I know that a lot of what I do these days can come across as a bit risky and maybe even a little mad but I have a very simple view on that. You see I know for certain that if I had stuck with what I knew and what I had always been taught was a good, solid way, to put money away for the future I would be heading for broke.

No that's wrong, I would be broke!

If taking financial risks with your money scares the living daylights out of you, well, take a good look around you now. There is risk everywhere. You are at risk of seeing less and less money coming in (tax rises coming), more and more going out (fuel prices, energy costs, food prices and on the list goes) and you do not want to rely on traditional finance and banking to save you because it is too busy trying to save itself.

Of course I am no financial advisor and I, like everyone, rely on my gut to advise me these days. I am also not in the super rich bracket so I have to diversify like hell to keep in the wealth building game but I am getting there and that's the best most of us can hope for these days.

I made this video (see below) because I feel a bit sad today and I keep hearing sad things. I am a bit of a sensitive soul (seriously, I am) and I have been hearing a lot of woes lately and they are all money based woes. Not surprising really.

What is the saddest thing I ever hear? It's this: "I cannot afford to do anything, I don't have the money for it". And I'll bet, if you are saying that now you were also saying it a few years ago. You have to hit a point in life when you just have to change things and it has to start with what you think and believe.

And I think that we are heading for a period of time when, if you haven't started to change this stuff, it's all going to be too late for you. I know this all sounds dramatic but I get asked frequently at the gym, in family meet ups and by friends generally: "What are you doing? How come you don't go to work and haven't got a job but always seem to have money?"

Well the answer has nothing to do with what I am doing now, it is all about what I started to do last year, the year before that and the few years before that. It goes back to when I finally decided that I could not move forward and put money in the pot for later without taking a risk with what I had now (now being a few years back of course).

No; I am not suggesting that you throw caution to the wind and take a punt with your rent money or drain your bank account down to your last penny and take a huge risk with it. I am merely suggesting that you find those things you can do with out and stop paying for them, sell those things you don't use or need and think about how you can be in a different position a couple of years down the road because you made a start today and built a little pot to get started with. 

You cannot make money any more with traditional bank style investments if you ever could). You haven't been able to for a while. And even if you could use traditional routes to produce between 10% and 20% returns per annum (which you can't) it isn't enough because more than that is getting eaten away in the cost of living.

I worked out that just to continue to pay my way over the next 12 months (and I mean fixed bills and food only) I need to make over 20% more money than I did during the last 12 months.

So unless you already have it all done and you have all the money you need to see you through the rest of your life, then you need to have an open mind and you need to start, as I did, looking at things that are going to scare you until you fully understand how they work. Why? Because the only way to grow your wealth and income now is by rolling up your sleeves and getting down in the modern muck with some things you may struggle to understand.

And yes, along the way over the last few years I have lost some money on some things, made some bad decisions, taken too much risk and fallen on my arse a bit. But mostly, it has worked and I am in a stronger position now than I was at the start,

Not trying to be rude, not trying to say that your dumb or anything, just telling you that the things that look a little complicated and confusing (and risky) to you right now may be your only solution.

I make videos now almost exclusively on this modern stuff. The video below is me talking about just one of the things I do. One of the most productive financially, but it isn't anything that my dad would have suggested to me, that's for sure. 

Anyway, all I suggest is you take a look at the video and try not to instantly throw out the notion just because it is unfamiliar turf.

All the best

John