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(1) Because I spend it all on cool stuff, and because I have a high time economic preference. I value things in the here-and-now considerably more than the future because I don't much give a crap about my future. I'm hoping to die as soon as possible. Preferably, I am hoping an asteroid obliterates this planet sometime soon.
(2) Because I am a lazy piece of crap who usually doesn't work hard anyway. I had a business (several), then I had a life epiphany when I became a misanthrope and I decided I just don't give a damn anymore. I hate virtually everyone and everything. I decided to do as little as possible in life. Why? Because F- it, that's why. The "rate race" can suck it.
Had I done neither of the above, I would indeed have a much larger nest egg. I'll pass on the "game of life" as it is currently known by most. I'm more than content to sit on my computer all day doing jack squat.
Life has lots of element of 'luck' to it. Some elements of chance, as well. However, chance was not much of a contributing factor in my situation. I'm just lazy, and I don't much give a damn. I am where I am almost entirely of my own doing. In fact, had I actually cared (as I used to not so long ago), I would consider it pretty damn hard to fail in life. You usually have to be extremely negligent in life to screw up something so inherently simple, barring chance events which you have no agency over. My business was a piece of cake. I made money without even trying. Then I decided I didn't care much anymore. Whatever is coming my way as a consequence [misery - I hope], I earned it richly.
Quite the discussion could be had about the ethical rules of "the game," but I see that as largely disconnected from what I discussed above. I think that is a distinct conversation in itself. The game is what it is, whether we like it or not, and when people (like me, for example) don't want to play the game the same way others do, the result is they will probably lose. Gaming the system is not that hard really. It's that some people don't want to, for a wide variety of reasons. The game could be said to be rigged in many ways, but again, I think that's really a separate issue (the ethical issue). The "cheats" to the game are fairly well known, it's just that some people are much more inclined to go after those cheats, and in doing so, they occasionally reap the rewards of those "cheats." The people who play it safe often end up not being the big winners of the game. But very often it was within their agency to game that system, if they really wanted to. They oftentimes simply elected a different path in life, one which is less rewarding, but sometimes more to their liking (perhaps because they would rather play the game more ethically, rather than exploit obscure angles to the game which could vastly enrich them - or maybe they were just the wrong personality type [e.g. an introvert rather than an extrovert], or in some cases, some people just don't think much of the game to begin with).
Last edited by FreedomThroughAnarchism; 10-20-2011 at 09:55 PM..
Well then he is just as stupid as the premise of this thread.
Buying 10,000 shares of stock has nothing to do with being at the right place or the right time or luck.
Having your 10,000 shares of stock double into 20,000 shares when the stock splits is a matter of being at the right place at the right time and luck.
Learn and understand the difference.
You're going to have to help me understand your point. It seems as though you are trying to refute the premise of "right place at the right time" with an example of making money by being at the right place at the right time.
Maybe hard work alone won't get you rich. But there is at least one thing I do know, being a lazy ass surely won't get you there.
That's probably the biggest truth to the matter. There's no guarantee of riches even if you are smart and work your ass off. There is, however, a guarantee of failure if you never try in the first place.
I brought up how things worked out in Bill Gates' favor to get him to where he is today, but he still had to put in the work. If you put somebody in Gates' exact situation but instead of hacking away at a computer they ditched school to go get high, they are most assuredly going to go on to be a failure because they squandered away their opportunities.
It has nothing to d with how much money you make, it's all about what you do with the money you make.
Hotair2 says $250,000 a year is where rich begins. I never made close to that amount, and I retired with several million in assets, and have more money than I will spend in my life time.
I worked several jobs, never took vacations, never wasted money on anything that wouldn't make me money, made the sacrifices, did all the right things.
It takes dedication, sacrifice, and brains, not a huge income. Anyone can do it, some aren't willing to pay the price....
It does have a lot to do with how much money you make. All the frugality and doing-the-right-thing-with-money is not going to make a lifetime burger flipper rich.
No matter how much I train and dedicate myself to winning a gold medal in the 100 meter dash in the Olympics it is not going to happen. It has little to do with my desire, effort or any decision made on my part. It has everything to do with genetics, which is all luck or chance.
GOP response: Not true. If you only worked harder you could be the fastest person in the world. Clearly you don't have the work ethic required to be that world class athlete.
My gas rights pay 210G that goes right into stocks and gold. People say if I had that I would quit this job. And they are also the ones who live pay check to pay check.
If I had that I would quit my minimum wage job and start a business.
yes there wasnt a response bcs the last sentence was attack on OP. "go hang out with successful people"?...investment clubs in the library in this region consist of people selling Amway, lol.
You just proved the point perfectly. An instant excuse, instead of finding a solution. Why are you only looking at the library? Do you research and found out where those clubs meet. Network. Mingle.
Nope, you'd rather be lazy, then complain because you're unlucky.....
I never saw it until I saw your post. I have that particular poster on ignore and now I remember why.
Of course. Because facts should never get in the way of ideology.
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