| But one day, you're driving down the highway, stuck in traffic, struggling to get to work, and you look over to your right and you see your accountant stuck in the same traffic jamYou look to your left and you see your bankerThat should tell you something
The computer programmer was also unimpressed by the game: "I can buy software to teach me this
The banker, however, was moved"I studied this in school-the accounting part, that is-but I never knew how to apply it to real lifeI need to get myself out of the `Rat Race' "
But it was my daughter's comments that most touched me"I had fun learning," she said"I learned a lot about how money really works and how to invest
Then she added: "Now I know I can choose a profession for the work I want to perform and not because of job security, benefits or howmuch I get paidIf I learn what this game teaches, I'm free louis vuitton duffle bag to do and study what my heart wants to studyather than study something because businesses are looking for certain job skillsIf I learn this, I won't have to worry about job security and Social Security the way most of my classmates already do
I was not able to stay and talk with Robert after we had played the game, but we agreed to meet later to further discuss his projectI knew he wanted to use the game to help others become more financially savvy, and I was eager to hear more about his plans
My husband and I set up a dinner meeting with Robert and his wife within the next weekAlthough it was our first social get-together, we felt as if we had known each other for years
We found out we had a lot in commonWe covered the gamut, from sports and plays to restaurants and socio-economic issuesWe talked about the changing worldWe spent a lot of time discussing omega watches for sale how most Americans have little or nothing saved for retirement, as well as the almost bankrupt state of Social Security and MedicareWould my children be required to pay for the retirement of 75 million baby boomers? We wondered if people realize how risky it is to depend on a
pension plan
Robert's primary concern was the growing gap between the haves and have nots, in America and around the worldA self-taught, self-made entrepreneur who traveled the world putting investments together, Robert was able to retire at the age of 47He came out of retirement because he shares the same concern I have for my own childrenHe knows that the world has changed, but education has not changed with itAccording to Robert, children spend years in an antiquated educational system, studying subjects they will never use, preparing for a world that no longer exists
"Today, the discount tiffany's necklace most dangerous advice you can give a child is `Go to school, get good grades and look for a safe secure job,' " he likes to say"That is old advice, and it's bad adviceIf you could see what is happening in Asia, Europe, South America, you would be as concerned as I am
It's bad advice, he believes, "because if you want your child to have a financially secure future, they can't play by the old set of rules
I asked him what he meant by "old rules?"
"People like me play by a different set of rules from what you play by," he said"What happens when a corporation announces a downsizing?"
"People get laid off," I saidUnemployment goes
up
"Yes, but what happens to the company, in particular a public company on the stock exchange?"
"The price of the stock usually goes up when the downsizing is announced," I said"The market likes it when a company reduces its labor chanel handbags on sale costs, either through automation or just consolidating the labor force in general
"That's right," he said"And when stock prices go up, people like me, the shareholders, get richerThat is what I mean by a different set of rulesEmployees lose; owners and investors win
Robert was describing not only the difference between an employee and employer, but also the difference between controlling your own destiny and giving up that control to someone else
"But it's hard for most people to understand why that happens," I said"They just think it's not fair
"That's why it is foolish to simply say to a child, `Get a good education,' " he said"It is foolish to assume that the education the school system provides will prepare your children for the world they will face upon graduationEach child needs more educationAnd they need to know the rulesThe different sets of chanel necklace rules |