How to Marry a Millionaire – An Economic Update on the 1953 Film

In 1953, a great movie starring Lauren Bacall, Bette Grable and Marilyn Monroe was released called How to Marry a Millionaire.  I got curious as to how much money it would take to equal the same net worth today so I did an inflation adjustment because I wanted to know how big their motivation was [...]

from Joshua Kennon

Does Geographic Location Influence Success?

I was speaking to a relative of mine when this person (who shall remain nameless) expressed horror that after living near New York for so long, I would buy a house near my parents in the Midwest.  “I thought you were going places!” they basically decried in exasperation. It was then that I realized how [...]

from Joshua Kennon

Response to What Is Probably the Most Ignorant Message I’ve Received In 10 Years of Writing Finance Articles

A reader named Medusa wrote me and, to keep it short, explained that I shouldn’t believe people should be rich because the Bible is against rich people, that I was going to die a miserable, lonely old man with no one who loved me because I saved my money instead of spending it, and that [...]

from Joshua Kennon

Voltaire the Investor

How One of History’s Greatest Thinkers Amassed a Fortune One of the people upon whom I have based the way I live my life is Francois Marie Arouet de Voltaire, or Voltaire for short. Born on November 21st, 1694, he passed away on May 30th, 1778 after a long and extraordinarily successful life pushing for [...]

from Joshua Kennon

The Secret Philosophy of Successful Investing – One of My Best About.com Articles

This is a cross-post of The Secret Philosophy of Successful Investing from About.com, a division of The New York Times because I want to highlight the piece in case any of you missed it and get you to head over to the Investing for Beginners site to check it out! Why?  I’ve received tons of [...]

from Joshua Kennon

The House of Creed Is the Perfect Family Business

This is cross-posted from the Investing for Beginners site at About.com, a division of The New York Times.  I wanted to point it out to the readers here and tell you to head over there and check it out because I had been writing so much about Creed perfume, cologne, and fragrance products the past [...]

from Joshua Kennon

Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne Certainly Know Their Real Estate

When it comes to real estate, business acumen, and interior decor, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne have my admiration.  Not only are their properties flawless in appearance, they use them as cash generators. According to one of my favorite blogs, Mr. and Mrs. Osbourne purchased this 4,500 square foot, 5 bedroom, 5 bathroom beachfront property in [...]

from Joshua Kennon

Mail Bag – How Does Someone Start Creating Passive Income?

Among the thousands of emails and messages I receive regularly, I came across one today that was sent to me on May 17th by Cale P. Here is the question that was posed: I’m a pretty talented IT professional with great salary and a standard quality of living. I’ve known that I won’t be in [...]

from Joshua Kennon

The 5 Levels of Building Wealth

Early in life, I developed a theory that there were five levels of building wealth that most self-made men (and women) go through to reach financial independence.  It was started by my love for Carl Barks Scrooge McDuck comics.  When I started reading the Federal Reserve reports of consumer wealth, empirical studies, and other sources [...]

from Joshua Kennon

The Importance of Frugality in Building Wealth

I was up until 6:30 this morning reading Stop Acting Rich … By Thomas J. Stanley, Ph.D., the author of the incredibly successful The Millionaire Next Door and The Millionaire Mind.  It’s remarkable because so much of what the “average” millionaire did to achieve his or her wealth is exactly, precisely the same things I, [...]

from Joshua Kennon

Passive Income Asset Allocation Model Portfolio

Asset allocation models designed to generate passive income for investors remain among the most popular of all time because everyone wants to be able to live off their money.  Whether you are retired and need to augment your Social Security income, or you are wealthy and want to generate passive income without touching your principal, [...]

from Joshua Kennon

Balanced Asset Allocation Model Portfolio

A balanced asset allocation model portfolio is one designed to generate a steady combination of growth, income, and capital preservation.  The intention is to create a combination of asset classes that results in lower overall volatility so the investor doesn’t need to worry about wild market fluctuations because the holdings in their account mitigate each [...]

from Joshua Kennon

Growth Asset Allocation Model Portfolio

For young investors in their 20s, 30s, and even 40s, with decades until retirement, steady jobs, and plenty of savings, an aggressive growth asset allocation model portfolio may be the best choice.  The caveat: If the investor cannot handle volatility, watching their assets drop 50% on paper one year or skyrocket the next, they should [...]

from Joshua Kennon