Why Invest in the Market? Why are we in debt? My
Post# of 1584
My February 2017 Article
(My opinion..)
Have you ever come home from a long day at work, sat down exhausted, only to open several bills and wonder, "How do I still have so much debt when I work so hard every day?"
How about having just graduated with a college degree, you realize your college degree cost you $30,000 yet you can't find work in your field? Americans owe almost $1.3 trillion dollars in student loan debt. But why? Growing up, our parents told us, work hard in school, go to college, get a job, have a good life..
... but does that still apply today? We worked hard in school, we went to college, some of us found a job, yet we're up to our ears in debt. Is that the good life they were talking about? And most us will not retire from the same job we started at. How many of us, in our 40s, 50s, and 60s, are currently looking for a 'new job'? The days of our parents and grandparents are a thing of the past. It's almost a guarantee current college graduates will not remain at their current job through to retirement.
We all know the saying; "You go to college to be able to find a good job to be able to pay off those loans". Yes, true. This is a good point (in theory). But if this was the case, why do we have over a trillion dollars in debt? Not a million. Not a billion. A TRILLION.
In addition, most people who believe this have an annual income higher than 47% of us and don't have money issues. It's easy to tell a starving child the world is good when you have a turkey leg in your hand.
Many of us will literally die with an overwhelming amount of debt. No education will dissolve it; no hard work will relieve you from it. The numbers are simply not on our side.
With the average amount of college debt up to $30,000 and with the median household income at only $51,900, how is a family supposed to afford health care, vehicle maintenance, food, child care, a house, and pay a monthly average of $300 for a college loan?
Answer: We don't. This isn't 'living'. Instead, this is called 'surviving'. We survive month to month, paycheck to paycheck, and yet when someone asks how we're doing, we respond with, "Great!.. just great." The next time you go to the grocery store and the cashier asks how you're doing, notice your response. Most times you will respond with, "good" or "great" even though deep inside you know you're drowning in debt.
We are surrounded by ads and bombarded by commercials touting the latest and greatest devices that we 'must own'. We live in a society of 'have it now'; using credit cards for every purchase. We have a perfectly good iPhone 6, yet for some reason, we must own the iPhone 7. Our neighbor bought a brand-new car, so now we must go buy an even better car. We know we have money issues, yet we insist on owning top notch products. Everywhere we go, we see, "No interest for 24 months" slapping us in the face. Credit card offers come almost every day in the mail promising freedom and ‘simplicity’.
Recurring bills are common place. So much so, that it is now normal to have them. Back in the day, once you bought a television, that was it. You owned it. You didn't pay for channels. But now, buying a TV is only the beginning. Today, we have television streaming fees, cable fees, cable box rental fees, maintenance fees, monthly phone fees, data fees, data plans, phone bills that reach hundreds of dollars per MONTH... for a PHONE!? You can’t even use your phone until you pay for a data plan. Basic phones are seen as taboo and non-progressive.
We're literally spending hundreds of dollars a month.... on a phone. And the twisted thing about it is that these companies make us believe we can’t live without it that we literally... can’t live without it.
We tell ourselves we need our phones for 'emergencies' and to 'know where our kids are' because 'the world is more dangerous now', yet all we use our phones for is a scapegoat for not having to hold a conversation with someone and to post on social media.
The next time you go out in public, count the number of people staring at their phones. We're paying hundreds of dollars a MONTH for this. Staring at a plastic box and glass screen, yet we puzzle over why we cant pay our bills.
But the fact remains, there are countless hard working woman and men who struggle every day with debt. So, what is the answer? While there is no one magical answer to the problem of debt, I believe investing is the best chance we have of breaking free from it.
The difficult thing about investing is that most people who try to invest in the stock market will never see a profit. The reasons for this is complex and can include impatience, lack of experience, unwillingness to learn, investing more than you can afford to lose, NOT KNOWING WHEN TO SELL, and being influenced by others.
I would guess most investors do not research a stock prior to investing. Instead, they get influenced by many variables and randomly throw their money at the first stock they see.
Most investors lack patience. We see it all the time in these boards. A week goes by with no news and people freak out. We see three red days in the charts and people scream, "The CEO is a liar!"
After many years of investing, I have concluded that the main reason investors fail at investing is because they think they deserve the market to be kind to them. They think that the simple act of investing their money will bring about riches and fame. They believe that investing $1000 'must' make them a million dollars simply because they are themselves and they deserve to be rich.
Once reality slaps them in the face, they see the market for what it is: unforgiving. The market doesn't care about us. It's not a CEO's job to fill your pocket with money. Working 60 hours a week at a difficult job does not give us a 'pity ticket' to successful investing.
Indeed, most new investors will invest one time, lose everything, blame the market and the world for their misfortune, and will never invest again.
Although I do not offer investment advice, I have learned that there is a way to rid ourselves of debt; through investing. And although most us who try to invest will ultimately fail, some of us will be able to make enough in just a few years to be completely debt free.
And if you're wondering why I said, "most us who try to invest will ultimately fail', the reason I said this is because when it comes to the market, 'trying' is not enough. Research, investigate, speak to investment professionals prior to investing, call the company, be patient, take responsibility for your losses, and most importantly, do not invest more than you can afford to lose.
We live in a world where companies want to take our hard-earned money from our pockets in the most efficient way possible. They do so by making us believe the following:
That we ‘must’ own their products or else our lives are not worth living.
For some reason brand name products are ‘better’.
It’s a necessity to have 200 cable channels (even though you only watch 12 of them).
Coupons are for grandmothers.
Buying clothes on sale is seen as ‘being cheap’ (even though that $80 sweater you’re wearing is really only worth $12.50).
Buying healthy, bottled fruity water from exotic places is hip (when you have free water from the tap).
..FYI, we spent a billion dollars on bottled water last year, and we wonder why we are in debt.
I'm not sure if there is a definite conclusion to all of this. Simply put, while the majority of us are spending hundreds of dollars a month of phone bills, others are willing to own a basic phone, and are investing those savings in the market. What would you rather have? A new iPhone for one year, or take that $1,200 savings from owning a basic phone, invest it at .002, possibly sell at .20 cents, and wind up with $120,000?
..with the right amount of research, dedication, and investment knowledge, it is possible. The world just doesn't want you to believe its possible so that you'll buy their products.
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There is a VERY HIGH degree of RISK involved in trading and investing. Only invest what you can afford to lose.