Posts by Mark Morgan Ford
One More Thing Before Setting Your Long-Term Goals…
Before you can jump feet first into master planning your life, you have one more job to do: Figure out what’s really important to you. Most people you meet on the street don’t like their jobs, are unhappy with their family life, and want more money. They believe that if they could just do this…
Read MoreHow I Avoided Investment Mistakes
Maybe I’m lucky. Or maybe it’s just common sense. I’ve been involved in the investment advisory business for thirty years. And except for a few early mistakes buying real estate, the big financial hoaxes and bubbles that devastated so many investors never burned me. That made a huge difference over time. It allowed me to…
Read MoreYou CAN Live a Rich Life While Building Wealth
I grew up relatively poor, the second of eight children. My father earned $12,000 a year as a college professor. As a teenager, I was ashamed of our small house, my hand-me-down-clothes, and my peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches. I dreamed, literally dreamed, of living like a rich man. And so, when I got my first job at…
Read MoreHow To Fish Income Out Of The Options Stream
Today I want to update you on my experience with Palm Beach Income, the options-trading program that we introduced earlier this year. If you were a subscriber back then, you know that my initial reaction to the idea was negative. “Options are risky,” I thought. “I don’t want to expose Palm Beach Letter subscribers to…
Read MoreThree Essential Numbers for Your Finances
In marriage, there are three numbers you must know by heart: your spouse’s birthday (October 18), your anniversary (April 19), and how many minutes you can be late before you are in trouble (twelve). To run a business, there are also three vital numbers you must know: net cash flow, the cost of acquiring a…
Read MoreTaking Care of Your Money
I had my first serious run-in with debt when I was 30 years old. My wife K and I were renting a condominium in Washington, D.C. Our landlady came to us with an exciting opportunity: We could buy the condo for $60,000 with no money down. For just $100 a month more than what we…
Read MoreThe Biggest Mistake You’ll Make When You Retire
I consider myself to be an expert of sorts on retirement. Not because I’ve studied the subject, but because I’ve retired three times. Yes, I’m a three-time failure at retiring. But I’ve learned from my mistakes. Today, I’d like to tell you about the worst mistake retirees make. It’s a common mistake… Yet, I’ve never…
Read MoreHow to Become Financially Independent in Seven Years or Less
You are middle aged. Your net worth is meager. Your income is barely sufficient to meet expenses… And those expenses are going up. The Great Recession is looming. Economists are predicting things will get worse. What can you do? Should you give up your dream of retiring comfortably one day? Should you accept a future…
Read MoreMichael Masterson is Retiring
This is a goodbye message. After writing hundreds of essays in Early to Rise and more than a dozen books since 1999, I’ve decided to retire the Michael Masterson brand. The reason is simple: I’ve written down in great detail and repeatedly everything I know about entrepreneurship, marketing and advertising copy. Effective today, I will write…
Read MoreMaking Our Lives Golden: The Choices We Have
Now that our last child is about to leave home, K and I are talking about getting television service. For about 20 years, we have been without it. The idea was that our children would become better readers without the distraction – and that objective was achieved. All three of our boys are voracious and…
Read MoreDo You Need “the Mindset of a Champion”?
Do you have the mindset of a champion? Are you able to look at your career challenges and feel certain you can overcome them?
Read MoreUsing Failure to Ensure Success
In his book “Failing Forward,” John C. Maxwell tells the story of Samuel Langley, the man who should have invented the airplane.
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