Let’s talk about how to get wealthy!

Are you living your dreams? Do you want to? For most people, that involves being financially secure and having enough money to do whatever you want, whenever you want. But, if you’re not taking the steps to get there, it may never happen.  You can’t just drop money into your piggy bank or expect those “keep the change” automatic savings transfers to build you any kind of substantial wealth – and buying bonds isn’t really going to knock it out of the park either.  If you want to know how to get wealthy, pay attention: anyone can learn how to become a millionaire if they approach it the right way.

So, how do you become a millionaire?

Having a net worth of a million dollars used to be quite an accomplishment.  Now, however, it might be wiser to shoot for being a multi-millionaire, right?  Well, while this may be true, it’s better to set reasonable goals first, then adjust them later.  Getting rich doesn’t happen overnight, and the following are some of the questions people have about opportunities on the path to becoming a millionaire.

Start your own business

Part of becoming wealthy means taking some type of risk, but with the number of businesses that fail each year, if you’re going to start a business, make sure you do your research first. Businesses that make money often take risks but are very smart in doing so. Success means creating both a solid business plan, and a contingency plan for when things go wrong.  You also must determine if there is true demand for the product or service, and try to either create something new for the marketplace, or put a new spin on it so it becomes unique.  There are endless options here, but just be sure not to lose sight of your goal: to become rich.  This means if a big company offers to buy out your business for a good price, it make make sense to seriously consider taking the money.  After all, large corporations know a good thing when they see it, but they can also squash you like a bug.

Real Estate

Real estate is by far one of the best ways to make money and grow your net worth.  Cyclical nature aside, real estate prices have consistently risen over the long term, and there will always be a need for housing.  Just as when owning a business, those who are making money are those who are filling a need for the consumer.  In the real estate business, that means rentals.  You should also remember that in addition to the security of owning real estate, there is the ease of which you can get into it.  In fact, there are ways to purchase homes with very little money.  For instance, an owner who wants to stop being a landlord may agree to carry the note in its entirety, or you may find an investor to get you a short-term loan for the down payment.  There are always creative ways that you can get a few pieces of income property.

Stock Market

The stock market has made many people very rich, but it has also wiped out a lot of people.  It’s all how you to invest.  The key to making money for many is some form of diversification and patience.  A good mix of high risk and low risk investments may be a wise strategy.  Which means you also have to be cautious about falling for all the “easy” trading strategies that tempt you with the accelerated gains – at least until you actually know what you’re doing.  If you plan on trading stocks on your own, you might want to try paper trading first (this means practicing with paper, and not with really money), learn to read charts, and learn the significance of them.  Swing trading ETFs, playing with high risk stocks, and options trading may sound like an easy path to retirement, but its a lot harder than it sounds.

Are there any get rich quick schemes that actually work?

No! Well, not really. Unless you win the lottery jackpot, get really lucky in the stock market, or resort to illegal or illicit activities, it’s unlikely you’re going to get rich quick.  Even if you do, you may not be able to enjoy your money from prison, which is probably where you’ll be headed if you skirted the law to get it.  Bottom line: try to stay away from get rich quick schemes, including those stock message boards that try to involve you in stock manipulation.  Obtaining and keeping wealth takes time, planning, and solid judgment.  On that note, if you are not knowledgeable about what you’re doing, consult with someone who is.

What’s the one key for learning how to make money?

If there were a single key to getting rich, it would be this: aim to get rich wisely which for many also mean slowly.  For all the tips out there on how to get rich, the largest determinant of whether or not someone ends up achieving their financial goals is whether or not they are patient enough to do so.

Getting wealthy takes time, but its not exclusive to any certain group of people, any ethnicity, or any gender.  Anyone can get rich if they put in the time and effort.  All it takes is learning what opportunities are available, and then committing to a plan to take advantage of them.

To your everlasting wealth!