I feel compelled to start this post by reaffirming my objective of one million euros in less than 5 years and I have to admit that time, as few of my favourites said it: "Time is on my side" but I also have to be aware of the fact that "Time around here does not exist"
I also notice that the ammount of events happening in the world at the begginning of this 2010 are uncontrollable and the future is uncertain therefore, I have to plea for good will and charity to all those who suffered the unfortunate events of nature in Haiti, at the end we are all humans. I also have to clarify my sincere purpose and I am declaring my Financial Freedom and a Millionaire mind set. That means that January is the month where we not only focus on the love in our lives, we are also grateful for our loving planet who nurtures us, but we give attention to our love for financial freedom and the joy and inner peace it brings us as we can live the lifestyle we choose to live and give to those we choose to give freely and with ease.
The principles of 'inner peace' shared by Warren Buffett and Buddha among others can provide a relaxed guide to investing happiness.
Last May, 35,000 shareholders crowded into Berkshire Hathaway's, annual shareholders meeting. One of the faithful asked a fundamental question: "What is the secret to value investing?"
- Buffett replied with all his serenity : "Independent thinking and inner peace."
Independent thinking is the traditional left-brain wisdom you'd expect from a Typical leader. But inner peace? That's hot Eastern wisdom served with a lot of heart.
During this month I started wondering how the inner peace and wisdom of Buffett and Buddha could translate into meditations to help Independent Portfolio investors during 2010. Suddenly it all came together in the following principles:
1. Love it before you get the million
"I am really no different from any of you," Buffet says. "I may have more money than you, but money doesn't make the difference. Sure, I can buy the most luxurious handmade suit, but I put it on, and it just looks cheap. I would rather have a cheeseburger from Dairy Queen than a $100 meal. . . . If there is any difference between you and me, it may simply be that I get up every day and have a chance to do what I love to do."
And he still "has to go to work every day."
2. Your mind creates money
"We are what we think," Buddha says. "Our thoughts create our world." Today, Wall Street's thoughts are driven by a mindless, obsessive addiction to get rich quick, without heart or purpose creating a world of endless self-destructive bubbles. In contrast, Buffett creates long-term wealth and really loves what he does.One of the keys to Buffett's success, is compounding. . . . If you start early and put $2,000 a year into an stable fund or shares for just eight years, until you are 27, when you retire at age 65 the $16,000 will have ballooned to over $1 million. You do not need unusually high returns to make good money with compound interest, but you do need to be consistent and focus.
Investing is all about common sense. Owning a diversified portfolio of stocks and holding it for the long term is a winner's game. Trying to beat the stock market is theoretically a zero-sum game (for every winner, there must be a loser), but let me tell you it is abolutelly possible to be on the winners side.
3. Being rich is 'nothing special'
Ancient Zen masters warned students that enlightenment is "nothing special." Neither is having a million. Nor even a billion. The same rules are applied everywhere "As above, so below" This phrase comes from the beginning of The Emerald table and embraces the entire system of traditional and modern magic which was inscribed upon the tablet in cryptic wording by Hermes Trismegistus. The significance of this phrase is that it is believed to hold the key to all mysteries. All systems of magic are claimed to function by this formula. "'That which is above is the same as that which is below'...Macrocosmos is the same as microcosmos!4. Invest Now and keep your positions
The Buddha: "Believe nothing, no matter where you read it or who has said it, not even if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense."
I would like to guide you on How to do it: "Start with the total stock market index. The idea is to own the stock market, own every company, and hold for it Warren Buffett's favorite holding period: forever. And that's part of the secret: Own everything, and hold it forever. The S&P 500Wilshire 5000 is also a great alternative but my all time favorites are some Nordic European indexes.
is about 80% of the value of the total stock market." The
All the shares that I mentioned on my previous post had a successful year in 2009, riding the turmoil with inner peace. Just before Christmas, all eight no-load index portfolios had one-year returns averaging 24% to 33% Not to mention the big and fast profit and success of Biohit in the Helsinki Stock exchange which in less than two weeks passed from 1.50 to 4.50 to stay in a relaxed position of 3.00 it was an easy way to double your money.
The Second Grader's Starter Portfolio consists of just three funds, including the recommended big-cap index fund plus the Total Bond Index and Total International Stock Index Fun. The portfolio's 33.3% returns beat the S&P 500, proving Buffett's point that "a great IQ is not needed to do well as an investor," just "the ability to detach yourself from the crowd."
We know the crowd will focus on the two hottest funds in the Portfolios: Vanguard's Emerging Markets Stock Index was smoking at 79% this year, and its REIT Index Fund
at 39%. But remember: Diversify, don't just trade hot funds of stocks.
5. You are always Learning
Zen masters say, "Zen mind, beginner's mind." Step into Buffett's Zen mind and meditate:"I'm going to buy hamburgers for the rest of my life. When hamburgers go down in price, we sing the 'Hallelujah Chorus' in the Buffett household. When hamburgers go up, we weep. For most people, it's the same way with everything in life they will be buying -- except stocks. When stocks go down, you can get more for your money, but people don't like them anymore. That sort of behavior is especially puzzling." It is then when you have to take a step ahead and do it.
6. You must make peace within you
"It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently," Buffett says.And there's this widely cited Buffett quote as well: "I want employees to ask themselves whether they are willing to have any contemplated act appear on the front page of their local paper the next day, be read by their spouses, children and friends. . . . If they follow this test, they will not fear my other message to them: Lose money for my firm, and I will be understanding; lose a shred of reputation for the firm, and I will be ruthless."
Meditate on doing things yourway and you will have no regret.
7. You are the only responsible
A practical reason for being your own boss on the investing area: A decade ago, "the total revenues paid by investors to investment bankers and brokerage firms exceeded $1 trillion," and "more than three-quarters of the cumulative financial wealth produced by stocks over an investor's lifetime will be consumed by fund managers."You cannot trust Wall Street. Zen masters warn: "If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him." Why? Because Buddha is never "out there." Not on CNN. Nor at Goldman. Not even Buffett. You're it!!!
OK OK OK ...if you insist that you need a fund manager or a good advise drop me an e mail.
8. You're on a never-ending journey of self-discovery
"You do things when the opportunities come along," Buffett says. "I've had periods in my life when I've had a bundle of ideas come along, and I've had long dry spells. If I get an idea next week, I'll do something. If not, I won't do a damn thing. . . . You only have to do a very few things right in your life so long as you don't do too many things wrong."You're on Earth for a reason. Not just to get rich. What is it? That journey never ends, few months ago I lost some weight, a few years back I was learning a new languaje, now as you can see I´m designing the Millionaire Man t-shirts:Come visit my store on CafePress! so the possibilities are endless making the Million euros one of them.
9. You are making it
If you're in the luckiest 1% of humanity, you owe it to the rest of humanity to think about the other 99%."Life and investing are simple for Buffett: "We enjoy the process far more than the proceeds. Independent thinking and inner peace. I can only point the way for you," Buddha says. "Be a lamp unto yourself."And if you wonder how you'll ever know if you got the "Zen first" secret (because Buddha also says, "You may be enlightened but never know it"), I'll bet Buffett would reply with something like: "You'll know you're enlightened when you sense inner peace while enjoying with your portfolio." At least I hope he'd say something like that at least I would say it like that.
So there's no secret to get a peace of mind. If anything, it's too simple. Peace of mind is within you.
I hope I can get to write another post and answer all you comments, mails and questions before I rush to the Caribbean Sea to enjoy a well deserved Vacation after a year of a Million Thoughts!!!
Keep in touch support my cause get your shirt:Come visit my store on CafePress!
And enjoy these advises in the videos Best regards JC
