The Lies The Banks Tell You

Financial institutions have built a reputation of trust with their customers but not everything they say makes financial sense. Remember that they are primarily a business and their goal is to make money off of you. The following are some of the lies they may tell you in order to get a few extra dollars out of your pockets:

• A House is An Asset - If you have a good credit score, it's possible that the bank will try to entice you to take out a better loan, than you originally intended, for the purchase of a house. They will tell you that a house is an asset; that it ultimately will make you money in the long run. This isn't true... An asset is something that put money in your pocket every month. A house is certainly not putting money in your pocket every month unless you rent it out.
• You're Richer than You Think - No you're not! This used to be a motto for a Canadian bank and it's just plain false. Banks will usually tell you this so that you take some of your money to invest. While there's nothing wrong with investing in itself, you should never invest money that you need to live - only the money you can afford to loose.
• Credit Score - The entire credit score system was created by the bank. it is a number that they put next to your name to determined how likely you are at repaying your debts. Your goal shouldn't be to raise that number but to get out of debt entirely. You won't have any issues getting a loan if you have money in the bank.
• Insurance - Don't get me wrong, insurances are good to have but banks don't usually care whether or not you're already covered at your work or if you have insurances with other companies. Be sure to read the contact before signing it.

Remember that even though banks have our money, it doesn't mean that they have our best interests in mind. Be aware!

Wake up Earlier!

We all have 24h in a day. What we do with those 24h basically determines the types of person that we'll become. Those that wake up earlier have a few hours head start over everybody else. The following are things you could be doing if you woke up earlier:

• Plan the day - Since most people are asleep, you can use this uninterrupted time to think about the day ahead.
• Power workout - Working out needs to be part of everyone's routine in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle in life. Mornings are the best time to do this as your body has the most energy.
• Work on a new skill - Do you want to learn a new language? Learn how to draw? Learn something specific to your work? It's easier to learn something in the morning vs after a busy day at work.
• Press your suit - Got an important meeting today? Make sure you look your best by pressing your suit.
• Prepare meals for the day - Food is the fuel of the body and it can be difficult to eat healthy when we're on the go all the time. Mornings could be a good time to prepare the nutritional meals for the day.
• Read - Warren Buffett, one of the richest man on the planet, read 500 pages a day. Imagine how many books you would go through if you read 500 pages a day!

If you're looking to improve your life then waking up earlier, to work towards your goals, is a must. Those few hours, compounded over time, has the potential to change your life. Stop snoozing!

It's Time to Work!

The mentality today is that we need to enjoy life while we're young instead of waiting until we're retired. It's not a wrong way to see things but whether we like it or not, we have to contribute to society and the best time to do so is in our youth. When we're young, we not only have the most energy but we also have a greater ability to learn.

Those that feel like they're missing out on life or are selling away their youth to the corporations feel this way because they are not working at something that is true to them - they are not following their passion. Work at something you're passionate about and you will not feel like you're wasting your life.

Our time on this planet is limited and there isn't any nobler pursuit than to work towards something that we're passionate about and that can potentially leave a mark long after we're gone. Whether we like it or not, this will require some type of work.

Confidence is not Truth

In dealings with people, confidence is everything. Anything said with confidence can be perceived as truth even though the two aren't related.

We've all got scammed at one point or another by someone who told us something that sounded like it was the truth because it was said with confidence. "I don't feel like he's lying" so we thought.
In a more extreme case, Hitler was using this approach to convince an entire Country that Jews were bad people and they should die. It makes no sense if we approach what he said from a logical point of view but it was repeated, with confidence, so often that people started believing in it.

Salesmen are thought to believe in what they are selling. To be sold on the product themselves if they ever wish to sell it to someone else. To believe in one's product is to have the ability to communicate its positives with such confidence that the listener will be sold on the idea as well.

What we have to do, as the listeners of those messages, is check the facts and form our own opinions.