By JJM Photography @ Shutterstock.com
For The American Conservative Magazine:
If you were in shop class back in high school (remember that?) and you were instructed to build your own Mount Rushmore out of wood, I would have one piece of advice: leave room for expansion. Because when I think of my visit to the site back in the mid-80s as a kid, I remember the magnificence of the late presidents but also how more names were still being considered. Note to self: There will always be someone to add down the road.
Which leads me to this: who would be on your “Investment Mt. Rushmore?” Take your time. This isn’t a quiz, but allow me to help. First, let’s make sure there’s room for Mom and Dad, who taught you the value of hard work, and for that inspirational boss who you’ll never forget. Then move to the legends like Ben Graham, Jack Bogle, Ned Johnson II, and perhaps those guys over at Berkshire Hathaway. And allow me, dear reader, to include my father-in-law, Dick Young. I know you’re thinking that’s a bit self-serving (this is an advertisement, after all), but allow me to explain.
When you think about building wealth in America, do you imagine Wall Street hotshots? Sure, we all know the celebrity investors who talk their book into the bright lights. But who is actually helping your neighbors on Main Street increase their wealth? The list in my opinion is short. Which is why I believe in the work Dick Young has done for decades to assist many investors through both his Richard C. Young’s Intelligence Report newsletter, and the boutique investment firm run by his son Matthew Young (www.younginvestments.com). I think that’s why Forbes once described Dick as “worth his weight in bullion.”
Each month Dick signed off his report with the words, “Make it a Good Month,” knowing that beating the mighty foe of inertia was up to the reader. A fortune cookie of wisdom.
“Survival Guy,” Dick said to me in a recent call, “Remember what I’ve told you: Simple is sophisticated.”
Click.
The problem with these bits of wisdom is they leave you wanting for more.
And, lucky for you, there’s my website, www.yoursurvivalguy.com, where you can get it with my “Top Ten Investing Mistakes to Avoid” and other pieces on life’s challenges. Many involve snafus of my own for your amusement. Is there anything better?
Join me daily at www.yoursurvivalguy.com or sign up for my weekly email. Whoever said the best things in life are free belongs on our Mt. Rushmore, right next to my favorite person: Y-O-U.
Originally posted on Your Survival Guy.
If you’re willing to fight for Main Street America, click here to sign up for the Richardcyoung.com free weekly email.
