The Rules of Money

“Thinking Wealthy”

Believe it or not, money is out there for the taking. It doesn’t matter if you’re young or old, black or white, rich or poor, if your parents are from a foreign country or if you grew up wearing tacky hand-me-downs to school. Hundreds of people who were raised in abject poverty managed to become millionaires because they were determined to succeed. They simply refused to let circumstances stand in their way. If you think of yourself as a working stiff who is destined to struggle through life groping from paycheck to paycheck, your self-fulfilling prophecy is likely to come true. Attitude is half the battle.

To start out in the right direction, decide how you define wealth and how you’re going to achieve it. Some people might consider themselves wealthy if they don’t have to worry about the bills and have enough money in the bank to survive a six-month emergency. Others might characterize wealth as having a million-dollar home on a pristine beach or a shiny sports car in the driveway.

You have to know where you’re going and be realistic about how to get there. If you want to make a fortune in the stock market, but don’t enjoy working with figures...