Have a spiritual
life. Pray. Every day. If you're Catholic,
receive the Sacrament of
Reconciliation regularly.
Success is seeing your family in
heaven.
Finish high
school and college
(see Pope's book, "40
Colleges that Change Lives"). Also
see the Rules
of Life and what
Irma Bombeck had to say about living her life over and
various words of wisdom of others.
Do not marry until you have finished
college.
Marry someone who has a sense of humor,
forgives others, has the basic virtues of faith, hope and
charity, is frugal, and who is not irritated by life's
daily annoyances.
Do not have children until you are
married.
"The skills that make
for successful marriages are easily stated. Here's
Hetherington's list: 'learning how to compromise, to be
sensitive to each other's needs and feelings and to
support each other in difficult times.' Deal with problems
that can be fixed, and don't fixate on those that can't.
Mutual respect, friendship, and support sustain marriage;
hostile criticism, contempt, and withdrawal undermine it."
"Vow-To
Books," a review by Lynda McDonnell in The Washington
Monthly, July/August 2002
See
tips for a good marriage
Be honest with yourself and others.
Know where and how you spend your
money - keep a personal budget.
Find
your calling: find
a job or start
your own business (things
to think about before starting your own business, and things
to remember after you start your own business) or
follow your vocation.
Spend
less than you earn. (See personal
finance page)
Save at least 20% of everything you
make, starting with the first dollar you earn.
Invest for the long term, in index mutual funds and in
companies that have a history of increasing earnings. (See
personal
finance page)
Use a paper or electronic planner.
Share your time, your treasure and
your talent: give back at least 5% of everything you earn:
to God; to your church; to your community. Some
of our favorite charities.
Find someone to love and love them.
Find something worthwhile to do and
do it.
Read good books, listen to good
music, watch good plays and movies. Do not fill your mind
with pornography and obscenity.
Travel to other countries.
If you have children, read to them
10-15 minutes every day from the day they are born.
Have family traditions.
Live close to your work so you
minimize commuting time and expense.
Visit the Statue
of Liberty and the Lincoln
Memorial.
Learn to use technology that is
commonly available, like the telephone, voice mail, word
processor, spreadsheet, database, Internet, email.
Have big dreams; they are no more
expensive than small dreams.
Make time in
your life for the things that are important to you.
Learn
from the stories and words of wisdom of others.
Five of the common denominators of
millionaires outlined in "The
Millionaire Next Door," by Thomas Stanley and William
Danko
- They live well below their means.
- They allocate their time, energy
and money efficiently, in ways conducive to building
wealth.
- They believe that financial
independence is more important than displaying high
social status.
- Their parents did not provide
economic outpatient care.
- Their adult children are
economically self-sufficient.
Essential books, authors and recent
articles
- The
Bible
- "The
Road to Serfdom," by Friedrich A. Hayek
- "A
Random Walk Down Wall Street," by Burton
Gordon Malkiel
- The
Wall Street Journal newspaper
- City
Journal
- The
Economist magazine
- "The
Millionaire Next Door," by Thomas Stanley and William
Danko
- "The
Richest Man in Babylon," by George Clason
- a good dictionary
- Mark
Twain
- G.K.
Chesterton
- "Among
the Bourgeoisophobes: Why the Europeans and Arabs,
each in their own way, hate America and Israel,"
by David Brooks, The Weekly Standard, April 15, 2002
- "The
Seven Secrets of Extremely Prosperous People," by
Robert Allen
- "The
Liberty Doctrine," by Michael McFaul, Policy
Review, April & May, 2002
- "Tyranny
of the Twit: A Few Rules to Help You Survive the
Internet Era," by Michael Malone, ABCNEWS.com,
May 14, 2002
- "The
Fixit Kids Take Over: Tech's Newest Generation Just
Wants to Make Things Work," by Michael Malone,
Forbes ASAP, March 25, 2002
- "Three
Key Principles in the War Against Terrorism," by
Benjamin Netanyahu (Imprimis, June 2002)
- "The
Disturbing 'Rise' of Global Income Inequality,"
by Xavier Sala-i-Martin
Essential plays and movies
Essential music and musicians
- Handel's Messiah
- Beniamino
Gigli
- Gil Evans and Miles Davis
- Flatt & Scruggs
- Cab Calloway
- Louis Armstrong
- John Williams and Julian Bream, "Together"
and "Together Again"
- "Will the Circle Be Unbroken," Nitty
Gritty Dirt Band
Some of the tools I use and
recommend - ymmv
