Table Of ContentMoney Changes Everything
GET RICH. LIVE RICH. DIE RICH
AZIZI ALI
MBA ChFC
Copyright © 2012-2013 by Azizi Ali.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording,
or by any information storage or retrieval system, without prior written
permission from the publisher.
First Edition December 2012
Second Edition December 2013
ISBN 978-967-11375-1-2
This publication is for educational purposes only. The strategies outlined in this
book may not be suitable for every individual, and are not guaranteed or
warranted, whether express or implied, to produce any particular results. The
advice, ideas and suggestions are written as a general guide and that specific
professional advice may be necessary.
No warranty (whether express or implied) is made with respect to the accuracy,
adequacy, reliability, suitability, applicability or completeness of the information
contained herein. The author and publisher specifically disclaim any
responsibility for any liability, loss or risk, personal or otherwise, which is
incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, for the use and application of
any of the contents.
Table of Content
Introduction
PART ONE: THE BASICS
Introduction
Chapter 1: Quick tips to live rich
Chapter 2: The First Man Strategy
Chapter 3: Create a Reserve Fund
Chapter 4: Making the most from insurance
Chapter 5: How to make money from unit trusts
Chapter 6: Educate yourself on money matters
PART TWO: GET RICH
Introduction
Chapter 7: The basics of investing
Chapter 8: Result-based investing
Chapter 9: Taking on debt is the big secret
PART THREE: LIVE RICH & STAY RICH
Introduction
Chapter 10: Money and happiness
Chapter 11: Money and health
Chapter 12: The truth about financial advisors
Chapter 13: Avoiding large losses
Chapter 14: A doomsday message
Chapter 15: Why we will suffer even though we did nothing wrong
Chapter 16: What you can do to protect yourself
PART FOUR: DIE RICH
Introduction
Chapter 17: Die rich
PART FIVE: CLOSING
Closing
A week in the life of Azizi Ali
My bucket list
Things to do before I die
About the Author
Other eBooks by Azizi Ali
Introduction
Money isn’t everything.
Or so people tell me.
Like most people, I used to accept this statement as the gospel truth. Admittedly,
it was easy to do so because millions of people were also saying the same thing.
And since so many people said the same thing, it had to be right. In any case, the
line ruffles no feathers. It is as politically correct as it can get. To say otherwise –
that money is everything – would make you sound like a material girl – that you
would do anything, even sell your own mother, for the sake of the dollar.
Furthermore, it is easy to look down on those who search for money. These
people appear to be rough, crude, and unrefined. After all, money is as basic as it
comes (no life of its own, countable, and anyone can have it), so much so that if
you told anyone that you are all out for it, it will instantly relegate you in their
eyes to the level of the ancient humanoids, and the only difference between you
and them is that they were hunting and gathering for food, while you are doing
the same for money. There’s no art, no taste and nothing refined about it at all.
(This is perhaps why no books on personal finance or building wealth have been
nominated for the Booker prize, or any literary award for that matter. Most
people, especially those in the literary scene, view such books as third-rate
publications – no art, no depth and no magic – even though such books have
touched, changed and improved more lives than most novels combined!)
But as I journeyed through life, the picture began to change. Firstly, I began to
notice that all the people who said the line were not rich. It’s almost as if they
were trying to cover up for their lack of wealth by saying it is not important –
just as the fox in Aesop’s tale, that consoled himself that the grapes that he could
not reach were sour anyway.
Secondly, I also noticed that practically everyone was out searching for money.
Even those who said money was not important were slogging to make more
money! They said one thing, but were doing another.
I thought this to be a weird way to live life – saying one thing and doing another.
It is almost like living a lie or living a dual existence. Unfortunately, the two
existences are at opposite ends, and can only tear the individual apart. End result
– they are neither fulfilled nor rich.
I thought why not be true to yourself – if you believes that money is not
important, then live like it is not important. Become a poet, a mystic, a monk, a
saint. Move to the woods. Escape from the rat race. You will be happy, fulfilled,
and at peace with the universe.
On the other hand, if you believe that money is important, then live like it is
important. Work hard, work smart, save, invest, and manage your money. By
doing this, I believe that you will be happy, fulfilled, at peace with the universe,
and as a nice bonus, wealthy!
Becoming rich is difficult
There…I’ve said it. The curtains have been lifted, and you now know the truth.
So now you have two choices: (1) give up, because all your darkest suspicions
about becoming rich have just been confirmed, or (2) work harder and smarter so
that you will have a chance of making it.
By the way, if you noticed, I did not write ‘becoming rich is impossible’; I wrote
‘becoming rich is difficult’, which means that you can do it if you are willing to
make the sacrifices and pay the price. And boy, what sacrifices you have to
make! Some of the sacrifices include reading books (a lot of books!), attending
classes, missing time spent partying with the boys, missing time with your
family, skipping holidays, skipping television, skipping newspapers, laughed at,
scorned, belittled, criticized, working fifteen hours a day, seven days a week,
sacrificing perhaps even your health and living ‘normal’ lives.
Interestingly, the daughter of Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy’s fast food
chain, said that her dad probably did not even know which school she attended!
By the way, I need to add that it is not only you who will be making these
sacrifices! Others, namely your spouse, children and perhaps even other family
members, will also have to make many sacrifices in your quest. Hey, who said
getting rich was easy?
So are you ready to sacrifice all of the above and more? If the answer is yes, then
you probably have a chance. If not, then be prepared to live a sedentary life,
which by the way is not shameful. The price to pay for wealth is very high
indeed, and I understand exactly if you decide not to do it. After all, millions of
people have decided not to.
But if you are game for it, then get ready for the ride of a lifetime!
Actually, a lot of people are doing the correct things where making money is
concerned. It is not rocket science, you know. They have most of the answers
already. However, they cannot quite get the crosshair aligned. Sometimes they
are missing one or two things that will put it all together. Sometimes the
arrangement is not quite right, much like a big unsolved jigsaw puzzle. So these
folks go around in circles, doing alright, but not quite hitting the big time. They
hover just outside of the border of real wealth. There’s a name for these folks –
the middle class.
In the last few years, I’ve also met a number of successful entrepreneurs,
corporate leaders, top management and artists whose income runs into millions.
Sadly though, many of them are still in the dark when it comes to investing that
money. They are just as blind about the subject matter as their employees. So,
although they have millions, the returns from those millions are peanuts. Worse,
they actually lost a lot of money as well. In fact, far too often if you ask me.
Fortunately though, they can still laugh about it, which is a good sign of sorts.
(Hey, anytime anyone can laugh after losing millions, that’s a good sign!) Here
they are, on top of the mountain when it comes to making money, and yet they
are in the dark when it comes to investments. There are reasons for this of
course, and I will reveal what they are later in the book.
Naturally you too will make mistakes – plenty of them! You will make poor
decisions, hire the wrong people, pay too much, pay too little, say the wrong
words and yes, lose money. You will be taken advantage of, misled, mistreated,
misunderstood, cheated and lied to. Why? Because you are not taught about
money matters, because you don’t know it all, and most of all, because you are
just human.
So I’ve written this book to help point the way to true north. Unlike many books
on money matters, it combines both the soft skills and the strategies. Some
books talk about the soft skills – having the right attitude, working hard, working
smart and never giving up – while others talks about the money strategies –
where to invest, how to invest, when to invest and the likes. Very few mention
both. Actually, both are equally important. If you work hard but know very little
about the strategies, you can actually end up running in circles. You might be
spending all that sweat for very little money. On the other hand, concentrating on
the strategies alone will leave you very disheartened. Yes, you will probably
make some money, but then you find yourself running in ten different directions
with hardly any time for yourself, let alone for others. You’ll probably ask
yourself somewhere along the line, “Is it worth it?”
Is it worth the sacrifices?
My parents did not have much money when I was growing up. While I do have
some fond thoughts about those childhood days, I do not wish to go back to
living that life. It was hard, tedious, long, dreary, and on the whole not much
fun!
The life that I’m living today is a lot more fun. In fact, a million (pun intended)
times more fun!
So yes, it will be worth all the trouble to get rich.
It will not be easy, but it will be worth it.
This is why I’ve combined the two skills in this one book, so it will all come
together. Making more money is important, but so is living life. You want to
make the two go together.
The ideas inside this book are not theoretical. They have been ground tested and
they have brought great results to me and a whole lot of other people, including
my clients. This book is also based on much research, reading, interviews,
conversations, and more importantly, my own experience.
The last three words are extremely important because they can be the missing
piece in your puzzle. It can be the very thing that lights up your world. For I am
also like many of you, a man trying to do the best he can. I went around in
circles for years trying to make it big. It took much pain, time and yes, money
before I saw the light. I’ve travelled that road and I know how hard it is trying to
make it in a world filled with conflicting signs, neon distractions and false
prophets. So I am writing this book not only as a Chartered Financial Consultant,
but also as a traveler who has faced the dragons standing in the way, and knows
how to slay them.
“What some folks call impossible is the stuff they haven’t seen before.”
Robin Williams as Chris Nielson in the movie What Dreams May Come
Who am I?
For the readers who are not familiar with my name, I can state that I am truly an
unusual creature, for:
• I am a financial expert who is NOT in the financial industry
• I am a practitioner and not an academic (despite the 30 plus books that
I’ve written)
• I am old enough to have experienced a lot of things personally
• I am a multi-millionaire
The first point means I have no career to conserve, promotion to protect, top
management to please, lines to toe, association rules to comply with, or sales to
be made. I can tell things as it is. This means that my ideas are totally neutral –
there is no conflict of interest at all. More importantly, I can share ideas – even
those that are radical and unconventional – that have brought me and my client’s
fabulous results.
The second and third points show that I am not a paper tiger. I have seen and
experienced much myself. And though you may not see the battle scars, I can
assure you that they are there.
And as for the last point, it means that I have actually done it, despite the late
start. (I spent my youth dating hot girls, buying cars I could not afford, traveling
the world, and even spent some of the money foolishly!) So I know how to make
money, grow that money, and yes, know how to make it last forever and a day.
So this book is pretty much on how I did it. As such, there will be a lot of
