Jeremiah John (JJ) and I are a lot alike in many ways. But we are also different.  JJ lived by the philosophy that a piece of all he made was his to keep. He got that philosophy from a book by Og Mandino. JJ was and is a saver. He worked at the same job for years on end and provided for his family and their well being. He did a great job and to his credit, because of what he did, it has served him well and his plan continues to provide for these past few years.

I’ve done some of that. But I have not worked at the same company for 30 or 40 years. But I have created other businesses, created jobs for others, made payroll, took something from nothing and turned it into an asset worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. I’m not bragging. It is a fact.

I have multiple part time businesses to this day. In one of them I am an Amazon third party seller. Last year I sold 100% Alpaca blankets. Take a look at one of them: 100% Alpaca Blanket This blanket sold for $139.00 US.

Let’s take another example: North American Internet, Limited This was a business I bootstrapped from nothing and it became a national company with clients and business all over the US. It had people that depended on it for payroll and running the company was a big job. But I did it.

These are only two examples. JJ’s wife also took a chance on a company that she started. Believe me when I tell you that having started her resume company a couple of years ago has been a life saver for her and JJ. She makes six figures from it each year and it’s meant a big difference for them today.

This weekend I read a two part article from Mark Ford. You might find it of interest like I did. Here is part one: What Happened To The Dream.

Mark and I are not in the same league, but like me, he has built businesses in the past and we do share some of the same traits. Mark, like me, is still working. Mark, like me, has multiple sources of income. Unlike Mark, I do not own any real estate.

What does Mark suggest in part two? (1) Expect 7% from stocks for the next 10 years, maybe longer. (I’ll show you how to do better that 7% in another post.) (2) You may have to work longer. (3) Develop an additional stream of income. (Sound Familiar?) (4) Consider investing in real estate or maybe REITs. (5) Mark shows you how and where you can retire on $40,000 a year.

Mark is selling a course. I hear it costs around $500. It might be worth it, I don’t know. I have my own course. (I’ll show you how to do better than 7% on stocks and tell you about my course in another post.)

For Taking Early Retirement (TER), I hope you are enjoying a great retirement or are close to that day!

Jim Fortune