Posts Tagged ‘what is the best investment now’

Should I Move My Money Out of the Stock Market? Where?

Wednesday, August 10th, 2011

With the Dow losing 15% over the last 3 weeks, many are wondering what to do next. Should we wait it out, or should we get out? When’s enough enough? What if it comes back?

Are you frustrated with how your money has grown (or not grown) over the last 10 years?

If you see virtually every article on this topic, they will tell you to calm down and ride the wave. Besides, you don’t want to get off the roller coaster when it gets exciting, would you? These article contributors will make it sound like you are on anti-depressants and can’t think for yourself because you’re too stupid to keep your emotions in check.

In reality, I think you’re smarter than they say you are. Using fear is a great way to keep their advertisers (investment firms and banks) happy. Despite this, you don’t want to make a mistake either. After all, you don’t want to get out when everyone says to stay in, do you? Shouldn’t we follow the herd and play it safe?

My own personal motto with any kind of investment or business deal is “When in doubt, stay out.”

However, I legally can’t tell you to buy or sell. Besides, it would be bad to tell you what to do without knowing who you are. But, I would have you consider a few things to help you make up your own mind.

  1. Are you avoiding looking at what’s happening so you don’t stress out?
  2. Do you have doubts about the future of the economy and government decisions?
  3. Are you really passionate about the stock market, or do you just want to invest where you can create freedom and security?
  4. Do you know what you’re doing in the market?
  5. Does your financial advisor have any control of the markets, or are they just telling you to “trust them?
  6. What would you do if the market kept going down?
  7. Why do Chris Miles and Dale Clarke laugh when the market tanks? =)

If you could answer these confidently (except for question #7), then you may be fine keeping your money there. If you had doubts about your investments, you may want to consider talking with a professional (hopefully someone who’s not paid to sell you products) to know what would be best for you. Ignoring what’s happening to your money is as bad as ignoring your spouse. Like in relationships, if you ignore them too long, you lose them. Don’t ignore and lose your money either!

If you want to learn ways to not only make money, but keep it, then I would recommend educating yourself further about the NEW RULES OF MONEY. If you like the gamble, that’s fine too. Go ahead and follow the herd, and let us know how it goes.

The good news is that Dale and I sleep well no matter what the news is saying. How have you been sleeping lately?

How Can I Be Financially Independent Faster?

Tuesday, September 14th, 2010

This last week, I had a coaching member ask me how we apply our model to know how much they will have in retirement. Although I hadn’t heard this question for awhile, several others had the same question this week.

They would all ask, “Chris, we know that what you teach works better, but (notice it followed by a “but”) we aren’t sure what it will eventually equate to be. What do you think?”

My honest reply was, “I really don’t know. My crystal ball is broken. I could tell you what it could likely be, but I might be limiting your expectations or you may not be alive to see the bigger results. This is why we focus on generating more cash flow TODAY rather than 15-30 years from now.” Let me explain more what I mean.

Traditional Planning Model

This brings back painful memories, but it is useful to understand =) If I were a traditional planner again, and you sat down with me, I would pull out my fancy little financial calculator to “predict” your life.

Let’s say you are 50 years old, have $80,000 to work with for your retirement, and you are currently putting away $600/month. I would “assume” that you would earn 8% average in a mutual fund. I remind you that past returns does not guarantee future results. (See our video on how traditional planning can manipulate figures.)

If you were to retire in 15 years and everything worked out perfectly, you would have $457,640. To some, this would sound like a good deal of money. However, traditional planning will tell you to live off the interest (Listen to our podcast as to why they say this).

Therefore, to be “conservative” in our figures, I would suggest that you “plan” on living off of 5% of the balance each year. In this example, this would be $22,882/yr.

How many of you could live off of that? You could live off of more, but now you risk running out of money before you pass away.

But wait! A really good planner will account for inflation at 4%. Naturally, in 15 years, it is very likely that you will have to have more to live on. Your purchasing power is now only worth $254,111! That would be like living on $12,700/yr. today!

Note: the REAL inflation rate is much more. Listen how!

This was the dilema I was caught in that caused me to question if this really worked. To have at least a $50,000/yr lifestyle, you would have to put away at least $5000/month in this example! Pocket change, right? Sense the sarcasm? You could work an extra 10 years to age 75, and then “only” have to put away $2500/month…as long as inflation stays down and you actually get 8% average (which many haven’t).

Recommendations from a truthful financial plan? Live on less income, get a 2nd job, and put away more!

Our Model

Our answer? Live your appropriate lifestyle and create more cash flow TODAY thru better use of your money! Although it’s not mainstream, it’s simpler and more attainable.

For example, last week I showed one of my coaching members how to free up at least another $15,000 or more this year by using their money more effectively without having to spend more money! On top of that, as we show people how to leverage their human capital by coordinating it with their money, they realize that having a $50,000/yr. lifestyle is not as hard as they thought. This is the same thing I did to do it with virtually no financial capital and only investing a few hours of each week.

It doesn’t take a lot of money to make money, only simple creativity!!!

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Should I Be in the Stock Market Right Now?

Thursday, August 19th, 2010

So many people lately are asking me more frequently, “Chris, should I be in the stock market right now, or should I get out?” With governments and economies teetering on the brink of a deeper recession, more people feel uncertain about the stock markets right now.

The first question to ask about whether you should be in the stock market now or to bail out before it’s too late is:

“If money were no longer an issue in my finances, would I still want to be in the stock market?”

Your answer will vary based on how you answer this question. Listen to my reply to both responses and what I predict the stock markets will do over the next few years.

*As a reminder, to cover my “you know what,” I am not recommending any specific investments or strategies. I am merely presenting information that will help you get more clear.

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Are You Frustrated With Your Investments?

Saturday, August 7th, 2010

How many of you are frustrated with losing money in your investments and not sure where to turn?

Are you confused because you don’t know who to trust because your financial adviser makes money even when you don’t?

Are you unsure where you should be invested? If so, you’re right to feel that way!

So many times I hear people express their frustration telling me “I’m frustrated because I’m losing money in my investments and I don’t know what to do or who to trust!” To that, my response is “Good! You should be!” It’s better to have that happen now than to have it happen to you when it’s too late.

For example, if your child were to go to a casino to gamble, would you prefer them to win their first time where they feel they have that “lucky touch,” or would you rather have them lose the first time to understand the consequences of gambling their money away? Personally, I would hope my kids wouldn’t gamble in the first place, but if they did, I would want them to fall flat on their face.

With investing, people think they’re financial adviser, or themselves, are brilliant when they make money, but then when it goes down, they want to blame the adviser or someone else. Here’s the reality: You can’t gamble your way to wealth, and your financial advisers are just nicely-dressed gamblers! They can’t perfectly predict the stock market any more than you can know exactly what will happen to you next week. The only thing guaranteed is the fact that your adviser will get paid for managing your money, regardless of the results.

The Solution: Stop trusting financial advisers that get paid to gamble it for you, and learn to control your own finances. There is a previous podcast about the best investment in today’s economy that can offer a deeper perspective on what might be right for you. The good news is that we are not going to sell you any investment. Education will make you a lot more money than ignorance.

Fire your financial adviser if they are telling you to be in it for the long haul, they tell you to buy when the market is high or low, and only invest in what they sell. Why have them gamble with your money, retirement plans, potential lifestyle, and financial freedom? Hire those that practice what they preach and believe that you shouldn’t take high risks to get high returns.

What are some of your frustrations with the financial planning advice you have received?

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How Can I Have More Cash Flow in a Down Economy?

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

What things can you do to increase your monthly cash flow, even when the economy is struggling? How could you make this work in ANY economy? How could learning this now make you much more wealthier when the economy bounces back? What are some simple strategies you can apply today that can help you see results right now?

Chris Miles and Dale Clarke discuss what they have done to have greater cash flow now than when the economy was booming, what myths that many people believe that keep them living paycheck to paycheck, and how you can easily start getting cash back into your pocket today!

What things have you done for yourself to have more cash flow in a recession?

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How Do I Create Passive Income?

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

How can you create multiple income streams so you don’t have to work everyday? What are 3 ways you can do this even if you don’t have any money? What are the myths that keep most people from ever accomplishing this that those other “gurus” won’t tell you?

Learn from Chris Miles “The Anti-Financial Adviser” how you can easily turn this ideal situation into reality and avoid the traps that usually keep people from ever making this work.

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The Best Investment in Today’s Economy

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

The best investment for you is to invest in being a better investor in what you know best, not some financial investment sold to you by an “investment specialist.” Listen to know which investment is right for you, not what is right for the person selling it to you.

You can Listen to our previous blog about this as well.

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What is the Best Investment? (Podcast)

Friday, February 27th, 2009

I am often asked by several people, “What is the best investment?”  The better question would be “What is the best investment for me?”   If you do not have an answer to this question, the best answer would be “For you? Nothing…at this time.”  Since this conversation requires context, listen to my answer.

For another perspective on this subject, read this blog.

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