In the past few years, things certainly have changed for many individuals, and there are a lot of people out there right now that are experiencing a season of challenge in their life. To ease the effect of these changes, the government has been printing money, and that really concerns me. I just don’t think it’s beneficial in the long run to encourage people not to adapt to change. And then there’s the whole discussion about making our money worthless by inflation, but that’s a topic for another time.
In fact, there are 100 million people in North America alone that say they’re unhappy with their economic situation. They aren’t complaining that things are too good—if that’s what you’re worried about. I don’t think you hear too many conversations like this one:
“Hey, Mabel, I told you to get rid of some of these hundreds—they’re all over the place! I can’t even find anywhere to sit!”
No, no—I don’t think we’re hearing that argument these days. Times are tough. People want things to be better.
For instance, 53% of college students cannot find significant employment, yet colleges continue to produce graduates. It’s an industry, and graduates are their product—plus, it’s supported by the government. They just print more money.
The average term of employment is currently less than 4 years, and 96% of businesses don’t make it to their 10th year. Two-thirds of the people over the age of 50 become unemployed, and that period lasts more than one year. When they regain employment, it is for an average of 60% of what they earned before—just a little more than half. That’s pretty… pretty tough.
20% of the people over the age of 50 are unemployed, and the government doesn’t believe they will ever find employment again. Think about that: at current life expectancies, it means that these people worked for about 30 years—raising kids, paying a mortgage—and just when they started to get to enjoy their life, they can expect 33 years of financial difficulty.
We can discuss all the possible reasons, but all that really matters is that a lot of people are hurting, and many are looking for help.
But wait—not all the facts are grim. Some are really exciting. E-commerce will experience a 500% increase in some markets in the next 5 years. I recently did a Google search for people making money on eBay, and the search returned 58 million results. That’s 58 million conversations about international competition.
What happens to your business or your job if the economy takes a serious hit? Perhaps this is the time to think about a Plan B. You carry a spare tire, don’t you? You probably haven’t had a flat in years, but it would be crazy not to have some safety net. Why not diversify yourself against possible challenges ahead—just like we’re now experiencing?
The start of the last decade saw many changes. Horses were replaced by cars, and abundant energy brought opportunities to our world. This affected some people positively and some not so well. Some didn’t take advantage of what was in front of them, and by the time they were struggling, the window of great opportunity was passed.
When change happens, there are always some people that don’t adapt. They hold back. Others race ahead and get themselves positioned where the future is going to allow them the most benefit.
One of the issues we face today is that the employer-employee model is not being very effective in meeting people’s dreams. That’s true on both sides of the equation. Many owners are just as frustrated as their employees. That’s obvious, isn’t it?
Yet some people still keep going back to that same dry well over and over. They lose a job, they go back, look for another job. It’s what we know. It’s what we’re taught. But 33 years of financial struggle to end your life is not a fun thing to look forward to. That isn’t the “golden years” we were promised.
Are you going to ride it out until it’s your turn to be kicked to the curb, or are you going to do something to prevent that possibility?
I want to ask you two questions:
Can we agree that in a job, you’re controlled for the benefit of the employer? You’re told when to show up and where to show up, what to do and what not to do, and ultimately when you can leave and how long you can even be gone.
My next question—and this strikes hard at the heart of the matter—can you ever hope to become financially free through a vehicle where you are controlled for the benefit of someone else?
No. No, you can’t.
A 98% chance of financial failure in a job—and I didn’t create that statistic. That comes from the Social Security Administration.
Jobs aren’t bad, but they are temporary parts of a hierarchy. Do you know that the word “employ” means to use? I know that’s harsh, but it’s true. Employees are tools that are used at the lowest market cost to meet the needs of business. Just think about it: how many employees have been replaced by robots?
I’m sorry—they’re tools.
If you’re an employee, you are controlled. But so are the owners, who have to be there to provide control—plus, they have to pay to support the overhead of the business no matter how much business activity there is. And the government is making it more and more difficult every year.
To be continued
vscampbell.com
Cheers