Author: Who is Anthony Robbins Anthony J. Mahavorick, fondly known as Tony Robbins, is an American mentor, life coach and author of self help books. As a life coach, Anthony has helped millions of people shape their lives, but he truly states that money, an abstract thing, can help you change your dreams into reality. He adds that if we don’t use money, then money will definitely use us. Therefore, we need to master money or it will gain an edge and master us.In his quest to help people learn more about the rules of money, Tony has crafted this book that contains unusual, but simple ways of making money for an average investor. The book is easy to understand and with the number of highly successful people interviewed, you will soon find out why Tony is so successful. Most importantly, he is successful because he cares.Tony discloses many other financial secrets including the power of compounding interest, retirement plans, security buckets, risk buckets, dream buckets and a lot more in the book: Money: Master the Game – 7 Simple Steps to Financial Freedom REVIEW: This roadmap to financial freedom does not alter my basic investment thesis and there are a few areas in the book that could have been presented a little better. The best section in the book is undoubtedly Robbins’ indepth interviews with billionaires and highly successful people. In this section, near the end, he gets high-powered investors to share their wisdom and philosophy. Throughout the book, Robbins continuously provides insights how money follows simple rules. In short, it’s about maximizing the gap between how much you earn and how much you spend and investing the difference wisely. For the more sophisticated investor, the book might seem a bit off target. Rather than maximizing the investor’s return, the book has a strong focus on lowering portfolio volatility – something we don’t care that much about. WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE: THE JOURNEY BEGINS WITH THIS FIRST STEP Apart from revealing trade secrets that could help us make money, Tony doesn’t hesitate to point out the crucial mistakes we make while we are overwhelmed in the race to make money. Long ago, people didn’t have to worry about saving for their retirement since they could lean back on their pension and enjoy the fruits of their labor; however, since pension plans are becoming extinct nowadays, Tony warns people to understand the power of saving money in order to lead a life that’s financially independent. He compares the concept of money with politics and Religion. Everyone seems to have a very passionate opinion, and for that reason it can be really hard to find good objective advice.Among several billionaires he interviewed, Ray Dalio, the founder of a hedge fund company with a staggering $160 billion, drives the point home by stating that investment is a zero—sum game. Interestingly, he compares investing to playing poker, where an average investor loses money since he plays with high rollers with unlimited resources and skills.Ray Dalio also insists that it’s never a great idea to put all your eggs into one basket. Interestingly, he views the investment system as a jungle a jungle that could crush a common man if he isn’t enlightened about the rules of the game. To win in the investment world, which is infested with sharks today, one must have the ability to anticipate – an important factor according to Ray Dalio – and predict how the market plays.While making money, it’s easy to believe that we are knowledgeable about everything, but Ray points out that t he power lies in recognizing our weaknesses and shedding ignorance. Tony says that in order to gain true mastery over money, we must pass three levels; cognitive understanding, physical mastery, and repetition. It’s about training your mind to do something automatically – a method of repeating something consistently, enabling you to become a skilled master.BECOME THE INSIDER: KNOW THE RULES BEFORE YOU GET IN THE GAME Our life consists of two phases namely the accumulation phase — where we save up and try to strive ahead to reach our goals, and the decumulation phase — where it’s time to reap the rewards of our harvest and enjoy life. Most of us disregard simple tactics in the accumulation phase and in this section, Tony breaks down the myths that have taken over the world of investment. For decades, people have followed these myths, believing them to be true; however, their hopes crash down along with the market if they don’t take precautionary measures. Myth 1 — THE $ 13T LIE: “INVEST WITH US. WE’LL BEAT THE MARKET!” The first rule of money is to not get into the game if you aren’t familiar with the rules. Thanks to the marketing gimmicks used by several companies, many of us fall into the trap and invest money before we’re even aware of the rules. For instance, people who invest in active funds need to be prepared about the risks they take because selecting a good fund can be similar to casino like odds. Active funds comprise a $13T industry where the house always wins. No matter if the fund returns a profit or not for the investor, the fund will charge high fees. Robbins argues that it’s easier and beneficial to invest in index funds that offer minimum risk. Myth 2 —“OUR FEES? THEY’RE A SMALL PRICE TO PAY!” […]