Posts by Mark Morgan Ford
What You Should Do Today
Of the many execrable things that happen to you when you approach 60, the recognition of mortality is the worst. You can’t avoid it. People you know – even friends and family members – are seriously sick or dying. I see death is a hateful thief. I know he will steal life from me eventually,…
Read MoreHow to Stop Losing Half of Your Money and Live Without Worry
Every eight to 10 years, inflation cuts the wealth you have in cash by half. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says the inflation rate has averaged 2.6% since 1990. In fact, it’s at least twice that much. And it could be four times that much… You see, in 1990, the government changed the way it…
Read MoreThe Magic of One Person
A man looks at his youth and says, “I wish I knew then what I know now.” That’s what “Eric,” a pot dealer who spent four years in jail, said to me after he had become a multimillionaire. Eric was talking about what he had learned about direct marketing. I gave him a job after…
Read MoreAre You Setting Goals … or Still Dreaming?
“Our life is composed greatly from dreams, from the unconscious, and they must be brought into connection with action. They must be woven together.” – Anais Nin We all have dreams. We all carry movies in our minds about how life could be for us in a better world. Sally dreams of a big house…
Read MoreWhat You Should Ask Your Money Manager Today – Right Now
The financial industry is adept at keeping its customers in the dark about what they are spending. There are plenty of regulations in place that are supposed to make such costs transparent, but most of the disclosures are in small print and peppered with legal terms. I’m not suggesting that all fees and charges are…
Read MoreHow to Come Up with a Big Idea: Part 2
Recently, Bill and I met with the writers from one of Agora’s financial advisory divisions. They presented us with a number of leads that they thought contained big ideas. In almost every case, they were wrong. One of these leads predicted that China and the USA were going to be battling it out over the…
Read MoreHow to Come Up with a Big Idea
I have learned many valuable lessons from my 15-year partnership with Agora’s legendary CEO, marketing genius Bill Bonner. None is more important than the Big Idea. In my father’s time, this concept was best understood by David Ogilvy, one of the most successful commercial advertising men who ever lived. In our time, that position is…
Read MoreHow to Write About Big Ideas
I spend at least half of my time teaching writers how to write better. I’m speaking of writers who work for the information-publishing companies I consult for and for other publishers who pay me to help them make more money. Over the 30 odd years I’ve been doing this, I’ve developed many complicated theories about…
Read MoreHow to Get Out of Debt Fast
Do you spend more than you make? I used to. When I started working as an editor at a Washington, D.C.-based newsletter publishing company, my salary was $14,000. My wife was earning less than that. Our two salaries barely covered our basic living expenses. On top of that, I was attending graduate school and we…
Read MoreMark Ford’s Message to a 47-Year-Old With No Money
A reader wrote recently to say that, although he’s “learned a lot from” our publishing he feels that most of the advice is not suitable for him, because he is 47 and has a net worth of only $25,000. He is not interested in long-term saving strategies. “What good will compound savings do for me?”…
Read MoreThe Little White Lie of Retirement Investing
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 very common mistake. Yet, I’ve…
Read MoreHow to Become a Freelance Advertising Copywriter
“Despite not being overly smart or talented, over the past 3 decades I have made millions of dollars as a freelance direct response copywriter — and 30 years after I started, I still have fun every day doing it!” – Bob Bly Today I’d like to introduce you to this amazing world that’s been so good to…
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