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
