Financial freedom has always been at the top of my head ever since I came home from abroad with no work, with just three months worth of cash to live by and a kids to feed, clothed, shelter and educate.  It became a sore point for me to constantly be worried where the next cash would be coming in.  Stressed and praying that none of the kids would get sick, it was a turning point in my life to be so cash strapped that I started looking for ways to become wealthy by reading books.  Some of the books that I’ve read and which have become references were the following:

• Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
• Beating the Street by Peter Lynch
• The Pursuit of Happyness by Chris Gardner

Mind you.  I am no billionaire (yet). But my dreams of owning real estate properties that will generate income for me are still powerfully alive.

There was a time that I jumped from one work to another, taking the offer of the highest bidder.  Although, it worked somewhat. In the end, I would always find something to complain about the work I am doing.  Overworked and Underpaid forcefully resonated in me, that it became a mantra and my justification to move to perceived “greener pastures”.  “There must be an easier way to earn money?” I used to ask myself a lot. That way of thinking ended me up with nothing.  No work, no cash and pushed me to the boundaries of desperation.

Then came an opportunity for me to start a company.  My friends would finance it and I will have to run it.  (Actually, there were two of us who would run it but three years into the business and he ups and runs for public office, leaving me with the responsibility of making the company work.) It was here that I decided that this will be my last chance.  I will commit my whole self to this endeavor and if it doesn’t work then I am really am good for nothing (as my ex-wife used to describe me). Mind you, I had so much reservation taking the mantle of leadership from my friend.  “Am I worthy? Am I ready? Am I even qualified? What if I fail? What would the board of directors say?”  These were just some of the questions that plagued me day in and day out.  One thing I’ve learned though is that, put people’s backs to the wall, and they will either buckle under pressure, or buckle down and do some serious working.  And boy was I glad that I was one of the latter and not the former.

So here I am now,  with some investments, but no way near my target goal of 1M dollars. I have barely scratched the surface of that amount and my brain is fatigued with all the ideas that come to mind.  So what’s the plan? Hmmmm…..it can either be any of the following:

• Purchase properties and convert them to dormitories
• Invest in the mutual funds
• Get franchises that hopefully will grow

From where I stand, these are daunting goals.  But for a man who is running out of time (Target age of Retirement is 55.  Am already 43 years old), it would seem that my back is against the wall…..again.  Assuming I have not made any investments yet,  I would need to add a staggering 7.4k a month to my retirement fund.  Sheeesh! **Faints**

Some of you may ask, why not taper it down?  I would say to you, Why?  Dreams are free, why not dream big?

Oh well,  I will update this part more actively I think as this is what I do on a daily basis anyway.