Financial Samurai

The following is a guest post by newcomer Jeremy Johnson, a husband and father of two girls (a 2 1/2 year old and a newborn).  He recently created a website dedicated to helping people realize their dreams and ideas, make progress on them, and see them through to completion.  You can follow Jeremy on Twitter at @JeremyNJohnson.  Enjoy!

Have you ever wondered why some people give thousands or even millions of dollars to charities and other organizations for a good cause?  Why do some people spend hours on end selflessly parting with their finances and free time just to help other people?  Could it be for the tax breaks alone?

There’s a formula for wealth and happiness that confounds the grumpy and unfulfilled person.  It’s not that other people are just lucky and born happy.  It is that the ‘lucky’ and ‘born happy’ person has discovered one of life’s most simple, yet lucrative formulas for real wealth and happiness.

You’re probably wondering what the magic formula is by now. What could possibly give you wealth and happiness that overflows your financial and fulfillment coffers?  The formula is giving – giving of not only your finances, but of your time and talents, without expectation of reward.  Pure and selfless giving well beyond what you could ever expect to receive back is life’s magic formula for real wealth and happiness.

The effect of throwing a stone into any body of water is really fascinating. Even a small stone will hit the water and cause a ‘ripple’, that is it will cause the water around it to cascade outwards creating an area of effect far greater than the size of the stone that initially hit the water. And the bigger the stone used, the greater the ripple effect.

Methods of Giving Read more…

One of my happiest memories was studying abroad in Chile for an entire semester.  I lived off beans and rice, and slept on a wooden plank bed.  At night, sweat would bead up on my forehead until it dripped down across my temple and into my ears.  It was that hot.  Yet, despite having no money, I was so happy.  Life was simple and the greatest pleasure I got was learning from others.

At the time, I told myself that if I could just earn $1,000/month and have my trusty camera, I’d be happy.  Well, I lost my way when McKinsey gave me a job offer.  Nobody turns down McKinsey, partly because nobody gets into McKinsey.  The curiosity of the job compelled me to take it rather than pursue my interests.

I recognize I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to work for a respectable company that may one day allow me to retire comfortably.  Yet, I wonder about that semester abroad in Chile all the time.  A couple years ago I went down to Chile and revisited the old AC-less dorm room where I used to live.  It brought back so many good memories.  Afterwards, my friend and I went back to our 4-star hotel, sipped on a Mojito and ate some ceviche.

It was then that I realized that despite living in a much nicer place on 100X the budget, my happiness compass pointed towards the dorm room of the past.

CAVORTING WITH THOSE WHO UNDERSTAND Read more…

After writing “The Art of The Interview“, I realized after interacting with readers that interviewing is completely like dating!  You’ve got a first chance to make an impression, and if it’s a good one, you get to go on more dates until you finally get “the prize”.

Let’s talk about five connections that prove interviewing and dating are so much alike.  We can make an argument that the Casanovas of the world are much more adept at finding employment and potentially staying employed than those with no game.  As men are generally the ones to initiate a date, the following connections will be from a man’s point of view.  That said, all of the interview concepts are the same for both men and women.

1) HOW YOU ROLL Read more…

The following is a guest post from Neal Frankle at Wealth Pilgrim.  Neal is a dedicated father, insightful financial adviser, and honorable Yakezie Challenger who always writes with a breath of fresh air.  You can join his 2,500+ followers on Twitter @NealFrankle.  Enjoy!

Failure is not only a necessary part of life, it can be a beautiful part of life.

This may sound like crazy talk.

After all, if you are a hardworking person, you work hard because you want to succeed, not fail.

And failure stings.

It hurts.

Man….it hurts.

That pain is real….but despite that temporary pain, those set backs are likely key ingredients to your future success. And the success I’m talking about dwarfs financial or career gains.

Let me explain by telling you about an experience I had several years ago.

BACK IN THE MOTHERLAND Read more…

Congratulations to the Democrats for passing a smaller, less corrupt version of Obama’s health care plan to cover the 30 million+ Americans who are uninsured.  I’ve read numerous articles about the pros and cons of this plan, and I still can’t figure it all out.  An Associated Press article writes, “Obama practically needs a spreadsheet to tell people what’s going on and when.“  That said, progress has been made.  I’d like to go over some of the basics, and end with a discussion.

LOOKING OUT FOR EACH OTHER Read more…

You can’t be all things to all people.  Try and do everything for all your clients, and you will surely fail due to burn out or poor service.  Instead, focus on what you can do, set expectations on what you can’t do, and forge forward.

Alienation is just a natural part of progress.  Don’t pretend to agree with someone’s view or like someone just because they are popular.  This site won’t appeal to everybody, and it never will.  Rather, identify the things that matter most to you, and seek those who hold your same values.

It’s tough though, I know.  We want everyone to like us, so we promise everyone everything.  We pretend like we don’t care when someone is late, or doesn’t sing our praises after we’ve sung theirs.  It stings, but we have to brush it off and move forward.  Start caring about your own principles, and stop caring about what others think of you.

Although we can’t please everyone, we should always respect our elders.  We think we know it all in our twenties and discount the advice from those in their thirties and beyond.  When we’re in our thirties, we really stop listening.  Sit down with your parents or more experienced friends every so often and just ask them for advice.  Their opinions are priceless because chances are, they went through exactly what you’ve been through.  Cherish them!

Readers, have you ever had a time when you tried to do everything for everyone and failed?  Why do you think the younger you always thinks we know everything?  If someone has been there before, doesn’t it behoove us to listen?

HIGHLIGHT POSTS FROM AROUND THE WEB Read more…

If I have one pet peeve in life, it’s when people are late.  I absolutely cannot stand it when people are late.  My face starts contorting after 5 minutes, and I think about walking out and rescheduling on my own damn time after 15 minutes.  If I don’t get a text, e-mail or a phone call with a heads up, you are on my sh*t list until you do something to make it up.

Someone important, let’s call him Dr. Shivago, asked if he could speak to me at 7pm this past Sunday.  Given the importance of this individual, I decided to cut my dinner short to focus on this business call.  At 7:20pm still no call.  At 7:25 I get an e-mail from his secretary apologizing that Dr. Shivago needs to reschedule for another time.  WTF!  Who does Dr. Shivago think he is, a C-level executive of a Fortune 500 firm?  Yes, that he may be, but I don’t care.

All was going well with the business proposal until this incident.  I refuse to even consider doing any business with Dr. Shivago until he sends a personal note apologizing for his inconsiderateness.  Don’t go asking your secretary to reschedule and apologize on your behalf.  Apologize directly to me.  Have honor.

A LESSON IN SIXTH GRADE Read more…

Michael Moore thinks he is pointing out injustices through his latest documentary, “Capitalism: A Love Story“.  Instead, Michael simply reminds us that life isn’t fair in a free market economy where those who work hard sometimes get the short end of the stick through no fault of their own.

I find it ironic that one of the wealthiest documentary filmmakers is bashing Capitalism.  Despite highlighting that 33% of “young Americans” now believe in Socialism (37% for Capitalism, 30% undecided), it’s hard to argue for a better system.  It’ll be interesting to see if these young Americans still believe in Socialism by the time they reach their thirties and make some money.  Socialism just creates a new set of problems for society.  Is it really that bad buying a foreclosed property from someone who can’t pay their debt on time?  Property vultures are necessary to provide a floor in many devastated markets or else things go to zero and more people suffer.

There is a sense of self-righteousness when Michael tells the viewer that he can’t fight the system alone and encourages all to rise up.  Michael you aren’t alone.  Thousands upon thousands of us fight for what we believe in every single day.  I wish Michael would put his money where his mouth is and donate all his proceeds to helping victims he continues to highlight.

A STRANGE PLACE Read more…