It is common wisdom today that the key to building wealth is taking risks. People who take higher risks get the higher returns and wealth. There are risk/return graphs in investment and business that prove this. Most of us by now have heard that stocks have higher risk and volatility but higher returns over time than investments like bonds. New entrepreneurial ventures have higher risk and failure rates than established business and tend to create greater fortunes. This is definitely true.
But the best entrepreneurs, executives, and investors who actually achieve the highest returns and build the most wealth don't see it that way!.
Despite often being involved in unproven ventures and changing management or investments, they don't perceive that they are taking big risks at all. They are simply doing the obvious. They are very definite that what they are doing or investing in must and will succeed. They have a clear understanding of change and fundamental trends that seem all but inevitable to them. They appear risky and unclear only to people who don't understand such changes and naturally cling to familiar patterns that are more comfortable.
In "The Millionaire Next Door", the authors' surveys of wealthy people have found that the typical millionaire achieved such status by systematically underspending and oversaving from modestly above-average incomes. The law of compounding interest and investment returns built wealth over time, not overnight successes or excessive risk-taking.
The next two stories should give you a little perspective on how life at "Wall Street" really is.
How much is enough? The kid keeps asking the millionaire raider and trader.
How much money do you want? How much would you be satisfied with? The.
trader seems to be thinking hard, but the answer is, he just doesn't know. He's.
not even sure how to think about the question. He spends all day trying to.
make as much money as he possibly can, and he cheerfully bends and breaks.
