When Legendary Reggae artist Bob Marley was asked “Are you a rich man, Do you have a lot of possessions?” He simply replied with a question and then answered”I don’t have that type of richness, My richness is life, forever”
What a profound statement and he later on went to say (as I paraphrase) “a person can be so broke that all they have is money”
What does this actually mean? 
To give it a shot at guessing I would say that means money isn’t everything and without making an impact in life nothing will last because the possessions will one day fade away! After taking a hard look into my life I have realized my investments were misplaced and often returned only a temporary yield. I need to make better investments in life.
My money matters were all caught up into material items of pleasure and luxury. It is fine to treat yourself to guilty pleasures but in very small doses. The focus on my daily activities are being wasted watching YouTube or Instagram videos. I know I can’t be the only one to fall down the rabbit hole of social media videos just to come up hours later and most of your day missing. My decisions on leaving a better planet for the future has been abysmal with all the plastic and recyclables that aren’t recycled on my behalf. For that reason our oceans are suffering which can throw off the balance of the ecosystem leaving the future generations to suffer. What about my Life? Do I have the proper coverage to take care of my final expenses or will I leave that burden to a loved one when the time comes? Please believe that time IS COMING. How often am I excersing, building my mind, and feeding my soul? Lastly, Am I looking out for others or are my plans selfishly driven? What good is life without helping someone along the way!
Where does your money go?
Do you remember your very first job? Probably at some supermarket after school bagging groceries or sitting behind a register ringing up the deli special of the week. You were employed and making your very own money. Think back to that first check you received and the excitement you had knowing you made some cash if your folk were anything like mine they told you to put some away for a rainy day.
I never knew what that meant, so if you was anything like me that money had plans with clears skies and not a cloud in sight. I just wish I was prepared a little better with lessons on the need to invest my money wisely. Even at a young age learning how to save for a goal can prepare you for a lifetime of smart spending,
Money is useless until you actually use it. Sure, you can put it in a bank account to gain interest but at what percentage rate? The standard banking rate is about 1.75% on avg. Real estate is one of the best way to see a return on your investment when you consider the tax benefits attached to home ownership.
Not everyone is ready for home ownership so the next best thing is stock investments and trade. I am no expert when it comes to the matter so I rely on
robin hood.com to show me the way. Here I am allowed to build a profile and learn how the market works with the daily snacks sent to my email.
Inside the App they also have articles that will give you insight on what to look out for. What I like the most about this app is that it has a help center that is top-notch for the rookie investor to become familiar with the game. This is my way of learning how to become a better money investor. What’s your course of action when it comes to investing your hard-earned money?
Every second counts
Being busy usually means you’re just doing something but being productive usually means you’re getting things done. There is only 17 hrs of day left after your required 7 hrs of sleep. What are you doing to be productive? Besides your 9-5 are you putting anytime into yourself? Are you in control of your employment to where you can take an extended period off if you need to.
I have said it before and I will always say that everyone should spend time building a source of revenue that they are in complete control of. With today technological advances it has been made more easy for ANYONE to have success at entrepreneurship. All it takes is an internet connection, a small startup fee for a website, and your passion! Yes that’s it!
You are pretty much already online with social media engagement, so why not find a way to earn an income with a service that you already use? Don’t doubt the possibility just create a domain name and make it work for you!
Save the Ocean
The earth has been around for a very long time and I can only imagine how beautiful she was in its early days. With all the green trees, and fields of empty land for miles as far as the eye can see. With a BIG blue ocean to set it off Well, those days have since been replaced with buildings to help the advancement of human life form.
Somehow along the way we have forgotten about our precious ecosystem. I’m no expert on biology an environmental science in fact I despised that subject in college. It was the worst in high school and I am not sure how I made it through those lectures.
My love for fishing has increased over the 20 years and I began to become more conscious about how I treat the earth as I would love for future generations to enjoy the experience of fishing. Plastic pollution is killing the coral reefs without the life of the corals all ocean life would die. Not only are the reefs being affected but they bring harm to all that use the water as a place to live.
I read an article where a whale was beaching itself and in attempt to treat the whale scientist would drag it back out to sea in hopes the creature would heal. After a few attempts the whale would keep returning to the shore line preparing to die. Putting the whale out of its misery upon autopsy they found massive amounts of plastics inside the digestive system causing no room for healthy food eventually causing starvation.
If you search the web for whales killed by plastic you will find numerous stories from around the world giving details on how improper disposal of plastic is killing marine wildlife.
I realize that the earth is in trouble so I made a pledge to drink for our oceans! I am an avid water drinker and I love to fish so why not drink to save the ocean. Most water bottles come in plastic so I decided to purchase a lagoon bottle that I can re use to quench my thirst. Safer on the ocean and I can start making an investment in the earth so she will be around for years to come.
There are many ways you can make an impact on the earth for a better tomorrow. I’m starting with the ocean and if you would like to join me you can make a purchase from drinkforouroceans.com and use my very own discount code “DRINK30” at check out for 30% off your purchase. Portions of the proceeds will go to the Coral reef foundation.
Are you prepared for tomorrow?
The average cost of a funeral runs at about $10,000 and believe it or not many cannot afford this cost if anything was to happen to a loved one. Investing in life insurance may be the wisest of all investments, but before choosing a policy there are a few things you should know.
There are 3 types of LI policies to consider.
- Term Life insurance: This is the cheapest of the 3 and is usually ideal for children living at home or young people who may be in search for insurance. Term life usually run at a 15,20, or 30 year at a low premium rate and holds no cash value. Once your term is up you will no longer be insured and in need of a new policy.
- Universal Life insurance: Most expensive and have some similar traits of Whole life and holds a cash value that can be borrowed against unlike whole It is a more flexible type of insurance where you can adjust your rates and benefit amount.
- Whole Life insurance: Can be pricey and holds a cash value as well. Takes a portion of the premium and places it into money market funds to gain interest.
The thing about insurance is the older you get the more expensive your premiums will be. It’s best to get insurance while you are young with no health issues. I would recommend staying away from term life unless it’s all you can afford some insurance is better than none. No one knows what tomorrow holds. To learn more about insurance policies visit lifeplans.com
Balance is key
When taking a flight the airplane attendant gives instructions before lift off. This is where they explain what to do during an emergency. What sticks out the most is the instructions on the drop in air pressure “in the event of a drop in air cabin pressure a mask will fall from the ceiling. Put on the mask and tighten the strap! Before helping the person next to you make sure to put your mask on first”
Taking care of yourself comes before taking care of anyone or anything else. The best investment one can make is to ensure they are mentally, physically and spiritually healthy.
I love to do a lot of reading on history because I like to know about the past now that I have audible books on audio I get a lot more reading done.
Physical wellness can be a bit of a challenge because there are no shortcuts to a healthy lifestyle but to make sure my meals are nutritious I use amazon fresh to deliver fresh food for me o stock my fridge with. It beats fast food and standing in lines at the grocery or in the self checkout trying to figure out the PLU # for the plum tomatoes that I need for my marinara.
Spiritual health is top priority because without feeding your spirit are you able to discern right from wrong? For the way I view life I don’t think I’d be able to. This doesn’t mean that those who don’t recognize they have a spiritual side can’t tell right from wrong because I don’t know everyone. However, I do know that when I watch the news and I hear all the bad things that go on in the world I often wonder.
In closing
To make better investments it takes some thinking If it doesn’t bring value to you then there is no need for it. Too much wastefulness happens when we don’t think out our moves. Everything should be a calculation to bring about something greater.
My parents were right saving money for a rainy day is in fact wise to do because if I was to total up all the money I have made from my very first job up until now I would have well over 1 million dollars made. To take away for the bills needed to survive I may have been left with a savings of about 100,000.
Take control and begin making better investments 
PaPa Jones
Learning to make better investments is the basis whether you are going to have money, or if you are not. I too have fell victim to the social media rabbit hole so to speak. I really like how you have displayed the information in your website. I have bookmarked your site for later viewing. Thank You
This is true but what good is money if we don’t invest in the earth or in our health. Money is ok but it doesn’t buy happiness so the better investment goes further than money!
Thanks for the input
PaPa
Making better investment in life would guarantee a life of peace and success since life is about karma —”what you sow is what you reap”. Learning to invest rather than just wasting money anyhow is an act that very few people can replicate and the few that could are the one living in luxury and bliss. Investing in life, one’s health are great. I will definitely share this post out to other social media platforms to get more people sensitized. Thanks, great post!.
Thanks for leaving a comment!
Investing in ourselves will bring luxury while we invest in others to bring bliss. Imagine a world where the ecosystem is dead. There are too many families putting together go fund me pages to bury a loved one. Better investing will bring something much greater than money! That’s PEACE…
Have a great day
PaPa
Hey there,
Thanks for the post. You did a great job with the post. The outline to the post, the easy to read language, and topic matter was really good. Thanks for that. I really like the topic of wealth and personal money management. I’m glad you’re teaching on the topic and introducing the world to very important subject matters. I’ve used Robinhood and definitely vouch for it. I also believe in term life insurance, invest the difference. You’ve got a lot of good stuff here. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the comment, Eddie! That’s interesting that you mentioned investing the difference as I have heard this method being talked about in certain insurance forums. And that practically is a great idea if you plan on dying within the term of your policy.
What happens after the term is up? where does that money go? Now you have to pick up another term after it expires and at a much older age the possibilities of coverage can get pricey. Unless of course there is an LI policy that I am not aware of that will cover the elderly at a reasonable cost. which could exist.
I like the point you’ve bought up and I will have to look into that further.
Thanks for the info can’t wait to hear back from you
Hello Papa Jones – Your philosophy on life is right on. It’s far from being just about money. It does make life easier but it only covers one aspect necessary of existing—the financial. Balance is the key to life and we must strive to keep ALL aspect of life in balance.
I remember my first job. At that time you could save for a rainy day. Problem is, these days, it’s always raining. I heard a sad statistic on the radio today: today’s wages with inflation are the same as 20 years ago. Over the years, there are so many more things today to buy that are considered necessities (e.g. cable TV, cell phones, computers, printers, etc. along with their related accessories). Then there’s inflation. Yet wages are stagnant—far from having kept up with the pace.
For those who are able to invest—Great! Invest wisely. For the rest, keep praying!
Regarding the environment, I pray that the powers that be—think about future generations.
Thanks for the opportunity to view your post.
That’s a very interesting stance to take, You could save back then because there were no added “necessities”. To really think about it outside of the convenience of the cell phone, do we need TV, CABLE, The latest cell phone, and overpriced clothing?
Thank you for your valued comment
PaPa