We don’t hear much about billionaires from day to day. This is partly because there are so few of them (there are currently about 1,000 billionaires in terms of US dollars in the world, which is 0.000015% of the population) and partly because most of them keep a low profile. Luckily, some members of this elite group have offered some help to the rest of us.

Richard Branson

Mark Cuban

Warren Buffet

Larry Ellison

Eric Schmidt

Steve Jobs

Larry Page

Sergey Brin

Although there is a ton of good information above, this list is far from complete. If you know of any good additions, please let me know.

I bet you have some great ideas. Ingenious ideas. Ideas that could make you incredibly rich. You’ve probably dreamt of the wealth and fame your ideas could bring you.

Here is the painful truth: It doesn’t matter.

Everyone has (or at least thinks they have) great ideas. Ideas for books, inventions, websites, services, …anything. But how many people actually have the courage and motivation to make those ideas a reality? To learn about book publishing and spend months perfecting a bestseller? To design, build, test, and patent a product? The answer, of course, is very few. That’s because it’s hard to do something original. It’s hard to pour your time and sweat into something that might not succeed. But, it’s the only path forward. The only way to achieve your dreams is to take action. Deliberate, faithful action.

Start Now

The time for action is now. Don’t placate yourself with your dreams for another week. That becomes a habit. Stop finding excuses. Start educating yourself. Start building real assets.

In congruence, here is a wonderful quote from Ze Frank’s New Year’s resolutions:

“I promise not to keep ideas in my head, unfulfilled and full of promise - not to let these vague outlines of future actions give me false confidence and security in the abstract. Instead I will execute them quickly and faithfully so that I am again on the brink of the unknown, hoping that these ideas were not the last that would ever come to me from God knows where.”

Many people go to college to become good employees. The ironic truth is, college presents a phenomenal opportunity to start a business of your own. I attend a large public university and it’s hard not to notice the amazing opportunities in front of me. Here are the reasons that your college years are the perfect time to start a business.

Minimal Responsibilities

Entrepreneurship is notoriously risky. Luckily, the typical college student has few crucial responsibilities: no family to support and no full time career to worry about. In other words, you have little to lose. If your first business fails and you end up with the net worth of a cashew nut, no problem! That’s probably how you started out.

Youth

The typical college student also has plenty of time ahead of him or herself. This has benefits in the case of success as well as failure. If you build a successful business, you will have plenty of time to expand it and leverage your resources and knowledge to build other successful businesses. Or, you could just cash out at 30 and retire.

On the other hand, in the event that your business flops, you have plenty of time to try again. You’ll only be smarter the next time.

Youth also means a fresher perspective than previous generations. You are more familiar with current technologies and what’s trendy. You aren’t as bound by traditional preconceptions of how things “should” be done.

Abundant, Inexpensive Labor

College students are known to be hard-strapped for cash. If you’re looking to hire inexpensive, decently skilled labor, college campuses are a great source. And if you’re attending the college you will know exactly where to advertise for your desired skill sets.

Access to Knowledge

I’m not sure how many hundreds of PhD professors are at my school, but it’s enough that I could find an expert on virtually any topic. Whether I wanted to learn about emerging scientific research or I wanted some help with a business plan, it wouldn’t be too hard to locate the right person. All major universities share this abundance of brilliant people. Although not all professors are sympathetic, many will be extremely helpful if they recognized that you are a student trying to do something extraordinary.

In addition to professors, students most likely have access to one if not many comprehensive libraries and online databases.

Access to Software

Chances are, if you’re starting a new business, you could benefit from the incredible capabilities of modern software. In the normal world, advanced applications range in price from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars. Luckily, universities provide an amazing array of software to their students. To drop some names, my school provides access to: AutoCAD (3D design), Final Cut Pro (film editing), Adobe Design Premium CS3 (graphic design), Maya (3D animation), Maple (mathematics), ERwin (data modeling), SQL Server (database management), Virtuoso Schematic Editor (internal circuitry), SolidWorks (3D design), and many more.

Access to Equipment

Large format printers, 3D printers, laser etchers, machine shops, film editing bays, film studios, camera equipment, computer labs, meeting rooms, scientific equipment, etc. Major universities offer serious equipment such as this to their students. Usually students in relevant degree programs get preference, but it is there nonetheless.

Financial Support

Many universities want their students to build businesses. I don’t know why. Perhaps for marketing or to encourage future multi-million dollar donations? Regardless, they will give grants for good business plans. From my observations this can amount to $5,000-$20,000 of free money.

When it comes to starting a business, college students have several unique advantages. Of course, there are other paths to success too. I don’t think anyone told these billionaire college dropouts about starting a business in college.

Diversification can be a good thing, but I think too many people do it for the wrong reasons, and without enough thought.

Warren Buffett

I love listening to Warren Buffett because he always breaks things down into their simplest parts. He once said very plainly, “Diversification is protection from ignorance.” I don’t think he could have said it any better (and who would disagree with Buffett?).

Keep in mind, ignorance does not mean stupid, it simply means uneducated or not informed. It’s not a statement of general intelligence, but should be applied to a specific issue. So Buffett is saying people who don’t fully understand an investment protect themselves by diversifying in other markets.

The Undertone

Buffett is known for being very to the point, but his comments always should provoke thought. This is no exception…I think it’s a little back-handed, actually. I don’t think Buffet is telling us diversification is the solution. It’s just betting on many things instead of a few.

The solution is knowledge. The more we understand an investment, the less we need to “protect” ourselves. By doing the homework up front, and really understanding what will generate profit in a given investment, we make it just that - an investment, not a speculation.

Is it Wrong to Diversify?

No, I don’t think it is. I just think it’s wrong when people make diversification their strategy. Too many people diversify for the sake of diversifying. Just because you cover a lot of markets doesn’t mean most will increase. But if you don’t hide behind diversification, and take time to understand each investment before buying, it won’t hurt you either.

Fill Your Tires

Usually the quickest way to get a few extra miles out of a tank of gas is to refill your tires. Tires should always be at their maximum pressure, and they need to be checked after winter because most will lose air during cold weather.

The idea here is pretty simple. Tires create friction with the road. When they are low on pressure, the part touching the road flattens out and creates a larger patch that contacts the ground. Because of this large patch, they create more friction and your car wastes more gas trying to move them. By inflating tires to their max, this flat contact patch becomes more like a point, with very little rubber touching the ground. The less area touching the road, the less friction you’ll have, and the more gas you’ll save.

Tire manufacturers usually label their tires with a higher maximum pressure than the car manufacturer recommends. I generally lean toward the tire’s upper limit. You’ll get a little extra efficiency, but you should note you may give up some stability and handling by exceeding the car maker’s recommendations.

Close Your Windows

When I was growing up, I remember a lot of people telling me to open windows instead of using air conditioning because it saved gas. This may have been beneficial with older cars, or low speeds, but anymore it’s just a myth.

In truth, drag is one of the biggest enemies to fuel efficiency. Drag is the force pushing against the forward motion of your car, literally because your car is dragging air. Remember when you were a kid and you stuck your hand out the window? The air would push against it so hard, your hand felt as if it could fall off. When your windows are open, air comes into the car and is captured by your seats and rear window. You’re in essence pulling a huge mass of air with you, and it’s many many times more than your hand grabs when you stick it outside.

The air conditioner may use a little power from the engine, but the drag created by open windows (especially at highway speeds) is a far greater factor.

Throw Away the Junk

This seems simple, and many people write it off as negligible, but the extra weight you carry in your car does cost you in gas mileage. Why would you want to tow something you don’t need? Most people have newspapers, magazines, books, work files, extra shoes, etc. cluttering up their car. Getting rid of these things not only cleans up your car and makes it look nicer, but you’ll save on gas. If you worry every time gas prices go up by a penny, you should worry about every pound of useless weight in your car.

Drive Patiently

Most of our driving habits are anti-fuel efficient. You would be surprised how much gas you can save just by easing up on the gas pedal. Have you ever slammed on the gas when you get a green light, only to slam on the breaks when you get to the next red light? Have you ever had to slam your breaks on the highway, then hurry to get up to speed again? These situations, like many others in everyday driving, can be avoided by anticipating what’s ahead and being patient. You’ll be a safer driver, reduce your road rage, and you’ll save an alarming amount of gas.

Change Your Oil

Any time you can reduce friction, you will improve fuel efficiency (as with your tires above). So, naturally you should go after the thing that’s doing all the work, creating the most friction, and burning fuel–your engine. It’s normal cycle creates a lot of friction, but oil is there to reduce it.

As oil gets older, it is filled with contaminates and breaks down, becoming less viscous (slippery). By changing your oil frequently and using high quality oil, you will improve your gas mileage. Check your fuel usage before and after your next tune-up, and you will see a noticeable difference, especially if you’re driving an older car.

Savings Estimate

Try some of these and you’ll soon see savings at the pump. If we assume the average person drives 15,000 miles per year and gets between 15 and 20 miles per gallon, such a person could realistically save $300 or more per year by watching their driving habits.

The table below is a summary of potential savings. The chart assumes two things: driving 15,000 miles per year and improving fuel efficiency by 10%. With these things in mind, look for your average fuel efficiency on the left and find where this row intersects the column corresponding to the average gas price in your area.

Saturated Market

We have a very saturated market right now, in every city in the US. Many people bought homes they could not afford and are now forced to sell them. This is even more true if they’ve already bought a second place and need to get out from under two mortgages. It’s the old supply-and-demand. While supply is up and demand is down, you (the buyer) get to enjoy a low price.

Low-Ball Offer

When you’ve found a home you’re interested in, you should always low-ball the seller. When I say low-ball, I mean 20, 30, even 40% below asking price! What’s the worst they can say to you, “NO”? If you’re using a realtor, you won’t even be talking to them directly. It will be your realtor hearing yes/no from their realtor. You’ll kick yourself latter if you don’t try.

As the saying goes, “You’ll never know if you don’t ask”. Not every seller can afford to come down on price, but in today’s market, most don’t have a choice. And don’t fall in love with the first home you find. Odds are, there’s one right down the street with the same layout and same quality. If the first seller doesn’t come down, the next will. If you push hard enough, and wait for the right seller, you will be able to get one at least 20% below asking price!

Beware of Realtors

Realtors will be your best and worst friends. No doubt you’ll need them to find homes and shop around. And they’ll be a big help when it comes to paperwork and things first-time buyers aren’t aware of. But remember, they work for themselves, not you.

A realtor only gets paid when he/she closes a deal. They get nothing out of showing you the options or helping you negotiate. In fact, they get paid more if they don’t help the buyer negotiate. Realtors get a percentage of the sale price, so it’s in their favor to close at a high price. Realtors will negotiate though (and they know how to do it) because they’re afraid of losing the sale. You just have to push them to it and make sure they understand you’ll walk if they don’t get you the right price.

Most realtors will tell you you’re doing well if they can get you 3-5 thousand off the asking price. You should laugh at this! It’s your money, not theirs! Tell them if they can’t get 20% off the asking price, you’ll find a realtor that can. Realtors are just as saturated as houses now. You have your choice of both!

Banks Will Compete for You

Banks, just like realtors and sellers, will compete for you. They’re hurting for business also, and need to sell loans. Talk to several banks about getting a loan, don’t just go with the one you’re realtor recommends. Tell bank A what banks B and C are offering, and vise-versa. They want your business and will lower their rates to get it. Also, as you do this, make sure they lay out all the hidden costs and are very clear about each and every closing cost. Banks use this to compete because these costs aren’t always transparent and they’re easy to hide while advertising a low rate.

Think about the Resale

You should start by having your realtor look up “comps”, comparable sales in your area. You can also find these at the public library or online in most cases. Property sales are public record and your county will provide this information to you for free.

When you look at these “comps”, you want to make sure the price you’re willing to pay is well below others in your area. You never want to have the most expensive place, because you will have a hard time reselling it. A good practice is to make sure your purchase price is sufficiently low enough that should you have to sell soon and pay all the realtors fees (typically 6%), you would be able to sell at a competitive price to the rest of the market and still come out ahead. Because of this (and you want a small cushion), try to purchase your home for at least 10% less than you think you could get in a resale.

Be Prepared and Be Patient

Preparation and Patience will be your biggest friends in this journey. Know what you’re getting into. Know that as a seller, you’re in control. There are far too many houses, realtors, and banks out there for you to settle on the first one you come across. You should be happy with each and every aspect, or you shouldn’t buy. You are the customer, and these people should work hard to get your business. Tell them upfront what you expect and they’re more likely to live up to it. It may take a little while longer, but you’ll save a lot of money.

This can be a stressful process for a lot of people, but it shouldn’t be. It should be fun! It’s your money, and there are plenty of options out there! Don’t listen to the hype about buying now before prices go back up, and you won’t be able to find something as nice as this one. It’s just a realtor or bank trying to make their commission. Prices and interest rates will be down for the next 12-18 months, and you’ll be surprised how many houses will fall into your “dream house” category. Be patient and ask lots of questions. You’ll be happier in the end.

The Rule of 72

Enter the rule of 72. Simply divide 72 by your expected average annual interest rate! This gives you a very good estimate of how long it will take to double your money, including the effect of compounding interest. So, for our example above, to double your money given a 10% yearly return, it would take a little more than 7 years. If you could manage a 24% interest rate, it would only take 3 years to double your money! Below is a table summarizing this for several rates.

The Rule of 72 Derived

I’ll explain it in words, as the equations are written below. First look at Equation A. This equation says I want a value (V2) to be equal to another value (V1) times itself plus an interest rate (1 + r). Because I want to compound this over multiple years, and it will always be multiplied by the resultant, this term is raised to the t power to express the number of times (or years) it is compounded.

Next, look at Equation B. This states the second value will be two times the first value (ie. we want our initial value to double).

If we substitute Equation B into Equation A, we get the next line. The V variables then cancel, and we only have to solve for t. This is done by taking the natural logarithm of both sides. The natural logarithm of 2 is approximately 0.693. The natural logarithm of any small number plus one can be approximated as that small number (in this case, r). Because our rates are in percentages, I multiplied numerator and denominator by 100 to get the 69.3.

Now we have an expression showing the time, t, to double our money is about 69.3 divided by our rate, r. Because 69.3 is not easy to use with mental math and approximations, 72 is chosen. We’re merely looking for an estimate, and 72 is a close number that’s easily divisible by many numbers (ie 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36). Thus, the rule of 72!

To Triple or Quadruple your Money

You can use the same method to figure out how to double or quadruple your money. For tripling, divide your rate into 110; for quadrupling, divide your rate into 140. How were these figured? Hint: ln(3) = 1.10, ln(4) = 1.39.

Asset vs. Liability

Let’s start with the basics. When you think of the words asset and liability, what comes to mind? In simplest terms, an asset earns you money, a liability costs you money. Assets are things which generate cash flow for you, while liabilities generate expenses, or negative cash flow. This seems simple (and it is), but many people try to complicate it. Just always remember assets put cash in your pocket, liabilities take cash away.

But everybody has a friend that got rich in real estate, right? Many smart investors make a lot of money in real estate. Lots of real estate can become assets and generate positive cash flow. Don’t get this confused with your house though. Cash generating properties require tenants. This way somebody else is covering the expenses associated with the building, and the building becomes a pass-through for cash. In this instance, real estate is an asset and could make the owner a lot of money. However, with a house, all the expenses are on your shoulders.

The Asset Fallacy

You’ll often hear that houses are assets because property values generally appreciate over time. So what? What does that do for you today? Is that putting cash in your pocket? Appreciation doesn’t do you any good until you sell the property. Most people will live in a house for several years or a lifetime before selling it, so money is rarely created for the owner.

Perhaps you’ll tell me good investors are patient, and we cannot expect to make money over night. There is a lot of truth in this statement. Being patient often pays off in other cases, but the longer you own a house, the more money you’ll spend on it.

Liabilities Created by Your House

You may still say the appreciate over time will out-weigh the purchase price of your house, and this makes it an asset. But look at all the expense you’ll have:

• Mortgage Principal
• Mortgage Interest
• PMI or Private Mortgage Insurance Not applicable to everybody
• Home Owner’s/Liability Insurance
• Maintenance
• HOA Fees Again, N/A to Everybody
• Taxes
• Renovations
• Landscaping and Lawn Care
• Utilities

Even if you are able to save up for a house and pay cash in order to avoid interest payment, look at all the other expenses that add up very quickly. For now, let’s assume everybody reading has financed their house. If you bought a house 15 years ago for $100,000, you may be able to sell it today for $200,000. However, look what it has cost you.

If you financed the whole amount with a 6% APR loan for 30 years, you will have spent $78,968 on interest and $28,951 on the principal of your loan for a total of $107,919. Plus, you still owe $71,049 to pay off the bank. Look at the total when you add all your other monthly expenses:

Considering these estimated expenses (they would likely be higher), even if somebody was to offer you double your purchase price of $100,000, you still would have lost more than $50,000 over the period you lived there! Plus you’ll have to pay the realtor! If you consider the time value of money and inflation, you’re losing even more money because $200,000 today isn’t as much as $200,000 fifteen years ago. (Note: I’ll be discussing time value of money, inflation, and mortgage options in future posts)

So is Home Ownership a Bad Thing?

No, it’s not. There are many more things to consider, everything from tax benefits to the alternatives (rent). Once you own your house (ie mortgage paid off), your expenses will go down drastically, and you’ll never have to worry about paying rent to somebody else. Also, shelter is a necessity. You will either have to rent or purchase. When done right, with the appropriate mortgage, and in a good location, purchasing is the right decision. Just don’t fool yourself that your house is an asset.

• 

  Sir Richard Branson

  Estimated net worth: 8.6 billion USD

  Sir Branson left school when he was only 16. Ironically, his first successful business was publishing a magazine called Student. Today, Branson is known for his brand Virgin, which includes Virgin Records, Virgin Atlantic Airways, and over 300 other companies. Also adding to his grandeur, Sir Branson bought his own 79-acre Caribbean island when he was just 24 and he was knighted in 1999.

• 

  Dean Kamen

  Estimated net worth: Unclear, but thought to be in the billions USD

  Dean Kamen, a prolific and ingenious inventor, dropped out of Worcester Polytechnic Institute before graduating. Although best known for the Segway PT, Kamen holds more than 80 US patents and has created many products such as the AutoSyringe and iBOT robotic wheelchair. When Kamen travels to work, he has to decide which of his two helicopters to take. For longer trips, he pilots his own private jet. He also owns a small island near Connecticut that generates its own electricity from wind.

• 

  Bill Gates

  Estimated net worth: 58 billion USD

  Bill Gates has topped the Forbes list of “The World’s Richest People” continually since 1995. Gates took an interest in programming while attending preparatory school in Seattle. To earn time on early shared computers, Gates and his classmates offered to debug corporate software. When he was 14, Gates earned $20,000 from his first programming venture. After scoring a near-perfect 1590 on his SATs, Gates enrolled at Harvard but left, without a degree, to co-found “Micro-Soft”. Today, one of Gates’ homes in Washington has an annual property tax of about $1 million. In 2006, Gates claimed that he wished he wasn’t the world’s richest man, because he disliked the attention it brought.

• 

  Paul Allen

  Estimated net worth: 18.0 billion USD

  Paul Allen befriended Bill Gates while they were both attending a private school in Seattle. Allen went on to attend Washington State University, but dropped out after two years. He was also the one who convinced Bill Gates to drop out of Harvard in order to start Microsoft. The two co-founded the company in 1975, but Allen has distanced himself from the company since then. In addition to more than 100 million shares of Microsoft, Allen owns 12 professional sports teams, plenty of real estate, and has stakes in dozens of technology and media companies such as Dreamworks Studios.

• 

  Ralph Lauren

  Estimated net worth: 3.6 billion USD

  In high school, Ralph Lauren was known to sell neckties to his fellow students. In his yearbook, he stated that he wanted to be a millionaire. He studied business for two years at Baruch College but never graduated. Nonetheless, he has far surpassed his goal of becoming a millionaire. In 2006, Polo Ralph Lauren had a net income of $300 million.

• 

  Steve Jobs

  Estimated net worth: 5.7 billion USD

  In addition to being the CEO of Apple Inc, Steve Jobs became the largest individual shareholder of the Walt Disney Company after selling Pixar Animation Studios in 2006. In 2007, he was chosen as Fortune Magazine’s most powerful businessman. That’s quite an honor for someone who dropped out of college after just one semester. Although his yearly salary is officially just $1, Jobs has received “executive gifts” including a $46 million jet and nearly 30 million shares of restricted stock. Because capital gains are taxed at a lower rate than salary income, this is also a tax minimization strategy.

• 

  Larry Ellison

  Estimated net worth: 18.4 billion USD

  In 1977, Larry Ellison put up $2,000 to start what would become Oracle Corporation, the world’s second-largest software company. Ellison briefly attended the University of Illinois as well as the University of Chicago, but received a degree from neither. Today he is known for his extravagant lifestyle. He owns a 450 ft, $200 million yacht, exotic cars including a McLaren F1, over a dozen multi-million dollar estates in California, and several jets, which he is licensed to pilot himself.

• 

  Michael Dell

  Estimated net worth: 17.2 billion USD

  Michael Dell started a computer company called PCs Limited while attending the University of Texas at Austin. It became successful enough that Dell dropped out of school to operate it, and the company eventually became Dell, Inc, with revenues of $57.4 billion in 2007. In 2006, Dell and his wife gave a $50 million grant to the University which he attended but never graduated from.

• 

  Kirk Kerkorian

  Estimated net worth: 18.0 billion USD

  Kirk Kerkorian dropped out of school in the 8th grade. His first venture was an airline that flew from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. In 1962, he bought 80 acres of land along the Las Vegas strip for just under $1 million, and he continued making his fortune from buying and developing properties in Las Vegas. Currently, Kerkorian has a large stake in all of the following hotels: Bellagio, Excaliber, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, New York-New York, Circus Circus, The Mirage, and more.

Related: Why college is the perfect time to start a business

Why Take a Pay Cut?

I believe most people live week to week, needing their next check because they do not know how to save. A check comes in, the cash is in hand, and we spend it. As Americans, we learn to spend, spend, spend. It’s the American way to compete with your neighbor and buy things to fulfill a short-term desire. Generally, if we have money sitting around, we’re going to spend it.

This is why I recommend artificially reducing your income. Savings is really nothing more than a safe spot to store or even “hide” money from ourselves and our poor spending habits. The challenge is forcing ourselves to do this every week, especially once we see the cash. So, I found a solution that works for me. Direct Deposit.

Direct Deposit - your Artificial Pay Cut

Yes, I know a lot of people use direct deposit; it’s nothing new. Not everybody with direct deposit saves though. This is because the money generally just goes to a checking account where we have easy access to it, the whole amount. The trick isn’t direct deposit itself, but in automating multiple direct deposits to different accounts.

If you setup your pay (and most employers will do this for free) such that it goes into at least two accounts, it is very easy to force yourself to save. All you have to do is put a fixed percentage into a savings account (at least 10%), then the rest in your checking. Notice I said to fill the savings account first, then put the remainder in your spending/checking account. This is a crucial attitude shift that will drive good savings behavior. I’ll explain more about this in a later post, but the key take-away is to always pay yourself first.

You can make this as simple or complex as you want, but the point is to automate it. Speaking from personal experience, most of us don’t have the self-control to set aside savings each week. But if you set it up once, and let the bank do it automatically, savings just becomes routine. You take on the mindset that only checking is accessible for expenditures, and adjust your spending accordingly.

As an example, I split my direct deposit into four accounts: checking, cash savings, brokerage/investments, and Roth IRA. Let’s start with the Roth. Starting in 2008, the maximum contribution limit is $5,000/yr. In 2007, I put $100 per week into a holding account ($100/wk x 52 wks = $5200 dollars) so that at the beginning of 2008 I would have $5K available for my retirement account. I’m doing the same thing during 2008 for next year’s contribution. The next part of my pay is deposited into savings and brokerage accounts; the brokerage account being more for long-term savings, and the cash account for unexpected expenses, or the occasional gift for a friend. (You could also create a CD or CD ladder). I live off of the remainder, which gets dumped into my checking account.

Where to Start

If your employer or current bank cannot handle multiple direct deposits, I’d suggest setting up an account with an online banker, such as INGdirect.com. You want to make sure the bank is insured by the FDIC, and offers free recurring ACH transfers. ACH stands for Automated Clearing House. It’s one of the networks banks use to transfer money. INGdirect does offer this, and is very good at it. It has the ability to be a central deposit for you. You can have your paycheck deposited to ING, then setup ING to distribute a portion to your checking account on any time interval you want. You can do the same with your savings portion, or you can leave it in ING to grow. Banks like this generally offer very good interest rates also.

After you start doing this, you’ll never notice the savings portion missing. You just come to expect a smaller paycheck each week (essentially you’re paying yourself the remainder after savings). Then, when it’s time to make a big capital purchase, or an unforeseen expense arises, you won’t have to worry about where the money will come from.

INGdirect Referral Program - Get your $25

I do not have any affiliation with INGdirect.com. However, I am a very satisfied customer, and would recommend their service to anybody. Their referral program is very simple. If you would like to setup an account, contact me at eli@twincommas.com. I’ll forward you an email with instructions on how to setup the account. What’s the catch? YOU get $25 and I get $10, but your initial deposit must be at least $250. You can still setup an account with a smaller deposit, but neither of us get the bonus referral cash.