The book planned for which that would have been an appendix never materialized. I learned that writing a book is quite hard! You can read the proposed table of contents here. I considered hiring a ghost writer but it would have cost me far more than I ever would have earned in royalties. So I have opted to focus on my strengths -- science and engineering -- and leave the self-help book writing to more capable hands like those of our own Joseph Rowlands, author of Morality Needs No God. The main thing I want you to grasp right now is how intensely human relationships can make or break your attempts to build wealth. The universal accounting equation originated 500 years ago and still holds true today: Assets = Liabilities + Equity If you ever take a course in accounting, you will learn how to employ this equation in every balance sheet and cash flow statement both personally and corporately. If I had to name a single role most inclined to risk your assets, it would be your role as a Lover. As others alluded already, marry a saver, not a spender. More importantly, avoid like the plague relationships in any role with any person who sneers at money. They are usually the ones who want to justify their insanity by dragging you into it. You need to decide whether you ever want to become a Parent. This decision will guide how you act as a Lover. If you want to remain childfree for life, invest in a vasectomy and get checked every six months to verify the tubes remain sealed. If you want children, you should only court women who also want them and show the needed stability and reason required of good mothers. See the recent poll on this topic for more. That said, money needs always to remain a servant and never a master. This means saving rationally rather than compulsively. You need to get totally clear on your own unique means values to satisfy your particular variants of the ends values outlined in the Quicken article. Any soul mate you select should have means values closely resonating with yours. An example of a means value would be what kind of house you select to satisfy your mutual needs for shelter, etc. Since capitalism is how wealth is created, you would benefit from the equivalent of a business minor (if that is not your major) and you can earn that non-conventionally as follows. Here is a sample business certifcate program from a local community college. http://www.easternflorida.edu/academics/career-technical-programs/our-programs/business-admin/ Only eight (8) CLEP and DSST tests needed (24 semester credit hours) though actually you would need to take managerial accounting in a normal class since there is no placement test for that subject. Many colleges have these equivalent courses for their business minors. If you want to prepare for those placement tests for credit, read Homeschooling for College Credit to learn how to make that happen. Supplemental information: http://passyourclass.com/clep_products/business/financial_accounting_clep.html (Financial Accounting) http://passyourclass.com/clep_products/business/principles_of_marketing_clep.html (Marketing) http://passyourclass.com/clep_products/social%20science/microeconomics_clep.html (Microeconomics) http://passyourclass.com/dantes_products/business/organizational_behavior.html (Organizational Behavior) http://www.free-clep-prep.com/Principles-of-Finance-DSST.html (Principles of Finance) I emphasize all this because in this so-called "New Economy" more and more people will have to find creative approaches to self-employment and this means rigorously understanding business practices. See also my summary of More Wealth Without Risk and Complete Guide to Asset Protection and consider The Wise Owl Guide to Personal Finance and related placement test to educate yourself thoroughly on the entire spectrum of personal finance. Investing alone is not enough to build wealth. You must also protect it with insurance and other strategies or someone somewhere will take it all away from you in the blink of an eye. (Edited by Luke Setzer on 2/22, 9:39am)
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