How we ever got this point I don’t know, but millions of us have been convinced to part ways with our money for over 3 decades.
Where do we send it? Of all places, the biggest casino in the world, Wall Street, where 94% of your money managers work off a trading commission.
If you need to withdraw some of your money, you have to pay a tax penalty, additional fees from the broker, and odds are that the money is probably flat to down, adding insult to injury.
People on Wall Street are trying to get filthy rich, otherwise they wouldn’t work there. Now, there is nothing wrong with having that desire; to be perfectly honest, this is probably why you are subscribed to this letter. For personal finance for the new economy, we are a building wealth letter.
So I have nothing against the desire for financial success, but with that said, Wall Street has a lot of scams, and one of them is to convince the dumb money to buy blindly on a regular basis.
Fees are collected, trades are made, and markets are manipulated regularly.
Trust me, when it comes to mutual funds and 401(k)s, we’re not on the side that makes money from this scheme.
Even as a 16-year-old, I remember learning about the 401(k) and questioning it immediately. I was told that the goal was to be taxed at a lower rate during retirement. I didn’t get that… was the plan to be poor? Why would I want the lowest rate if I’m building wealth and setting a high bar for my finances? Shouldn’t I be in the highest tax bracket when I am in my 60s or 70s?
It’s a plan for mediocrity, in my opinion, and should be avoided altogether.
If you plan to save money and want to compound your wealth, buy a rental property, whole life policy, or speculate on a few companies and make a triple-digit gain every few years.
There are too many ways to make money, build wealth, and save. There’s no reason to literally sign over your cash, where if you want access to it, you have to pay a penalty.
The allocation of capital should be well thought out. As legendary investor Jim Rogers often says, the best thing to do most of the time is nothing.
Daniel AmeduriPresident, FutureMoneyTrends.com
