The Millionaire Next Door takes 7 lessons, and talks about all the research into how the author came down to those 7 items. It almost sounded like a labor of love. He wanted to share with the world the real secrets from everyday people who did some amazing things financially.

I think it drives home the idea that it really isn’t rocket science. All of this requires discipline until the habits are internalized. Benjamin Franklin had 13 Virtues that he tried very hard to internalize, and one of them was Frugality. Being financially well-off feels fantastic, and you don’t need recognition. I know it’s an internal thing, that’s Zen-like. When trying to lead a healthier life, I used to hear the saying “nothing tastes as good as it feels”. It’s like a state of mind, almost like a smile exploded in your stomach. Ok, that was a reach, but it feels pretty good.

I’m going to paraphrase a bit:

Live below your means

Spend your time wisely

Being rich feels better than looking rich (and being broke)

Don’t create kids who are financial monsters

Build your kids into self-sufficient adults

Take advantage of financial opportunities

Choose the right occupation

As we discussed in the podcast, you can’t have unrealistic expectations of your investment. Around 20 years ago, I made a HUGE investment with that expectation and lost it all. I believed someone very close to me. A HUGE mistake, I put aside all my reason, and got brutally crushed. It took a toll emotionally. To this day, I think about it. And, it took me 15 years to get back on track. Very painful. I didn’t understand the business, the people and several aspects of what I was getting into. A very expensive lesson.

That story is only to tell you to follow the wisdom and lessons we’ve been studying. FOMO is the fear of missing out. Chasing a grand slam investment is fun, but usually leads to a very bad ending. However, with experience and hard work you’ll do great things. I love this saying, as I find it so true. “The harder you work, the luckier you get.” 

It’s always interesting to me to look at the numbers of being wealthy. In this book, there are many nuggets of wisdom, if you take a minute to process it. For instance, 70% of millionaires never paid more than $29,200 for a new vehicle and only 5% ever paid more than $57,000.

That doesn’t sound like what a millionaire would do when you’re looking from the outside in. I would’ve thought they bought really expensive cars. But it feels better being wealthy than looking wealthy. What if you didn’t have to worry about having a full-time job? BAM!! That’s liberating. What would you do with your time? Would you hang out with friends more often? How about more time with the family? Would you learn how to paint? Travel?

Plus, the book references that millionaires don’t always choose to buy new cars. A good portion have older cars. For people who buy a new car, and aren’t wealthy, generally they don’t spend their time wisely as one of the lessons highlights. It was found out that those who don’t make great financial decisions spend 60 hours to buy a new car. A wealthy individual often goes for use, and doesn’t waste the time looking for the best deal, newest bells and whistles and driving all over town.

Here’s something else interesting. When putting together the book, the authors had to do a lot of interviews. When performing those interviews with decamillionaires, meaning those with over $10 million in net assets, they were caught by surprise by the first interviewee who showed up in an older “run-down” suit. The person was a real estate investor who owned various businesses, and didn’t value having an expensive new suit.

The interviewers invited these decamillionaires to a penthouse for a fancy gourmet meal with expensive beverages. Not a single one ordered any expensive food and they didn’t drink any of the gourmet wine. They only ate the gourmet crackers! Unbelievable. It’s the concept of living below your means that really hit home with the authors after that experience.

If you’re curious about the right occupation, I can at least tell you what was found in the book. The majority of millionaires are small business owners, self-employed, or sales professionals who get paid on commission. Maybe that’s something to think about. 

Hopefully, I’ve given you a couple pieces of wisdom you can use. Thanks for listening and I’ll see you again next week for more Money with Mak & G.