Fashion is the vocabulary of the wealthy. – Evan R. Lawson, Royal Pains
Keanu Reeves is arguably one of the most stylish and successful actors of a generation. His latest film John Wick 3: Parabellum earned over $300 million dollars at the box office spawning another sequel from Lionsgate for a John Wick 4 coming on May 21, 2021. So if you haven’t heard the news already then you’re hearing it here first! BREAKING NEWS: John Wick 4 is coming!
His hugely successful career has made him a bankable action star with an estimated net worth of over $350 million.
Let’s find out out millionaires are minted and tailor made.
There are three John Wick movies, so I will give you three money lessons.
The Continental in New York
Lesson One: If you’re going to do something, then you may as well look good while doing it I love this Buzzfeed interview with Keanu Reeves or KR as they refer to him. It is a film about suits. A ballet of bullets. Those suits are pristine mortuary chic.
Custom made finely tuned works of art in clothe. It adds to the prestige and dark mystic of the film.
The costuming and fashion is top notch. Definitely reminds me of suits I have seen on other men that come straight from suit designer to the stars Savile Row in London England.
Savile Row, founded by Henry Poole in 1846, bespoke suits are so popular that shops in that district have received the Royal Warrant (seal of approval from HRH the Queen of England or Prince Charles) to outfit the royals and all those who wear a crown. Getting a thumbs up from The Crown of England is no small feat as you have to be the top 0.01 percent of your craft.
Savile Row is the world’s most famous suiting street as reported by Maxim where suits on Savile Row can start at $5,000.
And speaking of Maxim, the magazines late founder Felix Dennis had some great advice on money. Considering he was worth an estimated $400 million, I would say listen to what he has to say.
The top financial advice he offers is to always pay your taxes. In addition, he states the following:
“To become rich you must be an owner. And you must try to own it all. You must strive with every fibre of your being, while recognising the idiocy of your behaviour, to own and retain control of as near to 100 per cent of any company as you can. – Felix Dennis, How to get rich “
If it flies, floats or fornicates, always rent it. It’s cheaper in the long run.” ― Felix Dennis
Now back to the suits.
The suits designed for this movie are no exception. They almost take on a life of their own. This movie would make Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris or NPH for short) of How I Met Your Mother proud. He was known on HIMYM for constantly wearing suits and saying suit up.
John Wick #1 or JW1JW2
One of my favorite things in this film are the manners. Everyone is respectful and well-mannered even when fighting or speaking with enemies. Parlay? haha This reminds me of that scene in the 1979 film The Warriors.
Anyway, I love a man in a suit. Any suit really. Or uniform. Uniforms means a man is employed. And a retired man means he has income. Wink, wink.
A man that can balance a check book, hang a suit (look good in it that is), and has great manners is my kind of guy! I’m just saying. Like any good host, in the film you regularly see people treat each other with human decency, courtesy, and respect.
Lesson Two: Save money and build up your savings muscle There’s my girl Halle Berry. You know in my previous post I wrote about why she and I continue to save so much.
If you want to be a fiscal gentleman or lady, you must learn to invest your money.
You have to learn to move the needle on your savings and investment accounts the same way you do when you fill up on a tank of gas.
For more info on your girl Greenbacks Magnet money tips and tricks check out my interviews on the websites Financially Alert and Think Save Retire.
That is why I started with saving $1 a day and slowly went upwards to $13,333 a year. Now that is what I call upward savings mobility. It took years to do this. You think Keanu can do all those stunts without proper training?
I once read in a magazine interview that he said to pull off The Matrix stunts he had to do two hours of stretching. It took months of work and preparation including weapons and martial arts training.
A retrospective look back at Keanu.
1999: I need guns. Lots of guns.
2017: I need something Robust… Precise.
2019: I need guns. Lots of guns.
Man has he evolved. haha
Therefore, you need to understand that it could take years to build your fortune. You must have patience or it will eat you up inside to try to get rich quick.
Lesson Three: Make sure you have a safety cushion and that people owe you a favor because time is always of the essence
One the most intense parts of JW3 is his constant looking at his watch in the beginning of the film. As time is ticking by and he is in short supply of it.
The intensity and emotions you feel in those scenes are the same way I want you to feel when it comes to paying off debt. It must go.
Another part of this film I like was when you saw he had a stash of things he needed hidden in a book at the library. This is classic if you don’t want people to find something, then hide it in the books rhetoric.
And last but certainly not least, always make sure someone owes you a favor. I am known to help people out and at times ask for a favor in return.
Life is about building relationships, or so Ryan Reynold’s character Van Wilder says; therefore, it is in your best interest to help your fellow man. There may come a time when you need to ask for help.
People are 90 percent more likely to help those that have previously helped them in the past. So if you get a chance help others because remember that time in finite and you must show people today how you feel as tomorrow may be too late.
At least that’s what they kept saying in the film Risky Business.
Risky Business is a 1983 American coming-of-age comedy film written and directed by Paul Brickman (in his directorial debut) and starring Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay. The film covers themes including materialism, loss of innocence, coming of age, and capitalism. Known as Cruise’s breakout film, Risky Business was a critical and commercial success, grossing more than $63 million against a $6.2 million budget. The soundtrack was done by Tangerine Dream. The movie poster reads: There’s a time for playing it safe and a time for… Risky Business.
Meet the model son who’s been good too long.
However, the title of the post is Catwalking To Get Paid: Modeling Is Risky Business. So why is modeling risky business?
Well you are about to find out.
The film Risky Business was released on August 5, 1983. Joel had all the normal teenage fantasies…cars, girls, money. Then his parents left for a week, and all his fantasies came true.
He was just a Chicago teenager looking for fun at home while his parents were away, but the situation quickly gets out of hand.
Speaking of dreams coming true and things getting out of hand; People magazine reported in the news this week that former Victoria’s Secret model Erin Heatherton (former girlfriend of Leonardo DiCaprio) has filed for bankruptcy owing $560,242.13 in debts and having $6,464.57 in assets.
Like our protagonist in the film, she has goals of securing her future.
Joel (Tom Cruise) chose Princeton, but Erin chose modeling.
He is the model son.
She is the model.
How can it be possible to get in debt so bad that you have to take drastic measures such as filing for bankruptcy or starting, in Joel’s case, a brothel?
Keep reading and find out.
EVERY STORY HAS A BEGINNING AND LIFE IS BUT A DREAM
A suburban Chicago teenager’s parents leave on vacation, and he cuts loose. An unauthorised trip in his father’s Porsche means a sudden need for lots of money, which he raises in a creative way. While the cat’s away, the mice will play. After his overprotective parents leave town, Joel has some fun.
He plays loud music, dances around the house, and invites over a young woman named Lana (Rebecca De Mornay) from a house of ill repute. It will cost him. For her services, she charges him $300.
On a joyride, he later crashes his father’s Porsche and that’s when things really get crazy.
The model son turns into a enterprising young man indeed. Although this movie is pure fiction and for entertainment, the business of modeling, which is very lucrative and glamorous, also has its pitfalls.
Model Erin Heatherton was discovered by a model scout in South Beach Miam,i FL. She moved t New Yorl City to chase her dreams and launched her career in 2006 walking for Diane von Fürstenberg.
At the same age as Joel, 17, she began to focus on her future and started modeling for top designers such as Prada and Chanel.
She began walking in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in 2008.
In 2010, Heatherton was officially contracted as a Victoria’s Secret Angel. Then things begin to change after a few years.
ALL BUSINESS IS RISKY Going back to Joel, he knows he needs money fast to fix his father’s Porsche so he decides to be enterprising and recruits Lana to help him turn his parents house into a brothel for one night.
In Erin’s world, she is collecting paychecks and accumulating debt fast. She purchased a $1.7 million dollar home in 2012, then the very next year ended her contract with Victoria’s Secret in 2013.
In her bankruptcy filing she states she only makes $1,089.91 a month and $221 of that comes from family and friends.
So, now I have to ask that infamous question that keeps coming up in the movie, “What the F*ck?” How in the world did she go from catwalking for top designers to barely able to avoid the mortgage on her million-dollar price tag bachelorette pad?
After doing some digging, it seems that models are not all as rich as Gisele.
According to a website called Job Monkey, Models can make lots of money and depending on the type of modeling you do you can actually make a huge amount per day you work. … Photgraphic Model – You can earn anywhere from $100 per hour or $1,500 per day for catalogues and for advertising agencies $250 per hour or $10,000 per day is average.
Independent brands well-respected in the fashion community: Runway Show: $1,500 in trade Runway Show: $800 in trade Runway Show: Trade (unspecified amount) Runway Show: $2,500 in trade Runway Show: $300 plus trade (unspecified amount) Runway Show: $1,000 Runway Show: $100 plus trade (unspecified amount)
Not exactly enough to buy that yacht yet.
Modeling is a young woman’s sport. Most models are considered over the hill by age 30. That would mean you need to make a boatload of money from ages 15-27.
Those are your peak earning years.
Very risky business indeed.
THERE IS ALWAYS A PRICE TO BE PAID
Joel succeeds in getting the funds necessary to fix the Porsche, but then he has to pay a pimp to get his furniture back that was stolen from his house while he was away. He tells Joel that he seems like a smart kid and to not mess with a man’s money during a bad economy. That night at his house cost the man money because the girl’s were working for Joel instead of him. Instead of making a profit Joel was in the hole.
In Erin’s case, so far this year, Heatherton says she’s made $2,820. She currently has $919 in her checking accounts and her living expenses are a little over $1,000 a month.
How can she possibly save making so little?
From ages 22 to 28, I doubled my income. No where near what a Victoria Secret model is earning, but still managed to start putting away $150 a month until I was able to ratchet it up a notch to $1,100 per month. I am basically saving the same amount PER MONTH what she needs to live on!
According to Complete Payroll, Average model salaryVictoria’s Secret Models are among the highest paid models in the world. These women make anywhere between $100,000-$1,000,000 a year, on average. However, the paychecks increase due to seniority and fame. Some of the most experienced models, like Gisele Bundchen and Adriana Lima, earn significantly more.
I have reviewed dozens of bankruptcy filings of celebrities over the years. Ms. Heatherton hit every mark that generally throws people’s finances into a tailspin.
Owe IRS. Check. Tons of credit card debt. Check. The list goes on and on.
The usual suspects are living beyond your means.
It just so happens I discuss this topic of bankruptcy more in detail in a post I did on the film about models in TheDevil Wears Prada. What a coincidence?
IT WILL COST YOU Joel hands over his cash he made on that incredible night to get his parent’s furniture back. It cost him EVERY CENT HE MADE!
As for Erin, she currently owes $11,514 on one credit card, $9,485 on another and $194,602.49 on a third — adding up to $215,601.49, the outlet reported. Heatherton owes City National an additional $201,000 for a separate line of credit. She also owes $41,000 in back taxes to the state of New York.
She owes over$416,000 in credit card debt! That is more than most people owe in student loans. And she is has no degrees and is not a doctor, lawyer, MBA-holder, or CPA!
She also sold her Manhattan apartment for $2.68 million last year in 2018.
Makes you wonder where all her money went?
At the end of the film, Joel and Lana meet up after everything that went down. They are still friends. She tells him that she wants to keep on seeing him; he jokes that it will cost her.
Are you looking for a way to change your finances?
Turn your money from small nuggets of gold into large platinum diamonds. Who wouldn’t? Lots of people could do with a financial facelift.
So, “tell me what you don’t like about your finances?”
That last question is a play on the signature line from the show, “Tell me what you don’t like about yourself,” but with a twist…a financial twist of course!
Nip/Tuck is an American serial medical drama television series created by Ryan Murphy that aired on FX in the United States from July 22, 2003, to March 3, 2010.
Opening credits song: “A Perfect Lie”, The Engine Room.
Taglines: Truth is only skin deep. L.A.’s newest implants.
The TV series Nip / Tuck, originally broadcast in 2003 on FX, focuses on McNamara/Troy, a controversial plastic surgery practice, and especially its founders, Sean McNamara and Christian Troy played by Dylan Walsh and Julian McMahon respectively. Each episode was named after the incoming patient. The show sold itself as a melodrama with a facelift.
It made me think what if people could have financial facelifts instead of actual ones?
However, it would focus on inner emotional stability instead of outer beauty.
We would build the foundation to allow people to start at building good and long-lasting financial habits.
Let’s begin our consultation.
WHAT DOES IT COST TO BUY FINANCIAL FREEDOM?
In all fairness, you have to work for your freedom. It could be as much as having $500,000 in savings and investments in one place or up to $2 million in another.
For instance, it was recently reported that no two places are equal to retire in around the United States.
If you want to retire in Mississippi, then it would cost you $950,000 versus retiring in California, in which you would need $2.1 million.
Why the variance? Things cost more on The Coast.
Housing is a premium. Dilapidated shacks in San Francisco are going for 50% above asking price.
For example, this home at 479 Silver Ave. listed on 2/8 of 2018 for $649K and was sold by 3/22/2018 for $1.125M, a 73.34% over-bid.
Homes in the Bay Area are going for a median 1.61 million!
You should plan your escape from the rat race keeping in mind where you want to live. If we use the financial freedom formula of saving 25 times your income, then you can look up what it will cost to live in certain places in America, Canada or other countries and determine if you are financially prepared.
WHAT DOES IT COST TO BE BEAUTIFUL WITH A LITTLE NIP AND TUCK?
The show was definitely like nothing I had ever seen.
One of the biggest shocks were the graphic plastic surgery procedures that were shown. I had to turn my head and look away. But when it comes to your finances, you cannot afford to be that squeamish.
You have to face the facts head on. And one of those facts is that plastic or any type of cosmetic surgery is expensive.
Lifting the face. The average cost of a facelift is $7,448, according to 2017 statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Facelift costs can widely vary. The average fee referenced above is only part of the total cost – it does not include anesthesia, operating room facilities or other related expenses.
That’s a lot of Benjamins. If you take that same $7,448 and invest it instead, after 40 years with a 10% return you could be closing in on $350,000!
I am all for people doing what makes them happy including what makes them look and feel good and confident. But at what price?
In another post, I discuss saving up money and using flexible spending to pay for braces and Lasik.
Lasik eye surgery, while life changing, is expensive. It can cost anywhere from $2500 to $10,000.
I prefer for people to pay cash if they do decide to have any cosmetic procedures performed. Who wants to pay interest on a $500 teeth whitening or $7,000 nose job?
In this case, I urge you to think of the opportunity cost.
Do you need clean, healthy teeth? Yes.
Do you need teeth so white that it blinds you every time you look in the mirror? No.
Think practically.
I have to agree with Dave Ramsey on this one: Learn to age gracefully.
MONEY IS A MOTIVATOR
A common theme on the show Nip/Tuck was money. Those guys lived in excess.
First, working in Miami Florida and then moving on to Los Angeles.
These guys knew where the money was and what type of clientele could afford their services.
They were not all about the money though. They performed tons of pro bono work.
I decided to pursue financial freedom because I did not want the lack of money to cause me to make bad financial decisions.
Pick a target number. Make a goal. Then aim for it. That is the secret sauce to financial independence.
However, the secret ingredient is patience.
It takes time to get wealthy.
It is not easy to get rich.
It is not easy to get thin.
All good things take time.
It took me a year to save up my first $10,000. It took me 6 years to start saving 40% of my income. It took me years to save up my first $100,000.
It usually takes 10 years to save the first $100,000. Then it takes about 4 years to make the next $100,000.
Knowledge and money accumulate and compound over time. YOU HAVE TO PUT THE WORK IN! And then be willing to wait. You get back out of anything what you put in.
The problem is that no one wants to GET RICH SLOW.
Dave Ramsey has said he worked his tail off for 25 years, but today people call him an overnight success.
The thing of it is, when you are not trying to get rich quick you will GET RICH SLOW. Or as I like to say, GET RICH LEISURELY.
Through automation of savings and investments over time. Those are the words and advice of The Automatic Millionaire author David Bach.
Let those words be a reminder and motivator for you to build lasting wealth with patience, time, and persistence.
That is why I have been blogging for 3 years.
The reason I write is because I want to inspire the uninspired to act.
So, “tell me has this post inspired you to pursue wealth?”
As you may know, I am on a mission: financial freedom.
Therefore, I started to study the self-made.
How did they get so wealthy? What did they do? What do they
do with their 24 hours we are given in a single day?
Today we talk all things J to the L-O! Hello!
Let’s go!!!
STARTING OUT
Jennifer Lynn Lopez was born on July 24, 1969 in Castle
Hill, New York City. Growing up in the Bronx with her parents and siblings she
watched how hard her parents worked to make a living as Puerto Ricans living in
the richest country in the world.
She knew that she had a responsibility to do well because
her parents gave and sacrificed so much.
She was quoted in an interview as saying, “I had to do well.
I couldn’t let them (her parents) down.”
Jennifer says she was always training for something. And dance become her go to activity.
DANCING TO THE FRONT
In 1991, Lopez began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on In
Living Color, where she remained a regular until she decided to pursue an
acting career in 1993.
These are HER lyric from “Jenny from the Block.” Let J. LO tell you her story.
From In
Living Color and movie scripts
To On the 6
to J. Lo to this headline clips
I stayed
grounded as the amounts roll in
I’m real, I thought I told you
I really been on Oprah
That’s just
me
Nothin
phony, don’t hate on me
What you get
is what you see
If you have ever seen the Janet Jackson video “That’s the way love Goes,” then you will see a young Jennifer Lopez dancing and talking to Janet. She performed as a dancer for her while as pursuing her dreams of acting.
I love the lyrics to that song and how it starts out.
Like a moth
to a flame
Burned by
the fire
My love is
blind
Can’t you
see my desire
That’s the
way love goes
So you could say like a moth to a flame, J. LO gravitated towards acting. Haha
You also may remember her dancing with Puffy or P. Diddy, as
he goes by now, in the music video “Been Around The World.” That was in 1997.
Haven’t seen it. No problem.
JLoThis 1997 music video Puff Daddy Been Around The World
I have the footage right here thanks to Youtube 😉 Enjoy!
Jennifer Lopez HOT Dance Scene With P Diddy
HER BIG BREAK STARRING AS TEJANO MUSIC SUPERSTAR SELENA
In 1995, the world lost Tejano music’s biggest star Selena Quintanilla. Due to widespread reports of unknown causes of events that surfaced, her family decided to tell the world her story. That became the 1997 film Selena.
A story of a girl who had the spirit to believe in a dream and the courage to make it come true.
Movie poster reads: A story of a girl who had the spirit to believe in a dream and the courage to make it come true.
The film that made Jennifer Lopez a star: Selena.
Released in Summer 1997. Based on the life of Tejano superstar Selena.
In 1997, Lopez played the title character of Selena
Quintanilla-Pérez in Warner Bros. “Selena.” Lopez was 28 years old
when she portrayed the late singer.
After an intense media frenzy, auditions for the role of
Selena sparked applications from about 20,000 Latinas from around the globe,
one woman was selected that stood out from the bunch: Jennifer Lopez.
The role of a lifetime was won to play Mexican-American music star Selena.
People Magazine
Jennifer Lopez Reflects on Selena Quintanilla and Where She’d Be Now: ‘She Was a Star’
Jennifer Lopez in the film playing Selena.
Fun Fact: People Espanol was started because of Selena.
The real J. LO. She too likes to wear white.
Jennifer Lopez as Selena.
Jennifer Lopez wearing Selena’s iconic red lipstick in the film Selena
Fun Fact: Selena favorite lipstick was Brick by Chanel, she did her own makeup and her favorite shoe store was Payless. Favorite pizza: Pizza Hut thin crust double pepperoni.
One of my favorite scenes from the film.
If you watch Selena perform, you not she is doing tons of cardio.
Fun Fact: Selena would walk around her neighborhood EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.
And don’t take no crap from anyone.
The real Selena Quintanilla Tejano singer and superstar
The album that put her on the map. Selena Live!
Nominated for a GRAMMY in 1994 Selena Live! Best Mexican/American Album
Selena won her first career GRAMMY for Best Mexican-American Album for Live at the 36th GRAMMY Awards in 1994, marking the first time a female Tejano artist won the category.
She was gone less than a year later.
Awards/Accomplishments. In 1987, Selena became a spokesperson for Coca-Cola. Selena won the Tejano Music Award for Best Female Vocalist running every through 1986 to 1996. Received 8 awards at Lo Nuestro Awards, 34 Tejano Music Awards, Kuno’s People’s Choice award, and first Tejano artist to win a Grammy.
Always smiling, laughing, and joking around. That was Selena.
So full of life and light
Selena Quintanilla 1971-1995 May she forever Rest In Peace.
The movie Selena would make Jennifer Lopez one of the highest paid Latina’s in film.
It was estimated that she received a $1 million payday for
the film.
Her life and BANK ACCOUNT has never been the same.
A STAR IS BORN TO SING
Just keep your head
down and work. Success comes when you work harder than everybody else. –
Jennifer Lopez
After wrapping the film, Jennifer Lopez decided her next
ambition would be recording an album. She set her sights on making this goal
happen.
She got a record deal and worked with music super producer Tommy Mottola of Sony.
In an interview she said that people did not believe in her
project; therefore, she had to put some of her own money into it.
You get what you give.
What you put into things is what you get out of them. – Jennifer Lopez
That pet project would become her first album: On the 6.
As reported by Insider, Lopez’s debut single “If You
Had My Love” was released in May 1999, and it immediately landed on the
Billboard charts. In fact, “If You Had My Love” became the first
debut single to top the Billboard Hot 100 since Britney Spears’ “…Baby One
More Time” a mere four months earlier.
One month later in June, her debut album “On the
6” was released, effectively solidifying Lopez’s status as a Latin pop
artist. Certified by the RIAA, “On the 6” is 3x platinum, selling
3.42 million units worldwide.
She never looked back.
AIN’T IT FUNNY HOW THINGS WORK OUT
When Jennifer Lopez was at her peak, in 1999-2002, she was deigning clothes, singing, dancing, performing, acting, starring in hit films, on the cover of magazines, and putting out perfume fragrances.
The iconic green Versace dress! GRAMMYs 1999.
Caused a sensation and put her on the top of the map. Every news outlet had a picture of THAT dress! A great way to get people talking about you, if they weren’t already.
Caused a sensation
One of the things that sticks out was when she started going by the name J. LO. She put out an L.P. of the same name. She said her mother loved that name and would say it over and over…J. LO J. LO.
However, what made her a household name was the infamous video
with Ja Rule “I’m Real” that was in constant rotation on MTV and BET Total
Request Live (TRL).
Fun Fact: Jennifer Lopez Says She Personally Chose That Juicy Couture Tracksuit for Her 2001 “I’m Real” Video with Ja Rule
I’m Real video
Here is the video just in case you have not seen it.
She also did the song “Ain’t it Funny.” Again featuring her
partner in crime (of making sweet music that is) Ja Rule. Together this pair
made magic happen. They just had great chemistry when working together.
Ain’t it funny dropped off the J. LO album on June 20, 2001.
Here are some lyrics for you.
J to the L-O
Hello
Well now you know where I got that from, which I state at
the beginning of this post. 😉
Here is the chorus
Ain’t it
funny
Baby that
you want me, when you had me
Love is crazy,
I’m glad I can smile and say
Ain’t it
funny
Then came “Jenny from the Block.” This song dropped on
September 26, 2002. One of her HOTTEST
music videos! If you had no idea what she was capable or of who she was, then
this video stopped all doubts.
The lyrics go like this.
Don’t be
fooled by the rocks that I got
I’m still,
I’m still Jenny from the block
Love my life
and my public
Put God
first
Then can’t
forget to stay real
To me it’s
like breathing
Ah yes, she
says to stay real or I’m real in this song. An obvious
reference to her song I’m real with Ja Rule. 😉
Here is the chorus.
Don’t be
fooled by the rocks that I got
I’m still,
I’m still Jenny from the block
Used to have
a little, now I have a lot
No matter
where I go, I know where I came from (from the Bronx!)
Check it out here.
JLo pictured in her 2002 music video Jenny from the Block
Unlike her previous studio albums: On the 6 (1999) and J.Lo (2001), Lopez had a more “hands-on” role on This Is Me… Then. The 2002 album also had more of an adult-R&B sound. Musically, majority of the songs on This Is Me… Then were lyrically “dedicated” to her relationship with then-fiancé, actor Ben Affleck.
All I have video 2002 featuring LL Cool J
The Age newspaper said the album was a “declaration” of love for Affleck.
The many looks of J. LO.
J. LO is Pretty in Pink.
During an interview,
Lopez said “I wrote a lot of songs inspired, in a way, by what I was going
through at the time that this album was being made, and he [Affleck] was
definitely a big part of that.”
MTV VMA 2002
Magazine Covers of Jennifer Lopez.
JLO $100 Million Woman
ON A WORLD TOUR WITH A MIC IN HER HAND
“I have to work,
for my soul.” – Jennifer Lopez
Nearly two decades since the release of “On the
Six,” Lopez has dropped seven more albums, and has a ninth album slated
for release this year.
Lopez has embarked on five tours, and that has undoubtedly added to her net worth. Her first tour, aptly titled “Let’s Get Loud” was in 2001 and she walked away with a reported $765,000 in earnings, according to Money Nation.
A decade later, in 2012, J. Lo set out for her first worldwide tour, the Dance Again World Tour. After 78 shows, this would be Lopez’s highest-earning tour, and she pocketed $50,362,300, according to Money Nation.
If you look at the difference in her first tour in 2001 and
her one in 2012 ($765,000 to $50,362,300), you will notice it took over a
decade to earn this type of money.
Angel Eyes 2002
What does that tell me?
That building wealth TAKES TIME.
It took me 6 years to go from saving $1 a day to $50 a month to $15,000 a year!
I make a goal and then chart a course to get there no matter how long it takes.
Just like Jennifer Lopez.
Between her current residency in Las Vegas and worldwide
clothing line, J. Lo is hardly short on funds.
On January 20, 2016, she debuted at Planet Hollywood Resort
& Casino her “All I Have” residency, dazzling fans with sequined
pieces and elaborate sets.
On August 13, her shows reached an incredible milestone: $1
million in ticket sales, the highest grossing show in Planet Hollywood’s
history, according to Billboard.
Between June 2016-June 2017, Lopez made $38 million dollars,
consequently landing her at the #11 spot on Forbes’ Highest-Paid Female
Celebrities of 2017. She’s also already made an estimated $47 million in 2018,
according to Forbes.
Jennifer Lopez performing with Pitbull
Given her newly announced acting project, anticipated 9th
album and a just-released makeup line, Jennifer Lopez will likely only see her
cash flow increase.
All I have to say about JLO is this: Veni, vidi, vici. Latin
translation: “I came; I saw; I conquered.”
Well Jennifer Lopez came, saw, and conquered show business.
In the illustrious words, and famous favorite saying of Selena: “You go girl.”
I have learned a lot from Jennifer Lopez. That with hard work, drive, passion, determination, consistency, and persistence you can achieve great things.
However, what I have learned most of all…is that she is still Jenny from the Block. 😉
For more posts I have written about the self-made you can
check out my other posts
The most sophisticated people I know – inside they are all
children. – Jim Henson
If you ever saw the film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, then you know how much people love chocolate. And it can be a goldmine business or chocolate mine depending on how you look at it. 😉 People were losing their minds to get that golden ticket.
Chocolate Mania had swept the nation! 😂
It was pure marketing genius. They even commented on that in
the film. Wonka was making a mint selling those chocolate bars. It’s all about
marketing folks!
It’s sort of like Patron. They don’t have the best tequila;
they just have the best marketing. Get that money.
Just look at all the money the candy business makes! Billions!
Here are some of the top chocolate companies in the world.
They may have even helped spread the let’s have candy at every event or holiday cheer. If not, I am sure they somehow found a way to cultivate and capitalize on Halloween and even Christmas.
Who says you need a box of chocolate on Valentines?!!! Most people don’t even eat most of it. That box of chocolates is still bought and paid for!
If you ever saw the film Legally Blond, you actually saw her do what most do with a box of variously filled chocolates. That’s right. She took a bite and put it BACK in the box!
Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blond
Mondelez International Inc. even tried to cash in on this
love of chocolate. However, they have officially abandoned its pursuit of
Hershey Co., which would have created the biggest confectionery conglomerate in
the world.
Now that you have some background on the business of
chocolate, let’s get down to money affairs.
Back in 1990, the movie, The Witches, based on the 1983 children’s novel of the same title by Roald Dahl, was released in theaters. The movie premiered on 25 May 1990, in London and was scheduled to open the same day in the United States, but was delayed until August.
Sadly, it would be Muppet and Fraggle Rock creator, Jim Henson’s last film.
As in the original novel, the story features evil witches who masquerade as ordinary women and hurt children. However, a boy and his grandmother need to find a way to foil and destroy them.
The witches decide they will open up, get this, chocolate
shops to lure poor unsuspecting children.
This is where the story begins.
GUARDIANS OF THE MILKY WAY GALAXY
While on vacation in Norway, eight-year-old American boy
Luke Eveshim is warned about the witches, female demons with a boundless hatred
for children and various methods of destroying or transforming them.
Helga, Luke’s Grandmother, becomes his legal guardian after
the passing of his parents. They move to England. His grandmother is advised to
take a vacation for a summer by the sea for fresh air after discovering she has
diabetes.
Also staying at the hotel are a convention of witches, masquerading as the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, with the Grand High Witch, the all-powerful leader of the world’s witches, attending their annual meeting under the name Eva Ernst (played by Academy Award Winner Angelica Houston).
Really? They have some nerve naming their coven the
Prevention of Cruelty to children. Hiding in plain sight like that, but open to
interpretation. Yes, indeed.
Let us examine the fact that Luke had a grandmother that not
only decided to raise him, but has the financial means to take a vacation by
the sea.
I have it on good authority that if you try to rent a house
on Virginia Beach for a week it can set you back $5,000!
I wouldn’t mind paying that if I had investments like
interest earned from stocks or royalties to pay for it.
If you have $25,000, you could earn over 2 percent in a high
yield savings account. That’s the ish I’m talking about right there. Making
money for breathing. That is the equivalent of doing a part-time gig and
earning $500 a year.
I find the idea of earning money just for having a pulse so sexy. I find that It’s like Beyoncé says in her song Rocket. Shhh. Just listen. To the words. Hell yeah, you the sh*t That’s why you’re my equivalent So sexy! Haha
Inside a ballroom where the witches hold their meeting, Luke
spies upon them as the Grand High Witch unveils her latest creation: a magic
potion to turn children into mice, which they will use on confectionery
products in sweet shops and candy stores to be opened using money provided by
her.
They know how to make their vision a reality.
You have to chart a course and follow that path to where you want to go. What path? You just point to the top and go! That’s what I learned from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson 😉
I have also learned that when you own something to hold onto
it.
It doesn’t matter of it is a taco stand, food truck, or blog. If you own 100%, then it’s yours to do with as you wish. Hold on to as much equity and ownership in your company as possible. I learned that from Shark Tank’s Daymond John. Like McDonald’s does to its hamburgers, keep grinding.
And try to be cash heavy. Meaning stay away from debt. I learned that from Warren Buffet. 😉 They say his company Berkshire Hathaway aims to keep $1 billion or more in cash to snap up businesses and be able to make quick decisions when buying stocks.
In addition, they say Apple does the same. The world’s first
EVER $1 trillion-dollar company keeps billions in cash.
Therefore, you should do the same and follow in their example. ALWAYS have cash reserves. NO EXCUSES!!!
Like Mr. Money Mustache once said, “Salads and barbells every day, no goddamned excuses!!!”
WE ALL WANT TO BE ROYALS
And I don’t mean Prince William and Kate Middleton.
I mean getting royalty checks in the mail.
I saw an article in which Don McLean owns only 2 stocks:
Google and Amazon.
I also recently read that Don McLean continues to receive
royalties off his music he wrote almost 50 years ago. Yes, this artist still
makes $300,000 per year from something he created in 1971.
In the article by Sovereign Man, it retells McLean’s story.
Early spring in 1971 when an obscure American folk singer
wrote a song that would change his life forever.
Sitting at a café in Saratoga Springs, New York, Don McLean
scribbled the lyrics to a long ballad about an experience he had as a
13-year-old boy.
It began with a radio bulletin that said that Buddy Holly
had died in a plane crash. In 1959, when this happened they called it the day
the music died. The boy was crushed. But the man used this emotion to write a
song that would take the world by storm.
Of course, that song was “American Pie.”
It stayed atop the Billboard music charts for more than a
year. And it turned this once obscure folk singer into a global sensation.
Ah yes, the power of the pen.
More than that – McLean was immediately set for life: he
still makes more than $300,000 a year from that song.
Imagine getting paid hundreds of thousands of dollars a year
for something you did in 1971!
That is what stocks can do for you! That is why we must
invest. Unless you can write the next hit song for Beyoncé, you must invest in
the stock market to make money on your money. You already earned it and now
your money works for you and this is your equivalent to getting royalties.
This story holds the key to one of the greatest business
models ever invented: the idea that you can create something once and get paid
on it for life.
“The idea is not to live forever, it is to create
something that will.” – Andy Warhol
It’s the royalty business. That’s right. I did the work like
20 years ago. Now cut the check!
In case you’re not familiar with the term, a royalty is a
cash payment that you receive over and over again from an asset that you created,
developed, or own.
For example, songwriters collect a royalty every time a song
they write is played, purchased, downloaded or streamed. Some more than others.
That is why Taylor Swift was mad at Apple iTunes for giving away artists music, such as herself, for free for three months!
That’s why McLean still makes money from American Pie. You
have to pay to play. Music that is. In this case anyway.
Royalties are also common in natural resources. Royalty companies
often provide financing to oil and mining companies… and those borrowers pay a
royalty on every ounce of gold or gallon of oil that the land produces.
Authors earn a royalty every time somebody buys their book. Inventors receive royalties from their patents. Why do you think Beyoncé trademarked Blue Ivy, Taylor Swift trademarked Swiftmas, and Cardi B is trying to trademark OKrrrrrrr?!!!
The powerful cashflow of this model can be incredibly
appealing to investors, and there are even some companies that specialize in
acquiring assets that produce royalty income.
Therefore, if you are good at something, don’t give it away
for free.
Even though I am a HUGE Marvel comics fan, I actually got
the last comment mentioned above from DC Comics The Joker. 😉
It’s still true though. You have to admit.
If I could, I would tap dance on Twitter, if they paid me.
Me and my lipstick confessions charge a premium for the
really good stuff.
I would hand draw or smack lipstick stickers 💋on Kylie Jenner’s lip kits if she paid me $400.
Joan Rivers wrote jokes for days. She once said jokingly, that she would, “write for Hitler for $500.”
“People say that money is not the key to happiness, but I
always figured if you have enough money, you can have a key made.”― Joan Rivers
Joan Rivers was a comedic force to be reckoned with, but it
didn’t start out that way. She was born in 1933. Her parents were immigrants
and even though her father was a medical doctor, he was more frugal than her
upwardly mobile mother wanted.
Joan’s attitude toward money was shaped early. She saw that
men managed the finances and women were financially dependent on their
husbands. It would be many years later before Joan would learn that is a grave financial
mistake.
On my quest to study the self-made, I decided to look into
the life of Joan Rivers. I was not disappointed. You can also read some of my
other posts on celebrities and money.
Joan wound up in $37 Million dollars of debt at the age of 54. Her grueling and formidable work ethic is the only thing that saved her from poverty. At the time of her passing, at the age of 81, Joan Rivers was estimated to be worth $150 Million.
Here is her story.
EVERYONE LOVES A CLOWN
I succeeded by saying
what everyone else is thinking. –Joan Rivers
Joan was the vice president of her high school drama club. She graduated from Barnard College in 1954 in Literature. She worked numerous jobs to support herself. Joan was a writer, tour guide, and fashion consultant.
Joan was quick-witted, very sharp, and had a penetrating and original intelligence that was like none other. A female comic was a hard living, but that is the life she chose. Her gift of gab became her meal ticket.
Joan Rivers once said that she liked the comedy business and
being a comedienne. This job had nothing to do with race, wealth, privilege,
your background, religion, or gender. Either you have talent or you don’t.
For a decade, Joan couldn’t really catch much of a break. She did learn that comedy was her gift. Even without the support of her parents, she continued her grind and gift of gags. This work ethic finally paid off in 1965. After 3 years and 7 auditions, she booked the Johnny Carson show.
There was no stopping her now.
WORK, WORK, WORK, WORK, WORK
I hate housework! You
make the beds, you do the dishes and six months later you have to start all
over again.
I wish I had a twin,
so I could know what I’d look like without plastic surgery.
Women should look good. Work on yourselves. Education? I spit on education. No man is ever going to put his hand up your dress looking for a library card.
From 1965-1986, all Joan did was WORK! She wrote jokes,
movie and television scripts, made guest appearances on television shows, did
stand-up comedy gigs, and directed film.
If the job came with a paycheck, Joan did it. She was fearless and took on every paying gig that came her way. She even won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album in in 1983.
She hit the big time when, in 1986, Fox Television Network
gave her a late night talk show, The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers, making
Rivers the first woman to have her own late-night talk show on a major network.
However, unbelievable tragedy struck. She and her husband
were fired from the show and following his death that same year, she learned
she was in debt to the tune of $37 Million!
Broke, alone, and jobless for once in her life, Joan was without words. However, she did what she knows best; she went back to work.
THE FASHIONABLY BROKE POLICE
Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is God’s gift, that’s why we call it the present.
I was a financial idiot.
Others may be smarter than you and know how to manage your money better, but you care more.
It was in 1989, The Joan Rivers Show, which ran for five
seasons, put Joan back on the map and in the driver’s seat of her financial
life.
Joan designed a jewelry line, clothing and beauty products and sold them on QVC. She said that she had bills to pay as to the reason to become a celebrity entrepreneur selling products on QVC. By the time of her death, sales of her products exceeded $1 billion!
During this time in the 1990’s, Joan wrote best-selling
books, hosted television shows and won an Emmy!
Joan had charted her own path to success and financial
security.
Don’t follow any
advice, no matter how good, until you feel as deeply in your spirit as you
think in your mind that the counsel is wise.
One of my favorite stand-up comedians is Chris Rock. I once saw an interview where he said Joan was an underrated comic.
On another interview, this is what Chris Rock said:
You think she’s better than Robin Williams?
Yeah, well, put it this way, she could definitely follow
him. That’s it. You as a reporter might go one way or the other. But put a
bunch of comedians in a room and go, “Okay, who’s going to have a good set?”
Who could Joan Rivers NOT follow? You’re not going to come up with anybody’s
name. There’s literally no one in the world Joan Rivers couldn’t follow and
blow off the stage.
It’s problematic to
label her a female comedian?
You know, she did do a lot for women, but she did a lot for
comedy. Please! A lot of my style is Joan Rivers. A lot! But, you know, nobody
would ever say that because we don’t look alike. She’s one of the greatest to
ever live!
What do you mean a
lot of your style is Joan Rivers?
I mean, just watch me on any awards show telling jokes about
celebrities. Who started that shit? Joan Rivers! [Laughs.]
Joan continued her grueling work schedule in the 2000’s.
The comedian hosted E!’s “Live from the Red Carpet” from 1996 to 2004 and later became a co-host on E!’s “Fashion Police,” which premiered in 2002. She did this with her daughter Melissa Rivers.
Joan was hilarious on this show. Remember that one time she tried to give Kelly Osbourne dating advice. You don’t? No problem. I found someone on Twitter who stays well-informed on all things fashion.
Joan insisted she date an older man.
Kelly Osbourne: “I don’t want old balls, Joan.”
Joan: “Old balls roll to Tiffany’s.” 😂
In 2009, she won “The Celebrity Apprentice.” Then starred in “Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best?” and constantly toured doing comedy gigs and guest starring on television shows.
THE LAST LAUGH ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK
And JOAN GOT PAID!!!!
Some of Joan’s best jokes were about money. She made a mint
off of telling jokes about wealth. Smart lady!
I don’t exercise. If
God had wanted me to bend over, he would have put diamonds on the floor.
The first time I see a
jogger smiling, I’ll consider it.
Every woman in this room tonight: Think like a second wife. You grab and you take. You grab and you take. And when you die, whatever you got out of him you have buried on you. If the next bitch wants it, make her dig for it. 😂
I’ll write for Hitler
for $500
“Elle says she and
Dakota are ‘normal sisters’ who just go to school and play together…In their
six-hundred-room mansion on the island they own.”
Joan even joked about marriage and divorce. Nothing was off
limits!
“Half of all marriages end in divorce—and then there are the really unhappy ones.”
“I would never get married again. Never, absolutely not – but for 10 carats, maybe.” 😁😂
That reminds me of a hilarious joke I remember from the late Robin Williams.
He said: Divorce is expensive. I used to joke they were going to call it “all the money”, but they changed it to “alimony”. It’s ripping your heart out through your wallet.
She wrote 13 best-selling books. Her work calendar was FULL!
She had gigs lined up for months.
Joan said that for her a calendar full of gigs equals happiness.
I saw in one television documentary about her that she would write all her jokes down and put them in a large file cabinet with toms of tiny draws to house her wit. She said at her age, people forget things, and that includes jokes so she writes them down.
Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
Her biggest money-maker was her QVC royalties. At the time
of her passing, it was reported that she was earning as much as $50 million per
year!
She enjoyed a lavish lifestyle. She has a Penthouse in
Manhattan reportedly worth $35 million, antique furniture, rare books and other
assets of valuable such as diamond jewelry and artwork.
When asked why she works so much as she can retire rich, she
replied that she wanted to live lavish and opulently. She did not want to cut
back. She wanted to enjoy creature comforts, spend her wealth, and help and
support others with it. Working allowed her to do that.
Not bad for a woman who nobody though would make it. Underestimated,
underrated, undervalued, and unappreciated in every way. But in the end, the
duckling turned into a beautiful swan.
A very rich one.
So, cheers to you Ms. Joan Rivers. Joan may be gone but she’s
still getting applause.
And when it comes to finances, from me she is getting a standing ovation.
