30 replies to this topic

[caston]

I can go two ways about this:

I can either just ask a very broad general question about people trying to achieve financial independence so that they have more time working on life extension or I can relate my own situation. Hopefully the responses from this will help all of us.

For years I have yearned to develop residual incomes that keep myself alive without distracting me from the things I want to achieve (e.g my immortality)

I saved and saved. Read up texts on cash flow-positive property and tried in vain get a deposit together while directly exposed to the open market as a self-employed call out PC tech. I tried reselling ADSL plans on commission (but to many people wanted to bundle everything and bundle telcos are crap) and even wanted to setup and resell online ordering systems to retailers and wholesalers but discovered that many businesses owners lacked so much computer literacy that it made selling the systems very difficult and they didn't consider the systems (and the time I spent building for them) to be worth very much.

First my plan was to become rich then once I was rich worry about becoming immortal. I've had so much trouble becoming rich that I have decided to "stuff it" and focus on my immortality. Now I'm going to uni to study molecular biology doing 2 units a semester while I continue the call-out PC support part-time.
Hopefully soon to drop the call out PC support (possibly in phases) and study molecular biology fulltime and possibly even begin to form my own biotech company.


What ways would you recommend to try and get some form of financial independence? Play the stock-market? Deploy websites with google adwords? Or just forget about financial independence because working towards it doesn't pay as well as just plain working and its a distraction from life extension research.

thanks,

Chris

Edited by caston, 03 July 2006 - 02:50 PM.

[Da55id]

Live below your means by alot. Have no debt. Get your breakeven as low as possible. save money by doing things like partial self insurance w/high deductibles - like $1,000 car, homeowners, renters, health ins. Actually put the $1,000 in the bank drawing interest on a one or two year CD.

Sell any car that has a note and buy a high mileage high reliability low desirability reputation on Ebay wherein the vendor on Ebay has a reputation score of at least 98.5% and sales of over two hundred vehicles. Pay cash and spend $6,500 or less. Get enought money in the bank so you don't have to buy colllision insurance at all. Just liability. Buy reliable cars that no one else wants w/low mileage and drive them into the ground. Better yet, live near public transport and avoid owning a car at all.


buy a house that has space you can rent out. Or buy a house that can be converted to several (three) condos and sell two of them to pay for the one you live in outright.

go to school on other people's money(on the job training). self teach. decide that you are going to live a long long time and then discover that you can go slower to achieve financial independence. Think of businesses for yourself - don't try to do what everyone else is. Make a goal of thinking of 3 businesses a day. You'll discard most of them. The key constraints in the businesses must be: how can I get this started with no money (ie$500)? When I'm done in 5 years who will I sell it to and for how much? can it grow quickly without much capital? can it grow quickly with few or no employees? is there a moat that can be build around the biz? do I know how to be lucky (preparation, quick reflexes, audacity)

develop a network of carefully cultivated friends and be worthy of them.

anyway, just a few thoughts from the peanut gallery :-)

[Karomesis]

indeed, I'm currently working on achieving it.

I have studied online pornography for 5 months now, and have concluded that the market is in the primitive stages of VR and webcams are the starting point. The old methods of selling porn are being replaced by social bookmarking and group dynamics, which is one of the reasons i'm going to have a blog on my new directory.

If you are going to do something to achieve financial independence, you MUST break away from the pack and do your own thing, I talk to people who are ambitious like myself and ask them their opinions on what I'm doing. Some of them are making over 1 mil a year .To be honest with you, why would I talk to someone who was happy making 50k a year and ask them how to make a million? they neither desire to do so, nor do they have the ambition I do, I ask people who are highly determined and will not suffer defeat easil, knock them down 20 times and they get back uo 21 times.

what is your plan? how much do you want to make? And most important, how hard are you willing to work?

for me, I will stop at nothing to achieve my goals, I am relentless in pursuing them. wether it's the defeat of aging, or making my first million. You need to figure out how dedicated you are and what you're willing to endure to achieve your goals, if you're married, it's possible the marriage could suffer or crumble completely, talk to some entrepenuers, they'll tell you some stories about failed marriages and making the big bucks. Sometimes success comes at a high price, be prepared to pay it if that's what you want.

[RighteousReason]

Hey man definitely a great thread- no surprise karomesis is here

I've had so much trouble becoming rich that I have decided to "stuff it" and focus on my immortality

If you think immortality will be easier, you have a wholly naive anticipation...

Karomesis I'm interested in your "little project"... If you need a programmer I'll be happy to assist, by any means necessary [lol]

[Karomesis]

Hey Hank, do you have ICQ? It's always good to find a like minded businessman.

[Athanasios]

Live below your means by alot. Have no debt. Get your breakeven as low as possible. save money by doing things like partial self insurance w/high deductibles - like $1,000 car, homeowners, renters, health ins. Actually put the $1,000 in the bank drawing interest on a one or two year CD.

Sell any car that has a note and buy a high mileage high reliability low desirability reputation on Ebay wherein the vendor on Ebay has a reputation score of at least 98.5% and sales of over two hundred vehicles. Pay cash and spend $6,500 or less. Get enought money in the bank so you don't have to buy colllision insurance at all. Just liability. Buy reliable cars that no one else wants w/low mileage and drive them into the ground. Better yet, live near public transport and avoid owning a car at all.


buy a house that has space you can rent out. Or buy a house that can be converted to several (three) condos and sell two of them to pay for the one you live in outright.

go to school on other people's money(on the job training). self teach. decide that you are going to live a long long time and then discover that you can go slower to achieve financial independence. Think of businesses for yourself - don't try to do what everyone else is. Make a goal of thinking of 3 businesses a day. You'll discard most of them. The key constraints in the businesses must be: how can I get this started with no money (ie$500)? When I'm done in 5 years who will I sell it to and for how much? can it grow quickly without much capital? can it grow quickly with few or no employees? is there a moat that can be build around the biz? do I know how to be lucky (preparation, quick reflexes, audacity)

develop a network of carefully cultivated friends and be worthy of them.

anyway, just a few thoughts from the peanut gallery :-)

Peanut gallery?

those are some really great suggestions for people on the ground level... LIVE BELOW YOUR MEANS!

[Karomesis]

Or just forget about financial independence because working towards it doesn't pay as well as just plain working and its a distraction from life extension research.

I must've missed that quote when I read it the first time.

absolutely not.

I know two guys who both make 75k a year....one of them has a 4 year degreee, travels an hour to and from work, has extremely limited room for advancement,and must do what his boss says or be fired.

the second man who lives in canada, works 2 hours a day from home and makes the same amount, with no travel, no boss or pathetic trivial ofice politics to deal with, and massive room for advancement to around 200-250k a year.


who is better off?

[John Schloendorn]

One can make more than enough money *by* fighting aging. Making money by other means, in *for* fighting aging still sounds like totally wasted effort to me. (Unless you can rapidly make many millions somehow, but chances are that you can't :-)

[caston]

Hey guys. Thanks very much for all the responses.

I probably don't actually need to become rich just able to pay my basic expenses with recurring incomes.

When I was really interested in cash flow positive property I posted my idea about achieving financial independence in bite sized steps to a website called propertyinvesting.com

Here is a basic image I made at the time.

http://arach.net.au/...ldependence.png



I've been a self-employed call out PC tech for the last 5 years so I have enough experience to put my rate up now. I charge $50 per hour inc GST but some techs charge in the $90-$120 per hour range. I'll put my rate up and I should hopefully have enough income to keep me going while I study at uni perhaps until I get a lab job or turn my call out PC service into some kind of (basic) biotech related company.

At the moment I'm driving a '87 Toyota Corolla. It is reasonably fuel efficient and I've just had the cyl head reconditioned and a new radiator installed. The rear breaks are due next service but the car should be quite reliable.

I spent about 3 times on the car what I paid for it but that was only $600. Would have been better to buy a better car but I used the car to earn the money that I used to get the work done. I wouldn't have had that money otherwise and to justify it I like hooning around in 80's cars

I bought the $600 car because I wanted to get a loan for a brand new one but didn't want to rush into it as my previous car had died. If I had of taken out the loan I'd be paying back $430 a month on it. Sure I could have put sign writing on the car and I would have looked more professional and got more work and been able to put my rate up but then I'd be even more roped into call out PC support.

There are pics of the Corolla on my TFT gallery:

http://www.wayofftopic.org/tft/

Not quite pimped but I've given it some TLC.

Also what do you think of the following quote?

"Take care of the luxuries and the necessities will take care of themselves." -- Dorothy Parker

I don't know if it means what she was hinting at but I do things like replace washing machines and other white goods instead of trying to fix/putting up with them, splash out on tools and PC hardware that will makes my life easier. Spend extra for a durable, shock, spill resitant notebook and things like that. Eat subway at times when taking the time to prepare a meal will decrease my billable hours.

Edited by caston, 05 July 2006 - 03:47 PM.

[quadclops]

Good thread! [thumb]
Financial independance has been a pursuit of mine for quite awhile as well. Lot's of schemes and scams out there though, it's like panning for gold. You really have to sift through a ton of mud before you find that nugget! I'm still sifting.

Karomesis:

the second man who lives in canada, works 2 hours a day from home and makes the same amount, with no travel, no boss or pathetic trivial ofice politics to deal with, and massive room for advancement to around 200-250k a year.

Wow, sounds sweet! What does he do?

Schloendorn:

One can make more than enough money *by* fighting aging.

Uh, how exactly?

[caston]

(1) Carry out research and develop theories on slowing, stopping or reversing aging
(2) ???
(3) Profit!

quadclops:

What about the more boring things like bonds, unlisted property trusts and dividend stocks?

[Karomesis]

Wow, sounds sweet! What does he do?

well....he makes thumbnail galleries to promote porn sites, and he submits them to TGP's like worldsex or the hun.

he pays about 450$ a month for generating traffic, and off that he makes about 6k net profit.
and that's not even his main job, he also sells feeds and makes about 10K a month doing that.

I realize porn isn't for everyone, but rest assured, there are people making 1mil+ a year just running 1 site.


I was talking to a rep for a cam site, and he told me his top affiliate makes 50k a WEEK [:o] [:o]

You really have to sift through a ton of mud before you find that nugget! I'm still sifting.

I have come to the conclusion, that catering to humans desires is EXTREMELY profitable, when people's needs are met, food, shelter, clothing ect; what do they pursue?... hedonism. since I'm already a very hedonistic person anyway, I can talk to the consumer and try to create a NEED instead of just a desire, when that need is created, my job is basically done. [sfty]

[opales]

well....he makes thumbnail galleries to promote  porn sites, and he submits them to TGP's like worldsex or the hun.

he pays about 450$ a month for generating traffic, and off that he makes about 6k net profit.
and that's not even his main job, he also sells feeds and makes about 10K a month doing that.

I realize porn isn't for everyone, but rest assured, there are people making 1mil, a year just running  1 site.


I was talking to a rep for a cam site, and he told me his top affiliate makes 50k a WEEK [:o]  [:o]

Sweet. Where can I find more info how to get into this stuff? No problems with porn, in fact it might even be a plus [lol]

[Karomesis]

Sweet. Where can I find more info how to get into this stuff? No problems with porn, in fact it might even be a plus biggrin.gif

well, I could point you to a couple of high quality forums where information is readily available. different forums cater to different porn traffic generation tecniques, there are some for blogs, freesites, and TGP's/galleries.

Each method requires extensive networking, a steep learning curve, a desire to differentiate onself from the banality of your competition, and ambition to succeed dramatically.

What is it you would like to do?

[John Schloendorn]

One can make more than enough money *by* fighting aging.

Uh, how exactly?

You know what an aging researcher's typical salary is? Other than that, start companies, get SBIR, venture capital, the possibilities are endless. Getting resources is not an extremely big deal, when you have a clue what needs doing and what has a chance of working.

And the requirement to "have a plan" is not a drawback of the "making money by fighting aging" strategy, because it's required for the "making money for fighting aging" strategy just as well -- otherwise how would you know what to spend your money on once you have it. Some great anti-aging benefactors of our time made exactly this mistake. They can't judge on their own what's worth doing, so the only option left to them is trust the mainstream, and that's about the safest way not to innovate.

[Live Forever]

You could always move to a cheap place to live (link) to save some dough.

[caston]

All my customers are in Perth. Those places might be cheaper to live but without income the figures are in the red.

[lunarsolarpower]

One of the best posts I've run across on the internet is the first one by Cornrow in this thread. Actually the finance board over at Fatwallet is a place any aspiring financial wizard should spend some time. The ratio of financial geniuses to newbies has degraded somewhat over the years, but it still seems to be one of the best out there.

[Shepard]

That's too funny, I just finished reading the book a couple of weeks ago that he was a part of.

[Karomesis]

One of the best posts I've run across on the internet is the first one by Cornrow in this thread. Actually the finance board over at Fatwallet is a place any aspiring financial wizard should spend some time. The ratio of financial geniuses to newbies has degraded somewhat over the years, but it still seems to be one of the best out there.

W......T........F???? are you talking about? it looks to be a spam forum to me. WOW credit card financing...where do I sign up?,LOL it's basically a white picket fence, golden retriever, ballpark, middle class forum. For people who are happy with such plebian circumstances. May the lord bless you if you like that type of existence.....I do not.


"financial wizard" is a very strong statement, I'd like to see what they have to back it up, because as you well know, money talks and bullshit runs the new york city marathon. [:o]

[lunarsolarpower]

W......T........F????              are you talking about?  it looks to be a spam forum to me. WOW credit card financing...where do I sign up?,LOL it's basically a white picket fence, golden retriever, ballpark, middle class forum. For people who are happy with such plebian circumstances.  May the lord bless you if you like that type of existence.....I do not.

I certainly have seen more useful forums that were devoted to a specific type of business with a much higher percentage of knowledgeable individuals. However I will contend that there are many useful ideas hidden on Fatwallet Finance. For example, somewhere deep in the middle of the sticky investment/real estate thread, there is a person who sends out letters to carefully screened absentee owners of pieces of land and routinely flips them for tremendous gains. Their strategy is in the letters they claim to be a younger person starting out in life who is looking to find a piece of land to build their own house on.

As I mentioned, there is more chaff than wheat there these days. However the archives do contain lots of ideas and information that are of value even to people a few standard deviations above Joe Sixpack. If you know of a superior general financial forum please don't hesitate to share.

[regino007]

financial independance is hard work. I just started my semi-own thing about 6 months ago. My life style has changed alot. Not really materialistic but when and how my family life exisits. I saw it above about failed marriages and such with some who persue this venture. I can see why.I work from home and I see and hear my wife and kids for most of the day but have no time to intereact with them. I am on the phone for most of the day and if I am not, then I am on the road going to an appt trying to close a deal. Last month was real good as far as cash flow but it is making me wonder what I am giving up in persue of this dream

[ronan]

If you are thirty and are not making enough supplemental income to sustain your Immortality addiction you need to re-prioritize now. Death will be here before you know it.

I know the owners of some of the largest pr0n sites and they are indeed making serious loot. Problem with them is they live lavishly and drive Hummer's. A waste of oxygen and space on this planet I think. So they don't understand the concept of saving, compound interest or their future, when the bottom drops, or when the United States declares smut illegal (could happen with so-called Christians in office). How many votes off was Net Nuetrality from passing?

I just posted this thread in another open discussion and it got no responses, so glad to see it bumped here.

"A new report goes further and suggests that chasing wealth might even make you mentally ill. Paranoia, narcissism and attention deficit
disorders are just some of the afflictions more likely to dog you if you pursue purely materialistic goals, it says."

I guess that is if you obsess about it and fail. Which most do. I have a few sites that might help out.

Budget all expenses in your life. Find out where the leaks are and plug them up. Are you dropping some on smokes, other unecessary items? Anything that is detrimental to your health like excess drinking, you can easily cut it from the budget when you see a pattern.

Fatwallet is filled with people looking to make money any way possible, but there are, buried down deep in the forums methods to make some good returns on investments. Some tips on opening an online ING account should be looked at carefully and done immediately. Also put $4,000 in your Roth IRA every single year. It might be up to $5,000 this year. Find out where your investments are and I still think Bio stocks are a viable investment.

You can pull in some extra cash with Google Ad Sense. A friend just took a class in Google Analytics, he keeps talking about starting a business but the last failure makes me think it will be another waste of time.

Everyone should be reading life hack. Most are college tips on how to budget save money, but others offer real world practical applicaitons for jump starting a secondary revenue source. Side jobs and more side jobs will give you the extra bump to invest in INVESTMENTS. A primer on the strategies of becoming wealthy can be found on this blog.

Heres the story of a 26 year old who should be investing in the MPrize in addition to all of his other investments.

Anyways, just a few suggestions, keep all your other recommendations coming in. I love reading them!

[Athanasios]

"Also put $4,000 in your Roth IRA every single year."

For real, if we are going to live longer than normal, we have a huge advantage here. This year it is still 4k, although there are some parameters that can change this amount.

[lunarsolarpower]

Some tips on opening an online ING account should be looked at carefully and done immediately.

I recommend firstrade.com for an online brokerage. If you're looking at opening an online savings account, please don't use ING. They have lagged behind the interest rate competition for at least three years. Check out bestcashcow.com for the current rate leaders or go with HSBC Online Savings which has had a good blend between competitive rates and excellent usability.

[Karomesis]

I know the owners of some of the largest pr0n sites and they are indeed making serious loot. Problem with them is they live lavishly and drive Hummer's. A waste of oxygen and space on this planet I think.

I will live lavishly as well, but I will be making far more than I spend [lol] with a minimum of 60-70% monthly going to real estate developing, VC funding, ect. [thumb] And let me tell you, you ain't seen lavish yet...many of those pornographers do indeed drive hummers....but I'll be getting them

"A new report goes further and suggests that chasing wealth might even make you mentally ill. Paranoia, narcissism and attention deficit
disorders are just some of the afflictions more likely to dog you if you pursue purely materialistic goals, it says."

[lol] [lol] and many more as yet unreported.....a contradiction to epicurianism is the cure...rest awhile from your pleasures, and you will find them just as tasty when you return to them....... after an abscence. [sfty]


And yet another report..suggests that being just like every other pathetic boring fool actually causes ED [:o]

[ronan]

We should keep this thread alive. I still want to find out what others are doing and how much they ay are earmarking for supplements. How much money will it cost and how much should we be saving now at 20? 30? 40? If we want to capitalize on the latest technological advancements in nanotechnology, and other youth regenerating products?

[emerson]

I have come to the conclusion, that catering to humans desires is EXTREMELY profitable

The crazy thing is that, at least in some cases, it doesn't even have to do a very good job of it to bring in the money. An acquaintance of mine works in various webporn related fields, and quite frankly the target material is pretty subpar. Subpar to the point that on being shown a link, I as a healthy young man in my twenties, felt absolutely no desire for more than a quick glance to satisfy my curiosity. And yet he manages to earn a fair living. When one sees the bottom of the barrel in terms of skill doing well for himself, it's difficult not to be just a bit tempted for a quick change in career.

[Da55id]

there is a person who sends out letters to carefully screened absentee owners of pieces of land and routinely flips them for tremendous gains. Their strategy is in the letters they claim to be a younger person starting out in life who is looking to find a piece of land to build their own house on.

We located and bought land from an absentee owner. We are almost finished building our home and will live in it. We did not say we are young because we aren't. It WAS a very good deal for us - and for the other party. No real estate agent go between(s) etc.

Fraudulent misrepresentation is bad for the person perpetrating the lie. It is also bad for the usually aged individuals who are selling the land. I find it offensive that on the one hand some who are young would rail against older folks sucking social security from the young while the young would see no problem with perpetrating a legally actionable/criminal fraud against the aged or anyone else by conning them as suckers.

What should be our view is that there are only humans. Some sick with age and everyone else about to be sick with age. We're in this awful boat together. Let's fix the boat without preying on one another.

[FunkOdyssey]

W......T........F????              are you talking about?  it looks to be a spam forum to me. WOW credit card financing...where do I sign up?,LOL it's basically a white picket fence, golden retriever, ballpark, middle class forum. For people who are happy with such plebian circumstances.  May the lord bless you if you like that type of existence.....I do not.

I just want to mention here that studies have shown that beyond the amount of wealth required to provide for basic needs, money has zero correlation with happiness. In fact, the more value an individual places on material wealth, the more dissatisfied with life they tend to be. I'll try to dig up the references.