Millionaires develop a series of habits to assure that they don’t lose money, and that their money grows steadily over time. One of the best habits you can develop is the habit of getting good financial advice before you do anything with your growing account. Ask around and find a financial advisor who is already financially successful by investing his or her personal money in the areas that he or she recommends to you. Your ability to choose excellent financial advisors can be the critical factor in making good investment decisions. Develop the habit of investigating before you invest in anything. The rule is, “Spend as much time investigating the investment as you spend earning the money that you are thinking of investing.” Fast financial decisions are usually poor financial decisions. Develop the habit of taking your time, of moving slowly, of finding out every detail of the business or investment before you ever think of writing a check. Never allow anyone to pressure you into an investment decision. Never allow yourself to feel that a financial investment decision is urgent and must be made immediately. A wealthy man I worked for once told me, “Investments are like buses; there will always be another one coming along.” Sometimes, the best investments are the ones you never make at all. Make a habit of thoroughly understanding the investment before you ever think of parting with your hard earned money. If there is anything that you do not understand, or which seems too complicated for you, do not put your money in that area at all.
Warren Buffet, one of the richest men in the world as the result of his investing acumen, refused to invest in any of the high-tech or dot com companies during the boom of the 1990’s. Everyone accused him of being out of step and old fashioned. He simply replied that, “I don’t understand these businesses and therefore, I will not put any of my money into them.” He turned out to be right, and all the others turned out to be wrong. An important habit for financial success is the habit of insuring properly against any risk that you cannot write a check to cover. It is amazing how many people have spent years accumulating money and then lost it all because they did not have proper insurance policies in place. Develop the habit of using what I call “worst possible option” . Always ask yourself, “What is the worst possible thing that could happen in this situation?” Whatever it is, make provisions to ensure or guard against it. Never trust to luck. Hope is not a strategy. Wishing is not a strategy. Only careful planning, organizing and insuring constitute a strategy for your financial life. Be sure that you have sufficient life insurance to cover your family and all their financial needs if something should happen to you. Be sure that you have adequate fire and damage insurance for your home. Check and upgrade your policies on a regular basis to make sure that they cover “replacement value.” Insure your automobiles for damage and liability. Be sure to have adequate health insurance that covers you for any emergency, and for long-term care. No one likes to spend money on insurance, but it is one of the smartest things that you can possibly do on your road to financial independence. By insuring properly, you will never be caught off guard by an unexpected accident or emergency. An additional benefit of being fully insured is that it gives you a feeling of calm confidence that allows you to think more clearly and be much more effective in everything else you do.
