A number of the people profiled in "Millionaires tell how they did it" made their millions as entrepreneurs. But working for the Man doesn't mean you have to be a wage slave or resort to buying lottery tickets to strike it rich. The trick is to maximize your income on the job (and know when to move on), make the most of your employee benefits and tax breaks and use that extra money to start investing.
1. Keep your eyes peeled for better ways to do your job. Streamline a procedure, shave costs, create a new profit center, become an expert on a specific topic, volunteer for a company committee -- anything that will make you stand out as a prime candidate for a promotion or a pay boost.
2. Don't be afraid to negotiate. In a study of master's degree graduates from her university, Carnegie Mellon economics professor Linda Babcock found that those who negotiated their first salary boosted their pay by 7.4% compared with those who didn't bargain.
3. Get your ducks in a row and your numbers on paper. If possible, quantify how much your efforts add to the company's bottom line. If that's not feasible, spotlight your value with comparable salaries for workers in your position from a Web site, such as Salary.com, or from a professional association.
4. Plot your strategy when it's time to move on. Create a professional-looking page on MySpace that tells prospective employers why you're an exceptional candidate, recommends John Challenger of the outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. And don't neglect more conventional networking: Join a professional association or show up at school reunions toting business cards.
Milk your benefits
5. Contribute as much as you can to your 401(k) and other tax-deferred retirement plans. You'll not only build a bigger nest egg, but you'll also cut your tax bill. In the 25% federal tax bracket, every $1,000 you contribute to a 401(k) trims your taxes by $250. And you'll save on state income taxes, too. 6. Flex your tax-saving muscle. Contribute pretax dollars to a flexible spending account to pay for dependent care or out-of-pocket medical expenses. If you set aside $1,500 per year and you're in the 25% bracket, avoiding federal income and Social Security taxes means Uncle Sam will subsidize almost $500 of your expenses.
7. Review your tax withholding. If you're expecting a refund this spring, you're having too much tax withheld from your paycheck -- and making an interest-free loan to Uncle Sam. That's no way to become a millionaire. Put more money in your pocket by using Kiplinger's withholding calculator and then filling out a new Form W-4.
8. Stash savings in a Roth IRA if you're eligible. Withdrawals in retirement, including decades of compounded earnings, will be tax-free. This year, income-eligibility limits for a Roth increase to $114,000 for individuals and $166,000 for married couples.
Invest like crazy
9. Don't delay. The quicker you get a jump on putting money aside, the easier it will be to stuff a seven-figure cushion. If you start at age 25, for example, investing $286 per month will get you $1 million by age 65, assuming you earn 8% annually. 10. Invest automatically, either through your employer's retirement plan or by setting up a regular deposit to a mutual fund or broker. You'll never miss the money, and you'll avoid two big mistakes: buying too much when stock prices are high and not buying at all when prices fall.
11. Watch for fund fees. The more you pay, the tougher it is to earn an above-average return. The typical hedge fund, for example, takes 20% of any gains, a huge hurdle to overcome. A better bet: no-load mutual funds with expense ratios of 1% or less. If you trade individual stocks, watch those commissions.
12. Keep it simple. Be wary of get-rich-quick schemes or sales pitches for complex investments, such as oil-and-gas partnerships, that trade on the millionaire cachet to lure investors into buying high-fee products they don't understand. Most millionaire households accumulate their wealth over the long term by sticking to a regular investing plan in a balanced portfolio.
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When you become a real man -- an independent, strong man who is on his own path -- you’ll begin to communicate differently: You’ll move differently, you’ll hold yourself differently, you’ll respond to situations differently, and you’ll use different words. It’s easy to spot guys who don’t get it or are trying to fake it, but it’s just as easy to spot the guys who do get it. Just like guitar players know whether someone is a great musician or an amateur within the first few notes, women know if you’re a real man in a matter of seconds. This is why it’s so important to work on yourself, your self-image and your “Inner Game” until you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you’re a real man. When you do, you’ll attract women fast and naturally.
a problem with my weight and body image..im 30 and weigh 85kg...Its so damn hard to get over what you look like in the mirror always thinking do they see what you see,,,and the answer is no, good guys dont. IVe been with my wonderful partner for nearly two years and we love each other, he is a big guy and has no problems undressing or being naked..me on the other hand hate having the lights on during sex and hide with a towel when he comes into the bathroom! But even though i think he will look at all my lumps and bumps and girl i mean BUMPS , he doesnt...he sees me for me but unfortunatley my brain says otherwise,,,I think i will continue to feel like that for a long time, but one thing he always says to make me feel better is more cushion for the pushin lol....I guess in time there will be a defining moment in your and my life where we just dont care and realise that there is more to life then how we look....Its hard though when we have all these skinny magazine cover girls looking at us from a magazine stand! So hey as long as we have a guy that love us the rest will fall into line with time!!!
