life or debt 2010 - w. johnson, stacy

[...]... d Life or Debt is more than just this book It’s also an online community designed for people just like you It’s a place to download some of the forms you’ll find in this book, share stories, thoughts, and tips with other people in your situation, and learn new stuff that can help you stay on track I’m often online there doing live webcasts, talking to people, and having fun So stop by lifeordebt.org... think it kinda makes sense for you to know the person you’re getting advice from, so here’s the abbreviated version of how I came to be writing Life or Debt Ever notice how practically all self-help or motivational books start out with the author revealing some sort of emotional catharsis that suddenly caused them to see the light? You know, stuff like “There I was, forty-five years old, living on the... surveyed had never paid more than $400 for a suit in their entire lives, for themselves or anyone else About half had also never paid more than $140 for a pair of shoes Houses: 97 percent of millionaires own their own homes The average value of that home is $320,000, and about half of millionaires have lived in that house for 20 years or more What’s fascinating about this information is that it is so... than a mile high And a trillion would be 1,000 miles high A debt that’s literally out of this world And that giant tower of debt is sucking the independence out of your life and gradually transforming it into corporate profits So if you find yourself in debt right now, you’re not alone In fact, you’re right where you’re supposed to be! Or, more accurately, you’re right where “they” want you to be Who... intimate details of your life When (or if) you retire Where (or if) your kids go to college How you use (or if you ever have any) leisure time Buying and borrowing forces you to use your time to earn money And working, especially in an unrewarding job, could separate you from your destiny and thus from happiness In a way, my life has been circular My teenage visions of a world of peace, love, sharing,... commodities, penny stocks, sophisticated trading strategies, or other get-rich-quick schemes, not a single one was a long-term winner Las Vegas offers better odds, and the drinks are free Of course, it would be much more exciting if the path to wealth was a dramatic half-hour quiz or reality show, or if it involved laying down a big bet on getrich.com stock or buying a lottery ticket But go out seeking real,... unlikely to return The reality being faced by young people today is more like that of the Greatest Generation The circle is unbroken So if you’re in your forties or fifties, don’t sit around waiting for things to return to “normal.” Because the world created by the Greatest Generation wasn’t the norm, it was the exception Normal is the world they faced and the one we face today: where even when you’re... with the state of Arizona as an auditor Unfortunately, there was an integral part of accounting that my dad had forgotten to mention to me at that dinner years before Namely, an accountant has to go to work and actually do accounting for eight hours a day, five days a week While for some people this may be an exciting and rewarding way to occupy their working lives, for me it was like watching paint dry... freedom in the future for a nice chair today! Was that a good trade-off? Of course, I have to sit somewhere while I’m writing this But wouldn’t I have been better off buying this chair at a garage sale for $100 instead of owning it new for $1,000? A $100 chair would have a 20-year opportunity cost of $700 So I’d still be retiring $700 later than if I’d sat on the floor working for 20 years But retiring... or had a sudden revelation that laid the “true path” to fame and fortune at my feet Nor am I rich now, at least not in the beach-house-in-Malibu sense And while I hope that I make money from this book (and get invited to the Playboy Mansion, for that matter), it’s not really that big a deal to me one way or the other Why? Because my life is just fine exactly the way it is I’m doing precisely what I . I. Johnson, Stacy. Life or debt. II. Title. HG179.J558 2010 332.024—dc22 2009042467 ISBN 97 8-1 -4 39 1-6 86 0-8 ISBN 97 8-1 -4 39 1-6 86 1-5 (ebook) Thanks! While it’s true that we come into this world. w0 h0" alt="" LIFE OR DEBT 2010 LIFE OR DEBT 2010 A New Path to Financial Freedom STACY W. JOHNSON, CPA Pocket Books A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. 1230 Avenue of the Americas New. to work and actually do accounting for eight hours a day, five days a week. While for some people this may be an exciting and rewarding way to occupy their working lives, for me it was like watching