{"id":77157,"date":"2025-02-09T04:30:24","date_gmt":"2025-02-09T04:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/business\/investing\/how-virtuous-living-leads-to-wealth-creation\/"},"modified":"2025-02-09T04:30:24","modified_gmt":"2025-02-09T04:30:24","slug":"how-virtuous-living-leads-to-wealth-creation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=77157","title":{"rendered":"How Virtuous Living Leads to Wealth Creation"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Donald Trump\u2019s first term was filled with obstacles and roadblocks.<\/p>\n

But even with COVID-19, rising rates, constant legal battles and Democrats controlling Congress\u2026<\/p>\n

The market soared.<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Eight million Americans became millionaires.<\/p>\n

So just imagine what the next four years could look like\u2026<\/p>\n

Republicans control both houses.<\/p>\n

The Fed is cutting<\/em> rates.<\/p>\n

And Trump is surrounding himself with the smartest people in America.<\/p>\n

Alexander Green believes Trumps radical plan to fix America will deliver a time of prosperity unlike anything weve seen since the Roaring \u201820s\u2026<\/p>\n

And its centered around one impressive piece of technology. This time, Alex says 20 MILLION new millionaires could be created\u2026<\/p>\n

And the opportunity for Mainstreet investors is just getting under way.<\/p>\n

Join Alex and Bill OReilly as they discuss \u201cThe Rebirth of the American Dream<\/u><\/a><\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Click here to view the full interview.<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\u2013 Nicole Labra, Senior Managing Editor<\/p>\n\n

In Monday\u2019s column<\/u><\/a>, I discussed how America\u2019s Founders viewed the pursuit of happiness.<\/p>\n

Rather than seeing it as an attempt to merely get and have more, they saw it as the lifelong pursuit of virtue\u2026 of trying to be<\/em> good rather than feel<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

This, they believed, is what leads to a flourishing life.<\/p>\n

Yet these virtues \u2013 industry, thrift, courage, temperance, etc. \u2013 are also essential to achieving our most important financial goals.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with a discussion of how individuals accumulate wealth over a lifetime.<\/p>\n

Everyone in this country who reaches retirement age and doesn\u2019t have the money to retire comfortably has made one of the following mistakes\u2026<\/p>\n

They didn\u2019t work. Or they worked but didn\u2019t save. Or they saved but didn\u2019t invest. Or they invested but not wisely. Or they invested wisely but didn\u2019t leave the money alone to compound.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a closer look at these factors through the Founders\u2019 lens of virtuous living.<\/p>\n

I was taught as a child that we all start with nothing and make our way in the world by serving others<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Some young people will stop me right there and disagree.<\/p>\n

One of my friend\u2019s sons told his father upon college graduation, \u201cI have no intention of working for the man<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

(However, playing the guitar in a coffee shop didn\u2019t lead to the life of his dreams either.)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe man\u201d is a synonym for someone \u2013 or, more particularly, some business \u2013 that is competing hard to satisfy actual or potential customers.<\/p>\n

For some reason, a lot of kids miss that these days.<\/p>\n

Ask them what teachers do for a living, and they\u2019ll say, \u201ceducate kids.\u201d Ask them what doctors do for a living, and they\u2019ll say, \u201cheal the sick.\u201d Ask them what businesspeople do for a living, and they\u2019ll say, \u201cmake money.\u201d<\/p>\n

But teachers and doctors make money. Everyone gets paid for their work. So we can see they haven\u2019t really said anything about businesspeople at all.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a better explanation of what businesspeople do: They offer to make our lives better.<\/p>\n

We all depend on businesses to provide us with life\u2019s essentials \u2013 food, clothing, shelter, utilities, health care, etc. \u2013 as well as discretionary items like the PING G430 MAX 10K Driver that promises longer, straighter tee shots with more forgiveness.<\/p>\n

(Forgiveness is also a virtue.)<\/p>\n

I fail to see why it\u2019s a sell-out to work for \u201cthe man\u201d?<\/p>\n

In fact, I would say the less virtuous path would be to think about myself and what I want rather than other people and what they<\/em> want.<\/p>\n

We all survive by serving others.<\/p>\n

I provide content that my publisher needs. I provide advice that my subscribers want. And that provides my family with the income they need to flourish.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a win-win-win.<\/p>\n

In short, industry is the first virtue. Work generates income. Working hard \u2013 and upgrading your skill set \u2013 creates more income.<\/p>\n

And more hours, more workdays, a side hustle, or a second job creates more income still.<\/p>\n

The next virtue is frugality.<\/p>\n

Like me, I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve known plenty of adults who spend everything they make.<\/p>\n

Not because they\u2019re just scraping by but because they\u2019re undisciplined spenders.<\/p>\n

They have to have the new house, the new car, the new boat, the new clothes, the new trip, and so on.<\/p>\n

If you can afford these things and still save, great. But if you can\u2019t, it\u2019s time for some serious adjustments.<\/p>\n

And no one is in a better position to know where to cut back than the individual doing the actual spending.<\/p>\n

Once someone has demonstrated industry and frugality, the next virtue is courage.<\/p>\n

If you keep your money in super-safe investments like Treasury bills, certificates of deposit and money market funds, you will earn a low return, one that may not even keep up with inflation.<\/p>\n

That means you need to have the courage to buy real estate and\/or stocks, even though no one can guarantee that your investments will be profitable.<\/p>\n

Real estate tends to appreciate over time. But it generally requires a substantial loan and ongoing costs, like maintenance, repairs, property taxes, homeowner\u2019s insurance, etc.<\/p>\n

Nothing has beaten the long-term return of a diversified portfolio of common stocks. (Or more to the point, a diversified portfolio of uncommonly good ones.)<\/p>\n

Diversification reduces your risk. Owning three profitable businesses is less risky than owning one profitable business. And owning 30 stocks \u2013 or 300 \u2013 is a lot less risky than owning one or two.<\/p>\n

Over the long haul, the S&P 500 has returned about 10% annually \u2013 and many stocks have done far better.<\/p>\n

History shows that if you have the courage to move beyond ultra-conservative investments and take intelligent risks, your returns will be far higher and your progress toward your most important financial goals will be far quicker.<\/p>\n

Then comes the need for still another virtue: temperance.<\/p>\n

As the money compounds in value, many investors find the temptation to spend it irresistible.<\/p>\n

They decide they simply must have that sports car they always wanted or the trip they always dream of.<\/p>\n

I won\u2019t argue against these things. However, I will argue that they should be worked into the household budget or saved for separately.<\/p>\n

Why? Because if you see your growing retirement portfolio as just a big pot of money that can be raided when an opportunity arises, there is a strong probability that that\u2019s exactly what will happen.<\/p>\n

And that comfortable retirement? It will be a lot less comfortable.<\/p>\n

In sum, the Founders were on to something. Virtuous living is its own reward.<\/p>\n

Yet it also leads to material rewards.<\/p>\n

Industry, frugality, courage, and temperance are good for building character.<\/p>\n

But they\u2019re also great for building your net worth.<\/p>\n

<\/p><\/div>\n