In The American Economy, Stanley Lebergott reviews a study conducted in 1892 of the 4,047 American millionaires. He reports that 84 percent "were nouveau riche," having reached the million dollar net worth in their own lifetimes rather than inherited.
The millionaire population in the nation is growing almost 20 times faster than the general population
For the 1st time in American history, 51 percent of the nation's millionaires fall with the 35-to-54 range, and that number is growing rapidly.
In 1992 the IRS stated there were 1.2 million American millionaires. By the Presidential election of 2000, the number of American millionaires had increased to a total of some 5,850,000 new millionaires. That comes out to an annual average increase of 328,571 new millionaires every year.
The most common traits of self-made millionaires: They reject conventional wisdom. they understand that you and I were not taught properly about the simple and powerful truths of money. Proof is in the pudding: when applied, these rules, or success shortcuts, inevitably produce what approaches "ever-increasing" wealth. That hasn't changed in many decades, so we can rely upon it as a beginning of a personalized road map for YOUR development as a millionaire. Whether you do so in 100 months, 100 weeks, 100 days, or even less, is far more up to you, and your observation of the magical rules -- the so-called "secrets of success shortcuts" -- than it is based on the occurence of external events.
Even in bad economies, such as the Great Depression of the 1930's, men and women develop "ever-increasing wealth" which finds them in the millionaire class. Those who claim that they cannot get ahead because of a bad economy are, historically and factually, merely relying upon a convenient reason for avoiding observation of the rules, the successful shortcuts to wealth and success. As it is with science, mathematics, or any of the humanities, those who do it the best cannot be replaced as the best experts on any given subject. That's how the Pathway of Smart People was born... and borne: interviews and meals with 5,200 masters, millionaires, champions and billionaires, followed by application of their claimed "best shortcuts," to determine the viability or legitimacy of the repeated statements, the commonalities expressed by our masters and millionaires, champions and billionaires
In pursuit of only those perfect and near-perfect commonalities of these people, the few universal shortcuts they offered were so frequently offered by those in the upper percent of productivity and achievement that any compression of them must, by definition, be referred to as shortcuts; and that's where you come in.
You personally have it almost dead wrong about about how people get rich; where they get their money from; and your claim that it's too tough for YOU personally to do it. Sorry to sound rude, yet we can prove precisely how wrong or right you are about these issues -- -- by looking at your bank account.
Would you agree that paying a thousand dollars per second to drive a car is an exceptionally stupid thing to do? Each month, more than a million Americans do exactly that... some months one million and three hundred thousand will do such a foolish thing. Can you imagine such a broad violation of the rules that guarantee accelerated wealth?
Entertainment millionaires do not even count for one in every hundred new millionaires in America, so they are excluded from deep examination. Remembering the ultimate word in " Pathway of Smart People Shortcuts," this study was focused almost exclusively on those whose personally-claimed shortcuts were similar or identical to at least five hundred other self-made millionaires, billionaires, world champions (particularly Olympic champions in the years prior to its rather terminal commercialization), and world-class masters. These points are mentioned to remind all who read these words that we're NOT talking about, discussing, nor even looking at the freak circumstance of someone becoming an entertainment millionaire. There are too many externally-controlled variables, versus the Pathway of Smart People, which demands duplicability, the ability to reproduce in the manner of the original Famous Amos Chocolate Chip cookies: all the same, yet individually unique, not unlike humans, hm?
Okay, here's a quick peek into the lives of self-made millionaires and billionaires:
We live well below our means. Inexpensive suits are infinitely more satisfying, less troublesome, and less of a loss when they fade or damage, as all articles of clothing will.
We rarely EVER buy new cars, and cars that cost a whole lot less than you think. It's not about Rolls Royce and Mercedes Benz and Ferraris. these are occasional toys, not regular habits. In fact, even after decades of wily marketing which appeals to "almost-haves" most richly, Mercedes still cannot claim millionaires to represent the majority of Mercedes Benz owners. they're people who started to earn money, and care more about what YOU think of their car than they do. Isn't that funny?
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In more than a hundred wealthy neighborhoods throughout America, the millionaires have more than six and one-half times the level of wealth of non-millionaire neighbors, but these non-millionaires outnumber the millionaires better than three to one. AND WE KNOW WHY !! Trading wealth for high-status material possessions, which are consumable goods, meaning they fade in value, versus investment goods, which appreciate and grow in value. Thinking more of what YOU think of them than they do of their retirement and pleasures. One of the most certain steps to independent wealth is a complete understanding of the fact that for the first 4 or 5 seconds that you drive your brand-new car, you are paying up to a thousand dollars per second to drive that new car, because the value goes down about twenty percent as soon as you drive off the lot. A thousand dollars per second to drive a car. You have to be either very rich, or very stupid to do that, wouldn't you agree? Just because up to one million or more Americans are dumb enough to do it month after month after year does not mean that YOU need to be so bereft of intelligence.
Conversely, people who believe that only the wealthy produce millionaires are predetermined to remain non-affluent
Most people who become millionaires have confidence in their own abilities
The IRS identified about 3.5 million American millionaire households in 1996. 4.8 million Americans could access a million dollars as of 1997. At that point, with approximately 126 million people in the work force in America, this means that roughly 1 in every 36 working Americans, roughly 3% of the workforce had become a millionaire. One in thirty-six!
If you think it's all about winning the lottery or a lawsuit or athletics or tv, movie, & records stars, think again. Add up all of these millionaires and we count less than one percent of all US millionaires!!! As for the lottery, you have a better chance of being struck by lightning…28 times in one year….. than you do of hitting the lottery.
Of 126 million working Americans, 328,571 new millionaires per year translates out to 1 in 383 people, each year!
Do you realize what the chances are of winning most state run lotteries? Something around 1 in 7.5 million! With odds of 1 in 383 versus 1 in MILLIIONs, they are much greater that you will become a millionaire on your own than through the lottery.
Other people are becoming self-made millionaires every few minutes. Why not you?
Less than 25% drive a current year automobile
I remember reading somewhere that, whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you you are wrong. Difficulties arise which tempt you to believe your critics are right. Mapping out a course of action with the effort of just an hour or two, and following it to the end requires some of the same courage which a soldier needs. For you to begin waking up every day thrilled and excited about your day, and having more choices and a greater ability to benefit others and yourself because you have more, well, that's a whole lot better than waking up as you now do, hm?
Shakespeare:
"Our doubts are traitors which make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt"
Disraeli: "I've brought myself by long meditation to the firm conviction that everything comes to the man who will only wait, because nothing can resist a human will that'll stake even existence on a settled purpose."
Attitude goes a long, long way.
It doesn't matter where you live.
New York millionaire households (229,519), Chicago (203,728) and Los Angeles (181,807). Dallas by 2000 had more than 61,000 millionaire households, rising more than seventy percent from 35,183 in 1994. Austin, for example, has more than 21,000 millionaire households, a 130% jump from just a few short years ago.
The nation's biggest technology and entrepreneurial sectors -- Austin; Denver; Portland, Ore.; and Seattle -- saw their millionaire populations increase by more than 80% in just a 24 month period.
St. Louis' millionaire population grew nearly 60 percent to 46,472
By the end of 1996, there were more than 4.8 million households with net worths exceeding $1 million, excluding the value of residences. and a 118% jump from 1992, when 2.2 million households boasted a net worth of at least $1 million.
According to the U.S. Federal Reserve, through 1995, household stock holdings now outweigh home equity value for the first time in four decades. Stock holdings were valued at $5.5 trillion, compared with $4.2 trillion for home equity.
What are the biggest savings saboteurs?
Spending ridiculous amounts on things that have no value--clothing with other people's names sewn on, eating out more than just occasionally, dry cleaning, buying a new car...
Only 19 percent of our millionaires receive any income or wealth of any kind from a trust fund or an estate, half of which were earned, not inherited.
Fewer than 20 percent inherited 10 percent or more of their wealth. More than half never received as much as $1 in inheritance. Fewer than 25 percent ever received "an act of kindness" of $10,000 or more from their parents, grandparents, or other relatives.By
Ninety-one percent never received, as a gift, as much as $1 of the ownership of a family business. Nearly half never received any college tuition from their parents or other relatives. Fewer than 10 percent believe they will ever receive an inheritance in the future.
No idea who wrote this little poem; it might provoke a good thought in you.
The more you give, the more you get the more you laugh, the less you fret the more you do UNSELFISHLY, the more you live ABUNDANTLY . .
The more of everything you share, the more you'll always have to spare the more you love, the more you'll find That life is good and friends are kind For only WHAT WE GIVE AWAY, ENRICHES US FROM DAY TO DAY
Zig Ziglar repeatedly taught and proved in his own life that you can have whatever you want in this life provided you help enough other people get what they want.
So many hundreds of resources available, and it should be no surprise that making use of your better attitudes seems to magically unlock more resources for you.
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