wealth.

So, what I’m trying to say is, don’t be like the people that will look back in 3, 5, or 10 years from now and wish they had gotten into real estate income properties sooner. The sooner you can start investing in real estate, the more wealth you will have in the long run.

I’ll tell you one really true thing — politicians are not going to cure our inflation. They’ve not been able to do so since the beginning of time.  So don’t think that your choice for government leadership is going to reduce inflation, give us certainty in the stock market, or create a strong real estate market. Besides, now is actually a good time because you can benefit from national inflation instead of being hurt by it.

The thing is though, you need to know how to go about getting into these investments, because otherwise you’ll be making all the mistakes you really want to avoid. I know… I made a lot of mistakes when I got started. But you don’t have to make those mistakes that are only going to slow you down. 

My book, The Next Step to Waking the Financial Genius Inside You, contains a tried and true game plan to avoid many of the common mistakes people make when starting out and gives you specific knowledge to keep you on the right path.

You and I may be different in many ways, but I honestly and sincerely believe we have at least one common interest — that we live in a country with opportunity, and we have the means to make things happen.

I have tremendous faith in our American free enterprise system — as I hope you do — and I believe that your efforts can be so well rewarded.  If you stop and think about it, our economic system is geared to allow the ambitious to succeed. So don’t let the ups and down in the news get to you. Instead, get yourself the information you need to make you feel more confident that you can minimize your risks. Because America still is a country where a person can make their dreams come true.

Our Nation’s Opportunity

I think most of us are all thrilled that the election is over. So much talk and spinning and of course the endless political ads can drive a person crazy. Not to mention those all too often mean-spirited personal attacks on Obama and Romney. So of course, there will be some skewed views about our President that will persist for a while if not until the end of his term but that kind of focus won’t do our nation any good.

What can we do to put the bad taste of the election behind us and move towards a positive future? To start with, we all need keep focused on what needs to be done. I would like it if you would click on this link and read this very interesting, and I think very accurate, article on the outcome and who we really elected as president.

The problem with most of the hostile messages I read was that they were long on sweeping generalizations and very short on specific facts.  I know there is a grand hope that is shared by the majority of Americans–that now with the election over, perhaps the two sides will act like adults and do what politics is all about. That being an opportunity to come to a compromise so that we can keep our slow recovery on track.

Our leaders need to realize they represent ALL OF US whether we voted for them or not, whether we are Democratic, Republican Independent or undeclared. This is not about competition. It’s about our country.

I hope you get something out of the attached editorial and maybe even share it with friends whether they were for or Obama or  not.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/opinion/55227958-82/obama-republican-bush-tax.html.csp