Actually, I have very little of material wealth. First, I went to college. If you don't know, some people take out loans. I became a public servant for very little pay to do what I was interested in and what I thought would contribute to society. I ran up debt just by the cost of living and making payments on my COLLEGE LOANS (and I gave some money to my girlfriend for an important purpose). Then, I was unemployed for a short while (that cost money too, even with unemployment benefits). Finally, I started trading in NYC because it seemed like an interesting (and perhaps exciting) experience to gain, and started at the WORST time. The latter of course further compounded my debt! What's more, even to the extent that I took up trading to try and make good money (which was certainly part of it), I did so to buy SECURITY, not for prestige, status or to purchase tons of useless or overpriced material goods (I don't need or want a BMW when I can buy a perfectly good Ford, don't need a Rolex or Guci (sp?) when my casio works just fine, and don't need my own gym when I can go work out and a perfectly good fitness center, etc). As far as giving half my money away, I would certainly do this if I were FILTHY rich. What part of FILTHY rich did you not understand? If I were filthy rich, it would mean that I would have far more money than I would possibly need for security or even adventure. A person only needs so much money for the aforementioned aims, after that it is simply about power and prestige.
Even those who dont confess to know GOD,wouldn't you have admit there is something unusual and powerful about the practical patterns in GOD'S WORD?[Example 1 ]''As a man thinketh in his heart,so is he''Soloman,Proverbs[2]''the greatest of these -love''I'm not advertising for Hitman here,but love is the greatest strength LOVED the way candle trader ''translated '' a Worldco ad months back
Oh, I trade for money, all right. But I'm not naive enough to think that a bank account can bring me fulfillment, or that I have more intrinsic worth than my neighbor simply because I can write a bigger check than he can. You guys are still confusing the freedom and openness that financial independence brings, a good and desirable thing, with the worship of money and the seeking of empty prestige through the attainment of money, a petty, useless and ultimately unfulfilling/self destructive thing.
How do you define "security"? The accumulation of wealth in order to weather some coming financial storm? Ability to buy lifes needs and wants without regard to the economy? or employment status? The ability to harvest profits from the markets just like a farmer harvests crops? Financial assets stored in financial institutions? It strikes me as traders we have to endure "insecurity" not truly knowing ahead of time whether a trade will work out in order to secure security. Kinda of a paradox. We seek risk in order to accummulate profit so that later we can avoid risk therefor hopefully becoming more "secure" as a result of our risky behavior.
I just had a pool installed in my yard last fall. The money was the tool, the joyful screams of my kids (and others) splashing and playing, was the happiness brought to me. I don't care what the neighbors have or don't have. I'd rather have money, to give me the financial freedom to do what I want, verses living paycheck to paycheck. Metooxx - you crack me up!
NetProfit: There is no true "security," at least not in this world. My security as a trader comes from knowing that I have a definite edge as sure as the casinos have over their patrons. My only "risk" is that a freak accident will blow me up, but because I am prepared and aware of this possibility, this risk is no greater than the possibility of being hit by a truck the next time I cross the street. And there is certainly no point in worrying about the vagaries of our mortality.
Capital gives you the ability to work for yourself and family; and the freedom to do what you want and say what you feel.
Metooxx, you may be right, and that is why I am not sure if I will be trading much longer, at least not as a primary job. I took a risk that seems not to have worked out. While money alone will NOT make one happy (unless that person cares only about money, whereas in that case the person's ability for happiness is very shallow anyhow), but being poor and in debt can make someone very stressed, if not outright unhappy, because there freedom is stifled and their security is unstable. This in turns means that one is FORCED to make money a high priority, and it then becomes a worry, a burden if you will, rather than a positive thing.