I owe my success to America…

If you’ve heard my accent, you know it’s a mishmash of a New York City and an English accent. My friends describe it as “Brooklish” (as in Brooklyn and English).

I wasn’t born here. I grew up in Britain’s foster care system…

I lived in a cramped, unheated room on top of a garage. At night, I watched my breath coil into a frigid mist.

And the future looked as bleak as my tiny room. Ever since I was 12 years old, I’d always wanted to work in the stock market. I once told my school job counselor this. His response? He told me I should focus on manual labor. “Be a telephone repairman,” he told me.

I knew in my heart my future was in the financial markets.

As a teenager trapped in the foster care system, I soon realized no one was going to rescue me… That meant I had to rescue myself.

So when I turned 16, I left for America…

With just $150 in my pocket, I set a course for the financial capital of the world – New York City.

What I found changed my life forever…

It was 1987 and New York City was full of enormous opportunity… obscene luxury… and bottomless wealth – all right beside crippling poverty.

I worked three jobs. And I even offered to work for free on Wall Street, until this guy named Frank gave me a shot. I started off as an assistant for the big-time brokers and eventually became one myself.

In two years, I became the youngest vice president in Shearson Lehman history. And after 15 years on Wall Street, I left to run my own successful hedge fund for a decade before retiring.

But the higher I rose through the ranks, and the richer I got… the more I noticed the widening gap between the elite and regular folks.

All my hard work had done was help make the super-rich become even richer… While the regular folks all around me were getting left behind.

So I took a risk and quit my job… leaving millions of dollars on the table. I decided to launch my own independent research firm to share my insights with regular investors.

You see, my research shows the widening wealth gap is only going to get worse. We aren’t born with the knowledge to bridge this gap. And for me, it took decades of work to learn how to both make and keep wealth.

Three Habits to Financial Independence

I was raised with a poverty mindset that I had to break out of. I was taught money was evil. Rich people were mean and underhanded. And that you must accept that you will never be rich.

Maybe you can identify with that type of upbringing?

But the thing is, money is completely devoid of consciousness. It doesn’t sit there and think, “Oh, this person is deserving. Let me flow to him.” Or, “This person is undeserving. Let me not flow to him.”

Money is simply a byproduct of three main habits:

  • Habit No. 1: Live on less than you earn.

If you consistently keep more than what goes out, you’ll have a surplus of money. Simple, right?

  • Habit No. 2: Maximize your ability to earn from your current job.

Your single-biggest source of income is your current job. Most jobs will pay you more money as your skill rises.

So the quickest way to make more money is to improve your skills. Put yourself on a skill development track that will have you becoming world-class at your job.

If you don’t know how to do this… no problem. Here’s what you do…

Offer to take the most successful person at your company or firm out to lunch. You’ll ask this person about their work habits. Acknowledge their success and ask them, “What do you do that’s different from everyone else?”

Don’t interrupt them. Just listen and take notes. By the end of the lunch, you’ll have the beginning of a blueprint you can use to become world-class at your job.

If your current firm doesn’t recognize your improved performance, that’s okay… Go find another employer that will. Be sure to negotiate for more money. And never leave a job without having another one lined up first.

  • Habit No. 3: Create multiple streams of income.

If you’ve nailed the first two habits, No. 3 is how you turbocharge your wealth.

This is where you invest in low-risk, income-producing stocks, real estate, or private businesses. Additionally, this is where you can incorporate a “side hustle” for extra income.

Side hustles include – but aren’t limited to – Uber driving, Postmate/Grubhub deliveries, selling crafts on Etsy… buying and selling on Ebay, etc…

You just keep reinvesting all your surplus capital into low-risk, income-producing investments and lo and behold, in about seven years, you’ll be rich.

Did you do anything wrong to get this wealth? Did you tread on anybody to create this wealth?

No, and no.

So you can see wealth creation isn’t complicated. But it is difficult. It’s difficult because we’re bombarded with ads to buy stuff every minute of every day. That makes habit No. 1 – live on less than you earn – the toughest to acquire.

But without that habit, you can never create lasting wealth.

What’s My Agenda?

If I have any agenda, it’s to spread the message that ANYONE can become wealthy. My entire mission is to help you increase your wealth.

I derive more enjoyment from helping everyday investors change their financial lives than I ever did helping fat cats get fatter.

But there’s another reason I’m giving back…

I was never handed anything in life… but a green card.

America gave me everything. I gave all I had to pursue my dreams, and America gave back in spades.

So when I see that flag swaying on the Fourth of July – and hear the national anthem playing in the background – it still brings tears to my eyes.

I can’t convey in words how I feel about this country. Love is not strong enough. America gave me everything I value: Opportunity, mentors, love, friendship, and the type of painful life lessons only a free market economy can provide.

But my feelings of gratitude and patriotism aside, make no mistake… this country I love is on the brink.

This year has been a series of unrelenting shocks: Impeachment… a deadly pandemic… peaceful protests… violent riots… and a steep stock market crash.

So it’s no wonder nearly 75% of American voters think the country is going in the wrong direction.

I see what’s going on – and it pains me.

But as we head into the Fourth of July weekend, I want you to know I still have faith in America. I still believe if you work hard and do the right things, you’ll be rewarded.

Just like I was…

I know times are tough. But you can control your own actions. And as we prepare to celebrate Independence Day, remember this:

No amount of money can replace the intangible “wealth” and personal happiness you get from adding value to someone’s life.

Thank you for the opportunity you’ve given me. It’s changed my life in ways I never imagined. And I’m more grateful to you than you can ever imagine.

Let the Game Come to You!

Teeka Tiwari
Editor, Palm Beach Daily

P.S. Friends, I know we’re social distancing and trying to stay safe. But I still want to know how you’ll celebrate your Independence Day. Send your stories to me right here…