Tag Archives: millionaires

Fiscal Gentleman Are Tailor Made: Money Lessons From Keanu Reeves John Wick

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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.

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The Continental in New York
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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.

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Custom made finely tuned works of art in clothe. It adds to the prestige and dark mystic of the film.

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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

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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.

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John Wick #1 or JW1
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JW2

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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

It is always good to have a hidden nugget or money stash just in case. I explore that topic further in my post on Disney’s film National Treasure and Money Lessons I Learned From Scrooge McDuck.

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.

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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.

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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.

Good luck on all your money endeavors!

I’ll be seeing you.

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Choose Experiences Over Things: My Experience At The JLO It’s My Party Tour Concert

You get what you give. What you put into things is what you get out of them. – Jennifer Lopez

I took this picture while I was waiting to get in to the concert.

I have learned to choose experiences over things. You put those pair of expensive jeans on a credit card and 10 years later those $80 jeans could really cost you $300 with 25 percent interest attached. That wasn’t on the price tag! Those jeans will be long gone by then, but that time you went camping with your family and friends will be great memories that last a lifetime.

In the last several years, I have decided to spend money more on experiences. After seeing that episode of Gilmore Girls Concert Interruptus, I knew one day I would go to a concert so I could be as happy as Loreali and Sookie was to go see their favorite band. Those great feelings you get from actually doing something and paying for it with cash are priceless.

That is exactly what I did on July 17, 2019. I went to see Jennifer Lopez in concert. And I loved every minute of it!

Took this short video on my phone while at the concert.

She stopped by DC and performed at Capital One Arena after doing her make-up concert in Madison Square Garden in NY after the blackout on Saturday July 13. What a professional.

And let me tell you. I looked into what it takes to do concerts and JLo’s setlist and tour dates. Performing is grueling work.

See my posts

Jennifer Lopez: From Jenny From The Block To JLO And $100 Million

How Dave Grohl Turned Passion Into Profits

Jennifer Lopez – It’s My Party – The Forum – Inglewood, California – June 7 2019 – setlist

Want to help celebrate JLO’s birthday with her! See remaining tour dates below.
Jennifer Lopez – It’s My Party Tour dates:
June 10 – San Diego, CA – Pechanga Arena
June 12 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center
June 13 – San Jose, CA – SAP Center
June 15 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena
June 16 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Arena
June 19 – Denver, CO – Pepsi Center
June 21 – San Antonio, TX – AT&T Center
June 22 – Edinburg, TX – Bert Ogden Arena
June 24 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center
June 25 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
June 28 – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center
June 29 – Chicago, IL – United Center
July 3 – Milwaukee, WI – Summerfest
July 5 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesar’s Arena
July 7 – Toronto, ON, CA – Scotiabank Arena
July 10 – Montreal, QC, CA – Centre Ball
July 12 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
July 16 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center
July 17 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena
July 19 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Arena
July 20 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
July 22 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
July 23 – Orlando, FL – Amway Center
July 25 – Miami, FL – American Airlines Arena

Instead of spending a fortune and being close enough to the stage to reach out and touch the artist and see the white of their eyes, I selected a seat that just fine to see how different my experience would be. My seat cost $49.95 and I have a blast!

You do not have to go in debt or sell your belongings on Craigslist or drive for Uber or Lyft just to spend $500 on concert tickets. The jumbo screens show you all the action just fine in my book.

This was also her first tour since ending her Las Vegas Residency which made like $100 million in ticket sales!

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For a night out on the town it cost me about $100 bucks!

So if you want to paint the tow red, I suggest you stay in the black and pay cash and not go in the red and use credit. Cause you know your girl Greenbacks Magnet is all about saving a dollar!

See my post Why Halle Berry And I Continue To Save So Much

If you read my tweets then you know I can’t stand debt. I would stop doing just about everything in order to save up huge chunks of money to pay off debt. I once saved up $15,000 to pay off $14,745 worth of debt! Paying debt off in chunks feels awesome.

I learned to pay off my credit card and other debt in lump sums from reading about how Grammy award-winning artist John Legend doing it after he got his first big paycheck. Smart!

See my post Money Advice I Got From John Legend

How how I hate DEBT. Let me tweet the ways!!

Just hearing about another pro athlete going broke is enough for me to change my free willing money spending ways.

Breaking News: Adrian Peterson is in debt after making $100 million in earnings in the NFL. This is my version of Scared Straight. Scared Debt Straight that is. Is he not reading my blog?!!!

I encourage you all out there to stop what you are doing and find a way to start saving 5 percent of your income.

Start with just $500 in the bank and work your way up to one month of expenses. That Is how I went from $25 in the bank to $5,000. Save for the things you want. Paying with cash is freedom.

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It’s like JLo says, “you get what you give.” You have to work for what you want. She says she gets nothing for free. And that she has to pay for everything.

The harder you work, the more you get. I’m taking my money earning and saving cues from Jlo. I like to study the self-made. And Jenny from the Bronx is as self-made as they come. So happy birthday JLo. Make a wish. I’ll tell you mine. It’s simple really. I want to always spend less than I earn. Your turn.

3 Rich Habits of Millionaires

After doing some research on millionaires and billionaires, I have noticed some recurring attributes among them, which include: reading, pursuing a passion, and setting goals.

READ

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

― Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!

Many of the affluent read daily or often. They seem to set aside at least 30 minutes a day for reading. This greatly improves their knowledge of their products, brands, and businesses. When you know what drives the market, then it makes it easier to compete with everyone else. I even read that Marilyn Monroe was also said to be a voracious reader.

I know in my life reading has helped me a great deal. I was able to do better in school, make better informed personal and professional decisions, and increase my investment knowledge.

One of the most successful investors of all time, Warren Buffet, says he reads every day.  Buffet typically spends 80% of his day reading. Here are some quotes from interviews he has done over the years in regards to how to become successful.

THE KEY TO SUCCESS

The CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, when asked once about the key to success, pointed to a stack of books and said, “Read 500 pages like this every day. That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest. All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will do it.”

WHAT BUFFET READS?

Warren Buffet starts his days with an assortment of national and local news. The billionaire investor tells CNBC he reads the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, the New York Times, USA Today, the Omaha World-Herald, and the American Banker in the mornings.

Even though Buffet reads tremendously, it would mean nothing if he did not retain what he has read. Buffets says that knowledge builds up over time. Here are some tips to remember what you read – take notes, skim the text, read out load – are just a few things you can do to retain what you read.

PURSUE YOUR PASSION OR GIFT

“To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift.” – Steve Prefontaine

I have always had an affinity for writing. I write pretty much every day. My goals are that my writing helps to plant the seed that inspire people, motivate them, and make them feel good about themselves. Writing about finances is the cherry on top of the sundae for me. And I give it everything I’ve got. No less. When I’m sick. I write. When I’m tired. I write. When I was down to my last $2. Still wrote. I would write down my thoughts, hopes, dreams, and goals. I have crossed off at least 5 items on my 10 year to do list. If it can work for me and countless others, then I know it can for you.

Dreams can come true. You just have to believe and lay down the groundwork. There is no builder of a home that would not first lay down the foundation and then build up. The same goes for life. You do not start in at the top. Otherwise, if you do, you are more likely to have created a house of cards, that can easily come tumbling down.  Like the three little pigs, you want bricks and not sticks or straw. You want something that is concrete. Construct your life blueprint on building or creating something that is solid.

If you can, find a mentor. Mentors help guide and keep people on the right path to succeed. I suggest finding someone who has already done what you want to do successfully and then asking them for advice. You can also read their books or attend their workshops. Either way study their success and see if you can imitate it.

SET GOALS

“Set your goals high, and don’t stop till you get there.” – Bo Jackson

The best advice I have ever read was to write down your goals. I have heard this from numerous celebrities including Beyoncé. She said she would write down her goals; and that she wanted to go platinum and sell a million records. Well, she wanted to be financially secure. Well, she can scratch that off her checklist. Simply heed these words: Write it down.

When you set goals and pursue your passion it is a winning combination for success. Instead of watching the clock, you just keep on working. There are too many hours on the clock when you do something you detest, but no enough hours in the day when you do something you love.

Forget the naysayers. They are not you and you are not them.  Focus your energy on doing what you enjoy putting your effort into. The energy you use to pursue your passion or anything that you do well is never wasted.  When you can focus and limit or ignore distractions, you are well on your way toward success.