Minimum Wage Ninja

During the rare occasion when I'm exercising the muscles built while exercising continue to burn fat even after I'm done.   The dividends just keep rolling into my bank account. And when I'm lonely the people who I've loved will seek me out first. What I'm trying to say is that you need to build your slippery slope upwards.   Everyone of us screws up and falls.  Its great to know that even though I get terminated from my job there will be no rock bottom because my investments will keep pushing me back up.

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  But I would say a pound of cure promptly applied is worth a ton of cure that's delayed.'  This quote had dominated my life in these last two weeks.  The gums had begun peeling away from my teeth, and I knew something was wrong.  So even though I was at home with the flu, I made an appointment to go see a dentist.  (Sorry dentist!) It was this quote that gave me the extra motivation needed to go.  I'm using up my savings and putting my retirement at risk, but preventing further tooth problems by promptly curing the emergency as it came up.  I"m betting that the pound of cure will save me a ton of money in tooth repairs later on. 

For over three years my lover and I haven't seen eye to eye on this financial independence thing. We're pretty much compatible with nearly everything else. It hurts, but I've used the extra oomph from focusing on my new year's resolutions to remove my SO from the equation. You see there is this thing called the Seinfeld method. Basically I choose which resolutions I wanted to do for the year.  Then I got a calendar and put an X on every day that I do the resolutions. Can't let anyone get in the way of that X. Not even my closest.

Listening to old Jim Rohn seminars has been motivating lately.  His message is good, but I always get uncomfortable listening to things like this.  Something I've picked up on is that people are paying attention and laughing during the jokes, but they are not doing so during the serious parts.  It makes me uncomfortable.  One of my favorite sayings of Jim Rohn's is that it is not available to you by affirmation, it is available by labor.  That is how I feel as I go about my day putting in as many extra hours as I can during the holiday season.  Yet these people aren't even doing the labor of paying attention in the first place.  Am I just fooling myself when I think that all the paying attention I did during lectures in class is what I should have been doing?  Results are what matter, and these people did become successful enough to afford motivational seminars.  Another thing I've been doing that cuts into my sleeping time is reading a b...

I'd like to set the record straight about something called the 4% rule. You see the 4% rule basically says that after you retire it is safe to withdraw 4% of your principle each year and never run out of money (which completely ignores the never touch your principle rule). My imaginary friends like to ask me, Minimum Wage Ninja, what do you think of the 4% rule? Well I think it is better than the 50% rule.  But it is worse than the 1% rule.   You see cash is king, and having a lot of money sit there is great and all. But kings can only move one square.   Dividends Are Queen.   You can take the cash from the dividends and move them anywhere that you like. That is power.

There is this theory that I remember reading before.  I think it might have been Peter Drucker. Basically people are either becoming incredibly intelligent knowledge workers with high wages, or they are becoming incredibly strong physical labor workers with low wages. I've been mulling this theory over in my mind as I fantasize about achieving financial independence in the future. Its like the workforce is becoming an hour glass with the high paid people on top, a few in the middle, and the lower paid people on the bottom. Now the highly paid people on top do not have time for you, because their time is valuable.  They have to put in the extra hours to stay on top of their field. Likewise the lowly paid people on bottom do not have time for you, because their time is valuable.  They have to put in the extra hours just to make the ends meet. But the guy in the middle?  They don't necessarily have to improve to get to the top, nor do they need to put in so ...

"My name is Maximum Decimus Meridius, Commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true Emperor Marcus Aurelius, father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife, and I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next." stated Maximus in the movie Gladiator. "That's great, but then what are you going to do?" said noone ever. Like seriously, I have no idea what life after early retirement will be like.  All that I know is that my goal is worth fighting for, fourteen hour days at minimum wage is NOTHING compared to real battle.  It is my blessed OPPORTUNITY that I can work those long hours to get to early retirement.  "And then what?" you ask.  And then what!  I'll tell you what, I'll have earned my life.  I will live. Gladiator Movie Clip: Gladiator

I've been reading articles over at  https://notalwaysright.com/ .  They have a multitude of customer service related stories.  As an ex customer service supervisor for a large retailer, I thought I would enjoy reading these stories.  However I was wrong, the people in these stories are absolutely horrifying.  Just to clarify incase you didn't know, its not ok to lie.  Its not ok to steal.  Its not ok to be unethical or treat people like trash.  That's not to say the authors of these stories are in the right either.  I can't quite put my finger on it, there is something that angers and depresses me while I am reading these stories.  These customers would not be allowed into my life, neither would many of the authors.  I find myself arriving at the uncomfortable conclusion that although many stories are entertaining and nostalgic, I should not read them.  I will not allow this nonsense in my life, not even by just readi...

I've heard that a significant percentage of people who win the lottery end up bankrupt. They simply did not have what it takes to handle the wealth that they were hoping to get. What brings these people down?  Is it a bad attitude that brings these people down?  Is it a lack of resources other than finances?  Is it a lack of a support system?  I don't have the answers, but I do see this as a  serious and important question. This is important because we have all won lotteries.   I've won the time lottery, this being the greatest time in the history of earth to be alive. I've won the genetic lottery, because clearly I'm smarter than the loser who passed me driving down the road this morning. I've won the country lottery, having been born in a country that other people risked life and limb to get to. I've won the physical health lottery, because I can still walk, talk, and take action. Despite all this?  I'm becoming bankrupt...

If you are going to improve your health, then diet as much as you can. If you are going to improve your finances, then make as much money as you can. If you are going to make love then put those illicit movies to shame. There are many losers who try to justify their self destructive actions by claiming that everything should be done in moderation.  But ya know what? When I quit smoking I threw the cigarettes away and never bought them again.  I was wrong to have smoked my health away.  Maybe at one point it was the right choice, but when crap hit the fan I had to discard that which made me weak and unable to deal with the stresses of life.  All the cigarettes had to go.   Because this is important, I will not hold back.

I have heard many people say that you shouldn't try to time the market. So being the contrarian that I am, today I'm going to try and time the market. By the market I mean the New York Stock Exchange.  It should open around nine thirty and close around four or so.  But we'll see. If everything goes as planed there will be six and a half hours to buy as much ownership of companies as I can.  It is a good time to buy no matter which hour I purchase more ownership in.  This is because, as J.L. Collins puts it,  the market always goes up.

I'm guilty of falling into the trap of thinking that people can retire early.  That simply isn't true. Retirement happens when you've earned enough passive income to cover your expenses.  Age has nothing to do with it.  You are now working because you want to, not because you have to. There is nothing early about retirement. This was on my mind due to the recent article that claims because people are living to be over 100 years old, it should be law to push back the retirement age to 70. It is insanity to think that people want to spend their longer lives on working for the man.  Its like they just don't understand what motivates people to live longer lives at all. Here is the reality and I'll say it again, retirement happens when you earn it.  Some earn it as a teenager by being a trust fund baby.  Some earn it in their 20's or 30's.  Some in their 60's.  But don't let anyone take that away from you.  There is no way that I am work...

I've been listening to  Steve Job's commencement speech.   He talks about how he was privileged enough to have his parents pay for his college, but since college wasn't doing for him what he thought it would, he dropped out. Wow, just wow.  I mean how many immature losers would have simply kept going on their parents dime?  Count me as one of them. My favorite quote from the entire speech is, "Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.  You are already naked.  There is no reason not not follow your heart." This man even recognized that his life is a privilege, which is truly amazing. Another man that didn't take his privilege for granted is Joshua Kennon. On his personal blog he  posts about advice privilege  that he received from his parents.  He tells about how that privilege helped to liberate him in his life. Yet another person I know pushes her beauty...

I'll just come out and say it, I do not give money to charities. Luckily there is an internet between the reader and myself, because if I were to say this face to face I'd quickly lose any respect from the person I'm talking to. Yes there are good causes, and yes in the future when I can afford to give then I will. But while I'm stuck down here in povertyville making minimum wage I have absolutely no business doing it. Its like trying to provide a place to sleep for a friend.  First of all I gotta build the financial house up before I can help them. There are some people who give 10%+ of their money every week, and it just baffles me. "But I only give whatever is extra." Listen, until you are financially independent there is NOTHING extra.    Every single dollar needs to go towards building your financial house. It may feel good to help someone else's family.  But if it comes at the cost of my own family, then its a no go. Wish my charact...

When I was drinking a beer, the rich were out there getting richer. When I was chasing skirts, the rich were out there getting richer. When I was playing games, the rich were out there getting richer.  When I was educating myself, the rich were out there getting richer. When I was at church, the rich were out there getting richer. When I was learning how to defend myself, the rich were out there getting richer. When I was trying to impress my boss, the rich were out there getting richer. When I was fighting the punk who elbowed me in a basketball game, the rich were out there getting richer. When I was just surviving, the rich were out there getting richer. That's what they do.  Its time to seriously consider what I'm doing and why it ain't getting richer.

There is a disturbing trend I see among the self help books. They are all full of BS phrases like "you've got to make a choice to get rich," or "if you're in poverty it is because you didn't want riches enough." Just shut up. I didn't sit down and make a choice to live in poverty.  I choose to do the right things to get rich. I didn't sit down and make a choice to be fat.  I chose to do the right things to be fit. I didn't sit down and make a choice to be single.  I chose to do what I was supposed to do to be popular. And I sure as heck didn't sit down and say "Gee, today I'm going to be as irresponsible as possible and hurt myself and my family as much as possible."  Heck no. So if you got nothing better to say then "You control your own actions" or "You chose to have a heart attack" then just shut up.  Quit writing books.  Quit giving speeches.  Go away, you're not helping me. Yeah I kn...

I've heard it my whole life, that you go to work for a good company, and then that company is supposed to take care of you and your career.  The good paying job is there because as you look after your companies wants, they look after your wants. But I just haven't encountered it yet. When I worked at Walmart I saved them over $140,000 in shrink and made them over $150,000 selling additional items to customers that wouldn't have otherwise thought to buy the items.  What did that get me?  A forty cent raise. While working at my current job I've saved them over a quarter million dollar in inventory that would otherwise have been scrapped.  I've put in no less then 60 hours a week for over a year and a half and never missed a second.  This has also got me a forty cent raise. So no, doing a good job will not get you rewarded.  It will not move you to early retirement.  It just doesn't matter how much money you make someone else, they will not give y...

There is one thing that we all need.  Everyone is doing it.  If you go without for a few days, then the desire to get some will overwhelm you. That thing is drinking water. Now most people wrap their water up in a plastic cup.  But have you considered using your hands?  If not, then it is time to unleash the beast.  There is something mindblowingly primal about drinking with your hands. The correct technique is to clasp your hands together like you've just clapped.  Open them 45 degrees and dip them in the water.  Quickly bring that water to your mouth as fast as possible!  Be refreshed.  Build that arm strength.  Enjoy life. The math is supportive of this.  A good plastic cup will run you like a dollar at the discount store.  Yet that same dollar if invested for 100 years at 10% will end up being $13,780.61.  That's enough money for a solid gold cup! $73 dollars invested at 10% for 100 years will end up bei...

For days I've been watching the Dave Ramsey Show video clips on Youtube.   I really hate this stuff.  There is nothing worse then hearing the story of someone who does not get what they had coming.  I played by the rules, I did things the right way, yet I didn't succeed and don't have any hope left of doing so.  But these people who screwed off all their life and got into over half a million dollars in debt are given the opportunity to turn it around within a few years?  What about us people who did everything correctly, why's that not my opportunity huh? Perhaps its a character default of mine.  But who cares? What I've come to realize while watching this show is that life is fair to these people after all.  Sure they screwed up.  But they also did what they had to do to get out of their messes.  I suppose that's fair.   It is amazing how many people appear to not actually be aware of the decisions that they are making. ...

I'm going to share the masterful two account plan.   All you need for life is two accounts.  One account is a savings, and the other account is a checkings. The purpose of the savings account is to hold your emergency money.  Find a penny on the ground?  Put it in the savings.  Pawn some stuff?  Put it in the savings. You want to pretend this money doesn't exist.  Don't let anyone know about it.  Its only purpose is to handle the emergencies that pop up, such as going to the hospital. The other account is the checking's account.  Everything else in your financial life should go through this account.   Got paid an insurance claim?  Put it in the checking's account. Sued someone and won?  Put it in the checking's account. Need to pay rent?  Pay them from the checking's account.   Got a paycheck?  Put what you can in the checking's account.   Need to buy groceries?  Only if there...