Name Bodo Schaefer widely known in Germany today. The Germans talk about the "phenomenon Bodo Schaefer».

A few misdeeds and life principles, and Bodo Schaefer became a complete bankrupt, owing creditors 75 thousand marks. From this difficult position Schaefer found an unusual solution. Even the most famous athletes always have coaches - and he needs a "financial coach" too. Later Bodo Schaefer wrote: “Everyone needs a person who is able to lead us forward, actively helping us. All the rich had coaches."

After a long search, he found a mentor at a speech by an American billionaire. He once founded an oil company with less than $ 1,000, and after 8 years he had already earned 800 million. The American spoke convincingly about how the most fantastic projects can be realized with the help of other people and their money. Schaefer managed to win his trust, and they founded a joint company. After 2.5 years, under the guidance of an American mentor, Bodo Schaefer, for the first time in his life, he earned 100 thousand marks in a month.

Later, he made his first million, and after a while he could already live on interest from the capital.

Foreword by the editor of the Russian edition to The Path to Financial Independence book
"Revelation from Bodo Schaeffer, a German millionaire who came to prosperity the shortest way- through economy and extraordinary thinking. He started from scratch. “The Path to Financial Independence” is not just a summation of experience and practical advice through which you can achieve well-being. A person cannot be happy alone. Only by making others happy, he himself will be happy. Bodo Schaeffer claims that money good hands make happy not only their owner, but society as a whole. This is main idea books.

The conceptual way of thinking applied Schaefer to deal with complex and dry economic categories, shows that the book is related to the philosophy of economics. However "The Path to Financial Independence" written plain language, with humor and not without brilliance. This makes this book a fascinating bestseller in the field. economic knowledge. We can only add that the book Bodo Schaefer, a writer and a businessman, is aimed at the mass reader, so that, having reconsidered his attitude to money, the reader can build his happy future without postponing the implementation of intentions and plans "for tomorrow". You need to start today - right after you open the first page. And one more thing: for someone who has read the book and has not begun the path to financial independence, there will be nothing left that would justify his inaction.

Books Bodo Schaefer and audio lectures "The Way to Financial Independence", "Laws of Winners" and "The Art of Managing Your Time" in Russian are included with any order, free of charge.

You can download or order

How money works according to Bodo Schaefer

Bodo Schaefer, financial consultant, in his book talks about the steps to financial independence: wealth, faith and luck. In the article, we will consider recommendations that relate to wealth.

Financial independence

According to Schaefer, wealth has an explicit definition. A rich person is not just a millionaire. Living in an apartment for a million does not mean being rich and financially independent.

You are only rich when you can live on the interest of the capital without having to work.

Therefore, thanks to the money earned, one cannot become rich, but it is possible thanks to the saved - savings.

The path to financial independence lies through the provision of financial security and financial protection.

financial protection- a buffer for unforeseen expenses. It should allow life without lowering the level of expenses within 3-6 months.

This money should be in liquid assets, for example, in a savings account in a bank. The main thing in the buffer is not its increase and protection against inflation, but quick access at any time. Part of the money can be kept in cash and kept in a safe.

After building financial protection, you need to move on to ensuring financial security.

financial security- capital, which will allow you to live on interest.

If the buffer helps to survive several difficult months, for example, due to the loss of a job, then the capital will allow you to cover monthly expenses only with interest and constantly. At the same time, the capital itself is not “eaten away”, in contrast to the buffer.

Define the minimum amount to feel financially free. For example, for a family it is 100,000 rubles per month.

If you invest money at 8% per annum, you need to multiply this amount by 150. The 8% rate was chosen because risky instruments cannot be used for capital, so a bank deposit is suitable.

Then 100,000 × 150 = 15,000,000 rubles. Every year they give an income of 15,000,000 × 8% = 1,200,000 or the required 100,000 rubles per month.

It remains to determine the date by which you need to accumulate this amount and how much you need to save for this every month in order to become financially independent.

Financial freedom. the main objective wealth - do not provide yourself with a minimum for obligatory expenses for an apartment, car and products. You need to provide yourself with something bigger, dreams. For example, country house, teaching children abroad, annual leave for a month.

Therefore, after accumulating a buffer and capital for monthly expenses, you need to start saving for financial freedom.

To get started, you need to make a list of your desires with their costs and deadlines. After that, calculate the monthly amount that you need to set aside to achieve your dream.

It is important that unlike money for financial independence, money for financial freedom can be invested in more risky instruments.

Four steps to earning capital

What you need to do to save the first million.

1. Save a certain percentage of income. This means paying yourself first before giving money to others: for rent, loans, car maintenance. If you do not make such a “payment” first of all to yourself, then the money will be spent on expenses, and there will be nothing to save. For starters, this can be an amount of 10% of income.
2. Invest the money you save. Money should work, multiply itself. Then the capital will accumulate faster. This will help compound interest and investments. For example, if you invest 100,000 rubles at 10% per annum without capitalization, then another 100,000 will accumulate in 10 years. If you invest the earned interest every month again, then the income will already be 160,000 rubles, 60% more. The longer the term, the greater the effect of compound interest. For 20 years, without capitalization, it will “drip” 200,000 rubles, and with a monthly capitalization, 570,000.
3. Increase income. Engage in education, advanced training, find new sources of income. After studying for additional courses you can ask for a pay rise, and by raising the level financial literacy- invest savings more efficiently.
4. Save certain percentage for each increase in income achieved. Schaefer calls this "surplus income." If earlier the monthly income was 50,000 rubles, then 5,000 of them went into savings, and 45,000 remained for life. If income has grown to 65,000, then from this difference, 15,000, you need to set aside half - 7,500. Now you have 52,500 for life, and already 12,500 for savings. As a result, the level of consumption grows more slowly than income. And savings are growing faster than before.

How to beat inflation

Inflation devalues ​​money - over time, the purchasing power of the same amount falls. If five years ago it was possible to fill a car tank with 1,000 rubles, now this money will be enough for only thirty liters, and in another five years, perhaps only ten.

Therefore, money should not lie idle, they need to be multiplied. Income on bank deposits only approaches the level of inflation and money is not multiplied, but saved. Schaefer offers another option.

If goods are constantly rising in price, that is, their cost increases, then you need to invest in goods. And better - in the production of goods, that is, to buy a share of the enterprise that produces them. The easiest way to do this is to buy shares in the company.

9 Rules for Acquiring and Owning Shares

1. Large profits can be achieved over a period of 2 to 5 years. This means never investing money that you might suddenly need. The exchange is not for investing money "for life".
2. Profit and loss is only discussed after the sale of shares. Even if now the shares have dipped and show a potential loss, after a while they can grow back and give a good profit.
3. On the stock exchange are good and bad times replace each other. If you use the exchange for long-term investments, then over time, losses in bad times will be recouped by growth in good ones. It is important not to panic in bad times.
4. The crisis has good side: there is a case to buy shares much lower than par.
5. Buy shares of a minimum of five and a maximum of ten different companies. This is called diversification of investments to reduce risks - "eggs in different baskets." It is desirable that companies be in different industries. Now the oil industry is showing no best income, but energy companies give high profits.
6. Profit is made up of the exchange rate growth of the share price and dividends. You can make money on both. Even if the stock doesn't rise much, the company can pay generous dividends.
7. Don't listen to the crowd. Who does what everyone does, gets what everyone gets.
8. An emotional investor has no chance of making good money. You can not rely on intuition in buying shares, you need to analyze the company and the market.
9. Never take loans to invest in stocks.

Chapter 1
What do you really want?

You've been looking too long. Now give up seeking and learn to find.

Heinz Kerner, "John"

The classic conflict lies in the difference between what we feel in our souls and how we actually live. Our idea of ​​how we should live and reality are often as different as day and night.

Each of us has a need for spiritual growth in order to be happy. Deep down, we all want to change this world for the better. And we all want to believe that we deserve a really good life.

What are our chances of becoming wealthy?

What prevents us from living the life we ​​want? What is preventing you from achieving what you want? Naturally, most of us live in an environment that is not very prosperous. Our government sets a bad example for its citizens by getting deeper into debt every year. And to pay the interest on the growing public debt, it raises taxes.

School education does not give us answers to critical issues: "How to make your life happy?" and “How to become wealthy?” At school, we learn that Attila in 451 fought on Catalaunian fields, but we won't find out how to earn - and as quickly as possible - our first million. Who is to teach us how to become wealthy? Our parents? Most of us don't have rich parents. And therefore their advice regarding the achievement of true prosperity is very meager. Add to this the fact that our society encourages excessive consumption, and acquaintances and friends often cannot support us. Thus, something disappears from the lives of many people, which I consider as the innate right of everyone to be happy and wealthy.

Thinking about my life today, I feel a deep satisfaction. I live exactly the way I dreamed, and I am financially independent. But it was not always so. Like most people, I also had a time when self-doubt led me into confusion and paralyzed my will.

Strong experiences shape our character

We have all been in situations that have had a profound effect on us. And these foundational moments have changed our worldview and our opinion about people, opportunities, money and the world. They have changed our lives - for better or for worse.

I was six years old when I had an experience that influenced my relationship with money. My father was admitted to the hospital with cirrhosis of the liver. He should have been there whole year because he needed absolute rest. Doctors even advised him not to read.

One day I heard the doctor remark to my mother that he had never seen a patient who had so many visitors. At least six people visited my father every day, although complete rest was prescribed for him. So we learned that my father continued to work in the hospital. He was a lawyer, and along with the main, paid work, there was something in his life that he called "practice for the poor." He advised the poor for free.

My mother immediately called my father to account. He must stop working, otherwise he will not leave the hospital alive. Doctors also appealed to his prudence. But the father was stubborn and continued to do what he saw fit.

I often sat by his bed for hours and listened to what his visitors told him. And you know what? It was always about money, people always complained about their lack. And circumstances or other people were always to blame. I did not understand the legal intricacies of the cases, and therefore it seemed to me that I heard the same story over and over again: money problems, money problems, money problems ... At first it was interesting to listen to. But it soon got on my nerves. I grew disgusted with poverty. Poverty makes people unhappy. She makes them look for my father even in the hospital room and, bowing low, beg him for help. I wanted to be wealthy. And I accepted firm decision become a millionaire by the age of thirty.

One Solution Is Not Enough

However, this is not the beginning of my success story. Although I reached my goal by the age of thirty, but five years before that I was in debt, I had 18 kilograms excess weight and I doubted my abilities. A tense financial situation has made money the center of my life.

After all, money always has exactly the value that we attach to it. And during the period when you have financial problems, money is given too great importance.

Of course it's me hoped that everything will change for the better. Somehow everything will work out. But nothing happens if we only hope and do nothing. Hope is a sedative for the intellect, an ingenious self-deception. Who or what do we rely on? On God or fate? But God is definitely not a cosmic babysitter who rewards us for inaction. old saying right: "All fools and fools live in expectation and hope."

Our moral values ​​must match our goals

I was in despair. How was it that I was earning quite a lot of money and yet was in debt? And when I finally found the answer to this question, I was amazed. It turns out that deep down I did not believe that money is good. I sabotaged my own efforts to succeed.

After eight years of illness, my father died, and people said that he tortured himself with work. In no case did I want to torture myself with work. On the other hand, I did not want to be like the poor people who came to my father in the hospital to beg legal protection. I wanted to be rich and, if possible, do nothing for it.

Added to this was the fact that my mother, after the death of my father, went into religion. She was firmly convinced that "it is more likely that a camel will go through the eye of a needle than a rich man will go to heaven." On the one hand, I thought it was commendable to be poor. On the other hand, I wanted to be rich because I was disgusted by poverty.

Thus, I was torn between two opposing aspirations. And until I resolved this conflict, I was treading water.

Anyway, I was trying get rich. But there is always something that keeps us from concrete action. We leave the emergency exit open. The one who tries to do something but doesn't really want to do it is waiting for an obstacle that will allow him to give up his attempts and not change anything. We wait for disruption because we don't really believe that change is good for us and that we're strong enough to handle it.

Optimism and self-confidence

Put all your optimism aside for a moment. I will gladly explain to you the reason for this requirement. Optimism is definitely good quality which helps you see the positive in everything. However, if optimism is not associated with other personality traits, little will budge. Optimism is often and unreasonably confused with self-confidence.

While optimism allows you to see the positive, believing in yourself gives you the confidence to deal with the negative. Life is not a symphony consisting only of light and joyful notes; it also has dark notes. Who is confident in himself should not be afraid difficult situations.

Self-confident is the one who, based on his own past, knows that he can rely on himself. A self-confident person will not let anything and no one stop him, because knows that can overcome all obstacles. He proved it often enough. How you can build self-confidence in a short amount of time, you will learn in Chapter 3.

your money in the highest degree important for developing self-confidence. Money does not allow indulging in unjustified optimism. The status of your account is read clearly and leaves no room for beautiful conversations. So, if you want to increase your self-confidence, you must regulate your financial situation. Your money should be proof to you that you can achieve more in life.

You should not allow your financial situation to deprive you of self-confidence, because without such confidence you drag out a miserable existence. You will never know what is hidden in you. You won't risk anything. You are not growing as a person. You don't do what you can do. You are not using your full potential. A person without faith in himself does nothing, he has nothing, and he is nothing.

All this has nothing to do with optimism. A look at the balance should prove to you that your money is the support in your life. Looking at your finances should give you a sense of confidence in your own abilities.

This book will focus on how to adjust your financial situation so that your money does not work against you, but for you. Money can make your life difficult, but it can also make it easier.

What are your financial circumstances?

Do you think you are capable of more? Do you think that "it" does not satisfy you? You deserve more than this moment you have? Is achieving prosperity only a matter of time?

So, put your optimism aside for a moment. How has your wealth grown in the last seven years? Write down the amount by which your property has increased or decreased over the past seven years: _______ marks.

Such numbers are very sobering, but there is another important circumstance. If you continue to live as you have lived until now, then in another seven years you will see approximately the same number. And this trend will continue in the coming years. But if you want different results, then you have to do something. You must go on new paths - and you should start with your way of thinking.

Your way of thinking has made you what you are today. But it will not lead you to the goal that you would like to achieve.

What do you think about money? You are constantly in dialogue with yourself. If you secretly believe that money is bad, you have no chance of becoming wealthy. So what are your actual thoughts? We will find out in chapter 5.

You will find out how you feel about money in the depths of your soul. And you will learn how you can change your views.

Money is good!

At the age of 26, I met a man who taught me the principles of wealth. In just four years, I was able to live off the interest on my money. It became possible so quickly because my dreams, moral values, goals and strategies finally came into harmony with each other.

Believe it or not, money changes a lot in life. Money won't solve all your problems, and of course, money isn't everything. But cash difficulties cast a shadow on your happiness. Money will help you solve other problems more gracefully. You will have the opportunity to meet new people and visit new places, do more exciting work. You will become more confident in yourself and get more recognition from others. You will get completely new, previously unknown opportunities.

Five areas of our life

For simplicity, I divide our everyday life into five areas: health, finances, connections, emotions and the meaning of life. All five areas are equally important.

Without health, everything else is worthless. Those who do not control their emotions lack the motivation to complete the work they have begun. Good connections are like salt in soup. By the meaning of life, I mean the opportunity to do what really gives you pleasure, which in more matches your talent and helps other people. And our financial situation is very important. You should never do things for the sake of money that do not give you any pleasure. Therefore, you need what I call financial independence.

You can compare each of the five areas of your life with the fingers of your hand. Suppose your finances are middle finger, which had just been hit hard with a hammer. Would you say, “No problem, it's just a finger. I have four others...?” Or will you be busy only with the finger that hurts?

It is important that all five areas of life are in harmony with each other. And you must bring each of them to perfection. One who has money problems has not reached balance. And money troubles will always cast a shadow over all other areas. Money - important element in life balance.

How do people become wealthy short term? This is because they want to own enough money to work for them. Because they want to have a "money machine" instead of being a "money machine" all their lives for others. Because they want to have enough money to keep the right life balance.

Do you know why most people don't do what they really enjoy? Because they don't have enough money. A vicious circle is formed: people do not do what gives them pleasure, because they do not know how this business can make money. But no one has ever made real money doing something they don't like. Due to lack of funds, people continue to do things that they do not like, and therefore cannot earn good money.

The solution to the problem is this: take your favorite hobby and build a career on it. However, this can only come about when you give yourself time to analyze what you really enjoy and in what area you have talent.

Many years ago in New York, I met a very rich man who had a saying hanging over his desk: "He who works all day has no time to earn money." Obviously, the implication was that you should also give yourself time to think. When I asked him what to meditate on, he replied: “Know yourself and find out what gives you pleasure. And then think about how you can make money from it. Ask yourself this question every day and every day look for the best answer.”

Are you optimizing or minimizing?

We need time to figure out what brings us joy. Because only when we do something that fills us with passion and enthusiasm, we are really good. Then the money seems to flow to us by itself. We need time to discover our talents and develop our abilities. We need time to write the script of our life and try to make it a real masterpiece. Anyone who has not found time for this is wasting his life. And we need time to make principled decisions and to commit ourselves to act in accordance with decisions taken. Thus, each person must one day consciously decide whether he will try to optimize his life or whether his life will be minimized.

To optimize your life means to learn how to use your time, your opportunities, your talents, your money, and also other people optimally. It's about always achieving best result. If you want to optimize your life, you must constantly strive to be the best you can be.

Most people, however, go through life rather haphazardly and minimize it. Such people live under the motto: "The day has passed - and okay." Work week is an unpleasant break between the weekend for them. They work to earn money, not to find satisfaction in their work. They do not recognize either their talents or the opportunities that arise before them.

Planning is the alpha and omega

Many people plan their vacation much more thoroughly than life. There are, however, only two possibilities: either you plan your life yourself, or others will do it for you.

Many have attempted planning several times and yet failed. Someone once said: “The more I plan, the more chance interferes with me. Therefore, I stopped making plans and do not suffer so much from accidents now. However, there are very simple reason Why so many people fail to realize their plans: they do not link their dreams, goals, moral values ​​and strategies into one whole.

Professor Thomas Stanley state university Georgia in the USA has been researching the life of the rich for twelve years. And he came to the conclusion that the rich belong to the most satisfied people in the world, as their dreams, goals, moral values ​​and strategies are consistent with each other.

Dreams, goals, moral values ​​and strategies - these four pillars are the foundation of the actions necessary to build wealth. After all, what you do in life, first of all, does not depend on iron discipline, but on dreams, goals, values ​​and strategies.

These four pillars will be dealt with constantly in later chapters. This is how you build the foundation for achieving prosperity within seven years. It may seem incredible what a person is capable of when he brings these four forces into harmony.

Your dreams

Your dreams are a good indication of what will make you happy. Think about what you would do if you had enough time and money. You will be amazed to see that most of your desires require money to fulfill.

Your Goals

Based on your desires, formulate your goals. This requires a conscious decision. Until we decide, everything remains just a dream. So ask yourself what you want to be, what you want to do and what you want to have. Later in this book, you will find a very simple way to achieve clarity in your goals and make conscious decisions.

your moral values

Now we come to a very important point: Your dreams and goals must be in line with your moral values. Ask yourself: What do I really want? What is really important to me? In chapter 5 you will find out what you think about money. Your moral values ​​are by no means immutable. It's a set of possibilities. First, the choice is made for us. We learn moral values ​​under the influence of parents and environment.

But today you are free to choose your own values. Moral values ​​are not final. Some of your values ​​are under pressure life circumstances come into conflict with each other - as it was with me. Remember: on the one hand, I wanted to be rich, on the other hand, I thought that for this I had to torture myself with work. If our values ​​and goals pull us together in different sides, we are marking time. Therefore, it is very important that your moral values ​​are consistent with your goals. How to achieve this is described in Chapter 5. Only by making a conscious decision about what moral values ​​you will allow to guide you, you will be able to control your life.

Your strategies

If your dreams, goals and moral values ​​are aligned with each other, you must develop strategies that will help you act correctly. Strategies that will make you rich you will find in this book. I would like to make a small overview of these strategies.

What to do if you have debt is described in Chapter 6.

You need to know how to carry out your plans and have the ability to do so. You must know how you can get the money you want to have, how you can significantly increase your income. You will learn more about this in chapter 7.

By reading chapter 8, you will learn how to save your money; After all, a high income alone will not make you rich. Only the money you save will make you rich.

You will learn in chapters 9, 10 and 11 how you can multiply money.

How to plan in detail your financial goals written in chapter 12.

Finally, we will try to help in the implementation of your own plan. You need someone to show you how to get rich. How to find such a person, read in chapter 13. There you will also learn how to create an optimal environment for yourself that will guarantee the achievement of your goals - an environment that will make you last to the end.

But that's not all. Chapter 14 will show you what the difference is between success and happiness. You are successful if you get what you want. You have achieved happiness if you love what you have received. So I'll show you how you can use your money the best way.

But first we will deal with what is necessary to achieve wealth. In chapter 3 you will see how you can perform a real miracle.

It seems that getting rich is easy. But if this is the case, you need to ask yourself why there are not so many rich people. Chapter 4 explains this.

First of all, however, I would like to discuss with you in the next chapter a concept that is very important for achieving wealth and happiness. Until we figure out how to take full control of our lives, we are just weak victims of circumstances. It all starts with the determination to keep your destiny in own hands.

So, let's get started creating your wealth. You can be rich in seven years. Or maybe even earlier...

Key Ideas

Money always has exactly the meaning that we attach to it. And during the period when you have financial problems, too much importance is attached to money.

Our moral values ​​and our goals must be in harmony with each other, otherwise we are marking time.

Optimism allows you to see everything bright sides. Believing in yourself gives you the confidence to deal with the darker sides of life.

He is confident in himself who finds evidence in his own past that he can rely on himself.

Your way of thinking made you what you are. But it cannot take you where you would like to be.

Success means you are the best you can be. Happiness means that you like yourself the way you have become.

Financial problems will always cast a shadow over all other areas of life.

Decide for yourself whether you want to own a "money machine" or be a lifelong "money machine" for others.

Build a career on your favorite hobby.

Whoever works all day has no time to earn money.

Only if you consciously decide what moral values ​​you will allow to guide you, you will be able to control your life.

What you do in life depends primarily not on iron discipline, but on dreams, goals, moral values and strategies.

• 10.

This is the second part of the synopsis of Bodo Schaeffer's book The Path to Financial Independence. I write notes with famous books here from this list from Milfgard and this is another one of these notes. In the first part, we talked about what you need to UNDERSTAND in order to start your journey to financial independence. Now it's time to figure out what to DO.

Save money (saving)

Bodo Schaeffer compares the mechanism of saving money to a goose that lays golden eggs. You need to grow capital in such a way that you will live on interest in the future. A little lower we will look at how to calculate how much money and where to save. In the meantime, we will decide that we need to save money. Bodo Schaeffer calls it saving, but we are closer to the expression "saving money" and that is exactly what he means.
There are only four reasons why people do not save money:

1. They hope they can earn a lot more later, so there is no point in putting it off now.
2. They want to live well now and do not want to limit themselves. They say it's hard to postpone.
3. They do not consider saving money important and believe that they cannot change this point of view.
4. They think it won't work in the end. Inflation, low interest, crises, etc.

And now, on the contrary, a successful position:

1. Not income, but saving will make you rich.
   Habits are very difficult to change, and incomes only increase the scale, but do not change proportions. If you used to save 10% of your income before, then after an increase in income, you can easily do the same. However, the opposite is also true: if you haven't been saving anything, you won't do it even if you triple your income.
2. Saving is fun for everyone and not at all burdensome.
   When you save money, you pay yourself. After all, you pay everyone around: to the store, to the dentist, to the hairdresser, to the secretary. But you forget about yourself. Just think of the savings as paying yourself and do it at the beginning of the month as soon as you get the money, not when you have nothing left. Set aside 10% of your income. Getting by with 90% of your income will be just as easy (or just as difficult) as getting by with 100%.
3. You can change your views on savings at any time
4. Saving will make you a millionaire. You will easily get a good percentage.

There are two serious reasons why most people don't get to save money. First, they save too much. 10% is really not much, however, if you start saving 15 or 20%, it will be much more difficult for you. Secondly, they save at the end of the month, when they have already spent everything without a trace and there is nothing to save.

What to do if income increases? - Transfer 50% of the increase in your income to the "golden chicken" account. Example: you earned 10,000 rubles a month and set aside 10%, i.e. 1000 rubles. Your salary was raised to 15,000 rubles, that is, by 5,000 rubles. Take 50% of these 5000 rubles, i.e. 2500 and start saving them. As a result, you spend 11,500 rubles a month, and save 3,500 rubles. Thus, the level of consumption will grow more slowly, and the level of savings faster. These 50% will not affect you much, because you are not yet used to a new level of income.

Compound interest

You need to start with a very interesting exercise: try, starting with one ruble, save twice as much every month. You get this row: 1 + 2 + 4 + 8 + 16 + ... + 131072 \u003d 262,123 rubles. It will take 18 months and during this time you will learn how to look for new sources of income, train the “earning muscle”, create fixed capital for a large fortune.

Elementary truth: if you want to collect two million, you can save 400 rubles for 35 years. monthly at 12%. If you want to achieve the same result, but in 25 years, you will need to save six times more: 2400 r / month. But the same result can be achieved in 10 years, but you will have to postpone 10,000 rubles each.
If you invest 1000 rubles, after 30 years you will receive:

• 7% - 7612 rubles
• 12% - 29960 rubles
• 15% - 66212 rubles
• 20% - 237376 rubles

It seems to make sense to place money at a higher interest rate.
Rule of thumb: Divide 72 by the interest rate to get the number of years it takes to double your capital.

So, your money will be governed by two questions:

1. How often do you want to double your money? (interest rate)
2. What amount should be doubled? (setting aside money)

Make sure that the numbers with which you answer these two questions are maximum.

Stocks are not a game

What does inflation do to money? She devalues ​​them! In a few years, you will lose half the value of the money if they lie just like that. But what happens to goods? They are getting more expensive, i.e. their value increases. Thus, at a time when money is depreciating, goods are becoming more expensive. Maybe worth investing in goods? The most acceptable option is to buy a share of an enterprise that produces goods; and there's a pretty easy way to do that: buy shares.

We often hear the expression: "he plays the stock market." Keyword plays here. In fact, what most of the players, whom we call investors for some reason, do is called gambling. They are trying to win on instant rate changes. However, “games” with money are not included in our plans, because we will invest them.

Fundamental rules:

1. Big profits can only be achieved by "forgetting" about your money for a period of 2 to 5 years.
   This means that you should never invest money that you may suddenly need. In this case, you will be forced to sell shares at any price, just to get the necessary amount for urgent expenses.
2. Buy shares of a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 10 companies. Sort the eggs into different baskets. It is desirable that these baskets be in different industries.
3. You can talk about profit and loss ONLY when you have sold shares.
4. Profit is made up of appreciation and dividends
5. The depreciation has positive sides: You have the opportunity to buy shares at a price much lower than par. Buy during a crisis.
6. Don't listen to the crowd.
   90% of traders suffer losses because they do not follow the rules listed above.
7. Don't rely on intuition. Timing is important and as much as possible full information about the firm.
8. Never take loans for investment.

Stocks have always been and always will be better than money.
Money is getting cheaper, and the cost of goods and manufacturing enterprises is growing.

"Royal Way"
First, in order not to find yourself in an unenviable position, you need to choose only the most reliable stocks of the most reliable companies. These should be the most best banks, the best oil companies or companies in the IT industry. Whatever, but definitely the best.
Secondly, you must have the correct composition of the mixture. Think beyond companies, think about industries, countries or regions. For example, the Asia-Pacific region is now actively developing.
Thirdly, you must invest no more than 50% of the capital. Buy when the selected shares are cheaper by 10-30% and no more than 50% of your money. You need sufficient reserve capital in order to right moment buy in addition. The repurchase can take place no earlier than the stock falls by 30% of the original purchase price and can be repurchased no earlier than 6 months from the date of the first purchase. Not following this strategy threatens that stocks are bought up too hastily, and with a really deep fall in the exchange rate, there is nothing more to buy.

Investment funds

R. Kiyosaki writes that mutual funds (in Russian realities, these are mutual funds) cannot be considered as a good investment, because it is strange to trust other people to manage your money. However, Bodo Schaeffer writes the opposite: he says that if you do not want to deal with all these promotions and do not want to follow everything that happens with your chosen enterprises, you can entrust this matter to professionals. They have specially trained analysts who have read books and become smart. They follow events, receive information from open and closed sources. As a result, the yield on some mutual funds for 2014 amounted to 60-70%. Compare this with the current maximum bank rates of 16-17% and draw a conclusion.

The idea is to give your money to the management of someone who earns with you. The interests of banks are directly opposed to the interests of clients: when the client receives a large percentage, the bank receives less of its profits. Vice versa: the lower the interest on deposits and the higher the interest on loans, the greater the difference between them and the more the bank will earn. This is a direct contradiction with the interests of creditors and debtors.
What about mutual funds? They earn with you. They receive commissions from the profits you receive. So they go out of their way to make you feel good. Of course, this does not always work out, but long-term statistics show that the top 10 mutual funds in Russia show pretty good results.

Bodo Schaeffer specifically considers equity funds, ie. those who invest in stocks.
Is it possible to lose money in funds? Yes, you can, if you sell your shares at the wrong time and you can do this only if you urgently need money. You urgently need to get cash and you sell units at a price that is unfavorable for you. If you are not in a hurry, then there will be no such problem. Yes, there are seasonal or "crisis" downturns, but every downturn is followed by an upswing and you just need to have the patience to wait for this upswing.

You should choose reliable funds that invest your money in reliable stocks. Look at the package they manage. This should be a stake in promising markets and industries.
Whoever allows money to lie on a savings book will save himself to poverty.

Financial protection, financial security and financial independence

Minimum plan: financial protection.

There may be situations when your sources of income may suddenly dry up. The reasons may be different: health, unemployment, market failure, etc. During this time, you should have an insurance amount in order to make decisions with a cold mind and look for new sources of income. Make a list of your monthly expenses. Think about what can be reduced and optimized from this. Now multiply the amount received per month by the number of months for your peace of mind. This is the amount of time it takes for you to recover or find new job. Personally, I multiplied by 6.
It turned out that I need only six months to achieve financial independence. I do not live in Moscow and spend very little. It is possible that such an optimistic result will not work in the capital.

Medium plan: financial security.

This is what you must do in order to live off the interest on your capital. Determine how much money you need per month for a comfortable stay. Now you need to understand how much money you need to have in order to receive such an income per month? Bodo Schaeffer offers quite a simple formula: multiply your monthly expenses by 150. I take it he was coming from pretty low interest rates for Germany.
Personally, using an online calculator, I calculated for myself at least 20% per year at mutual fund rates, which needs to be set aside 4,212,000 rubles (even taken with a margin). And it is realistic to accumulate this amount by saving 36 thousand per month for 6 years. Not a bad picture: 6 years old and you don’t have to worry too much about your financial position.

big plan: Financial independence.

You must always remember that you should not cut the goose that lays the golden eggs for you. In other words, never touch your capital.

The first thing to do is find out how much your dreams are worth. You need to list the main points of your dreams and put numbers next to them. You can write how much you can save and determine how long you can get it. In this way, you can build a completely realistic financial plan.

And the most interesting thing: how much money do you have to earn per month to pay for this whole thing? Personally, it turned out that in order to achieve financial freedom and support two projects at the same time, I have to earn 115800 rubles. If I achieve financial freedom and support one project, not two, I should earn 95800 rubles.

Mentor and network of specialists

You need examples. People whose success you observe, analyze and can repeat. They, in turn, also had examples. This is called "chasing the leader". Examples are easy to find: look around and see who's the best in your field. Gather all kinds of information about this person, study articles, find out his phone number and arrange a meeting with him.
You need a mentor. 99% of the most successful people had mentors. Bodo Schaeffer's last mentor was a billionaire. You can learn more from such a person in six months than in ten years in the usual mode.

Important point A: You should only listen to people who are more successful than you. Naturally, this is applicable within the field of activity in which you want to develop success. AT financial sector it must be very successful man, and, for example, in the spiritual realm, this person should be at least not an atheist.

How to get a good mentor? Bodo Schaeffer tells his personal history(read in the original). You must be persistent, purposeful and useful to the mentor. Show the benefit and prepare for the question: “Why the hell should I teach you?”. Below 17 practices to help you find a mentor:

1. Write down reasons why you need a mentor
2. Consider what you can do for your mentor
3. You need a good foundation and encouragement
4. Show Endurance
5. Highly qualified mentors test you first
6. The mentor should support your strengths rather than solve your problems
7. Maintain regular contact with a mentor
8. Respect your mentor's time
9. Think carefully about what you want to ask
10. Show openness to everything
11. Win the heart of your mentor
12. Always respond immediately to his messages.
13. Give the mentor feedback
14. Be grateful for those who succeed
15. Emulate your mentor while staying true to yourself
16. Don't look for pain points
17. Return what you received. Pass the knowledge on.

Network of specialists.
You can create very good habit: learn something new every month interesting person: a professional in his field. Meet new people and before each such meeting think: how can I be useful to this person?

You can sow money

A lot of people write about it, incl. and Bodo Schaeffer, but very few of those who read about it do. It's about charity. We all like to share money when there is enough of it. And so we can wait indefinitely, but we will not dare to give away a tangible part of our income. Know that absolutely no matter what our income is, for so many people on the planet our income is fabulously large.
But they say that if you give away at least 10% of your income, you will get much more back. Who gives from that more money. There is important reasons that will help you part with money easier:

1. It's nice to give
2. When you give, you prove that you are in good hands with the money.
3. When you give, you signal abundance.
4. Who helps, he realizes that we live in a world where everything is interconnected
5. Only the one who gives takes true responsibility
6. Who makes it feel alive

To whom to give?
You need to give to someone who really needs help and who your money will help to rise, and not fall. For example, if you were asked on the street for money for beer and you gave it, you helped a person to degrade. If you took 500 kids to see Battalion, you give them a chance to think a little bit about history and heroism. Act according to your conscience and evaluate the consequences of your actions.
Who really needs help? The answer will come as soon as you are ready to act. Now it is very relevant, for example, help

Bodo SCHEFER

"The Path to Financial Independence"

First million in 7 years

The main thing - wisdom: get wisdom, and with all your possessions get understanding. Appreciate her highly, and she will exalt you; she will glorify you if you cling to her; He will put a beautiful wreath on your head, he will bring you a magnificent crown.

From the Book of PARABLES OF SOLOMON (chapter IV, 7-9)

From the editor of the Russian edition

The book you are holding in your hands is a revelation. Revelation from Bodo Schaefer, a German millionaire who came to lasting prosperity in the shortest way - through savings and extraordinary thinking. Let's clarify: he started, as they say, from scratch.

"The Path to Financial Independence" is not just a summation of experience, practical advice, etc. etc., thanks to which one can gain well-being.

A person cannot be happy alone. Only by making others happy, he himself will be happy. Bodo Schaefer argues that money in good hands makes not only its owner happy, but society as a whole. This is perhaps the main idea of ​​the book.

The conceptual way of thinking used by the author to consider rather complex and dry economic categories gives us reason to believe that this book has direct relationship to the philosophy of economics. For all that, "The Path to Financial Independence" is written in a common language, with humor and not without brilliance. All this makes this book a fascinating bestseller in the field of economic knowledge. We can only add that the book by Bodo Schaefer, a writer and businessman, is aimed at the general reader, so that, having reconsidered his attitude to money, he, this reader, can build his happy future without postponing the implementation of intentions and plans for an uncertain tomorrow. You should start today - right after you open the first page.

And one more thing: for the reader who has mastered this work and has not begun the path to financial independence, there will be nothing left that would justify his inactivity.

Gratitude

Outstanding achievements are always the result of remarkable collaboration between different people.

I had the good fortune to learn from people who are truly unique. Unfortunately, it is not possible for me to list them here, but my gratitude goes out to all together. However, I would like to name a few, as they have had a great effect on me. greatest influence. This is a priest, Dr. Winfried Noak, Peter Hevelman, my first mentor, who taught me the basics of success and taught me joy trusting relationship, consummate conversationalist Shamie Dillon, and billionaire Senator Daniel S. Peña, who introduced me to the world of big money.

This book is the result of my contacts with them and the constructive help of the editors of the Campus publishing house: Ms. Querfurt and Mr. Schickerling. It was not easy with them, but it is known that this is exactly what is required for personal development.

I want to express my special gratitude to the participants of my seminars, who gave me a significant positive impetus. I would like to highlight our commercial director, Mr. Jeroen Vetter, with his constant participation and unparalleled skill, who made our seminars accessible to an increasing number of people.

Last but not least, my thanks go to my partner Cecile, who has energized me for my ventures and supported my dreams. Thanks to her, I experienced a lot sharper, deeper and more conscious.

Foreword

Do you know what prevents most people from living the life they dream of? Money and more money! Money is a symbol of a certain attitude to life, a measure life success. But money does not come to us by accident. We can say that in money matters we are talking about some form of energy: the more of this energy we direct to really important goals the more money we get. Truly successful people have the ability to accumulate a large number of of money. Some only save and multiply them for themselves, others use them to serve society and their neighbor. But they all know how to make money work.

We must not exaggerate the importance of money. But do you know when money becomes especially important? When they are not enough. Whoever has big money problems has to think a lot about them. We must deal with this issue thoroughly enough to resolve it once and for all. And from that moment on, money will become your support in all spheres of life.

Everyone has dreams. We have a certain idea of ​​how we want to live and what is due to us in life. We believe in our hearts that we can fulfill some special purpose that will improve this world. But all too often I see how the daily routine gradually stifles such dreams. Many people forget that they also have a place under the sun. They simply do not believe in themselves and that they can become independent.

We are often victims of ourselves. We make compromises - and before we realize our mistake, life has pretty much passed us by. And many people often shift the responsibility for the fact that they do not live the way they would like to, on financial circumstances.

For more than ten years I have been dealing with issues such as money, success, happiness. I have learned to see money through different eyes: money can save us from being completely exhausted. vitality, they help us to be the best we can be.

I am at your disposal with my book - in the role of your private mentor. I would like to convey what I have learned and experienced myself. I would like to teach you how to create some kind of magic machine to receive money. Owning money means, first of all, being able to lead a much freer and more independent lifestyle. When I realized this, a deep need arose in me to pass on my knowledge to others. I made a promise to myself to support everyone I come into contact with on their journey to financial independence. Just as you can learn to fly, dive, or program, you can learn to create wealth. And there are a few important standard tricks to help you with this.

There are several opportunities to earn the first million. These possibilities describe the four strategies presented in the book:

1. You save a certain percentage of your income.

2. You invest the money you save.

3. You increase your income.

4. You save a certain percentage of each revenue increase achieved.

If you follow these tips, then, depending on your current financial situation, in fifteen to twenty years you will become the owner of property in one or two million. And it's not a miracle at all! If you want to get your first million faster (for example, in seven years), then you must apply all the strategies described in this book. And the more you apply them, the sooner you will reach your goal.

How can you become wealthy in seven years? You already foresee that it is not only about the amount of X that you want to own, but also about the person that you will become by that time.

It will not always be easy for you to move towards financial independence. However, it is much harder to live being financially dependent. If you follow the directions in this book, you will surely reach your goal. I have helped many thousands of people who have attended my seminars along the way. I see again and again how this knowledge transforms people.

But I ask you not to think that the mere possession of this book will allow you to become wealthy. It is also true that even studying it does not promise you wealth. You must not only work with this book, but also make it a part of you. Only this will lead to the release of your internal energy and help you achieve your goal.

Now let's start our journey together. First of all, assess your financial situation. On the following pages you will find instructions on how to carry out such an analysis.

Start reading the book only after you have established exactly what you have.

I sincerely hope that this book will not only help you become rich, but will touch you in the most profound way. I don't know you personally. However, I know that if you hold this book in your hands, then you must be completely special person. A person who is not ready to be satisfied with what circumstances offer him, who wants to write the story of his life himself. Such people create their future as an artist creates a work of art, and I wish with all my heart that my book would contribute to the creation of your masterpiece.

Sincerely yours, Bodo Schaefer.