The big question that is brought up time and time again in discussion with clients is “What is the best investment?” In essence, everyone wants to know what investment has the least amount of risk but the highest return. They want something that they can guarantee.
So what is the best investment? Over time, the thing I have found to be hands-down the most valuable to invest in is myself. From an overall perspective, everything I do to invest in myself makes me better and happier, which is the end goal of financial investing anyway. In addition, from a professional and financial perspective, everything I put in is basically guaranteed cash because I find by investing in myself, it’s helping me with my personal brand and producing a profitable business.
So, as far as investments go, the things that I invest the most money in are coaches, events, and experiences, where I’m gonna be a better person because of it. All these experts will tell you the same thing – Invent in yourself above everything else.
A buddy of mine told me about a recent experience he had with his kids. He prefers to spend money on experiences. On having the experience of being somewhere, or doing something. Not reading online or being on your phone, but being and experiencing in the physical sense, putting yourself in different environment and place, and seeing things through other people’s perspectives. On one of his most recent trips, he and his kids were able to learn a valuable lesson. This was his experience:
“One of the fun trips we took was to Hershey Park in Hershey, Pennsylvania. We toured the factory, but more importantly we talked about the life of Milton Hershey. He had a 4th-grade education, went bankrupt twice, started out as a caramel company, went to the New World’s fair, and purchased his chocolate equipment there and the rest is history. He created an extraordinary brand, amazing, right up there with Coke, the Good Years, and the GE’s.
It was great for my kids to tour this amazing company and feel this spirit of entrepreneurship. To know that Milton Hershey only received a fourth-grade education, but he built an empire from it. But it’s almost deceptive when you say he only received a fourth-grade education because Milton Hershey’s father was a traveling salesman, and he traveled all around the country selling this and that, while bringing his son along. So as a young boy, around 12-13 years old, he’s following his dad learning the art of sales.”
Every household has a budget for food for the body, medicine for the body, entertainment for the mind, and release. Wouldn’t it be a fascinating notion to have an education budget and say, I’m gonna spend this amount of money, and this amount of time every single month on financial education? On improving myself and what I know financially?
That’s where 401k contributions and IRA contributions come in. If those went to a fund where people were forced to go find an education as part of it, it would completely change everything. Their career, their pay, it would change their level of happiness, relationships, and that’s really where you have to experience it first, and most people’s experience with education, is not education.
So what is the best investment? There’s really no question. Invest in yourself, and you will always, always, always gain massive returns on investment, guaranteed. The next question is, what are some things you can do on a regular basis to fuel and add to your education? What can you do now to better yourself?
We strongly believe in continuing your financial education. Because of this, we’ve created a free online course on successful retirement planning and investing. If you’d like to start investing in yourself with the proper education register for Perpetual Wealth 101 today.
