Compare your Fear Factors choices to the rest of America

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Financial Pumpkin With more than 500 responses in so far to The Bank On Yourself Fear Factors Challenge, you may be interested in knowing how your choices compare to the rest of America.

Here is how the responses to each of our 10 survey questions have broken down.  The percentages reveal which option our survey-takers find more scary!

You’ll see that snakes, blood, public nudity, eating fire-hot peppers, and even close proximity to a psychotic killer caused far fewer trembles than did the terrifying prospect of winding up in a serious financial jam.

Here’s what Americans find most scary…

1. Which of the following is more frightful to you?

  • 22.2% – Death
  • 78% – Outliving Your Money

Question 1

2. Which of the following is more frightful to you?

  • 28.6% – Having all of your investment decisions — good and bad — published in your local newspaper
  • 71.4% – Walking naked down a fashion runway while being photographed

Question 2

3. Which of the following is more frightful to you?

  • 17.5% – Having to remain awake for 48 uninterrupted hours
  • 82.5% – Having to memorize all the fine print on your 401(k) plan in no more than 48 hours

Question 3

4. Which of the following is more frightful to you?

  • 64.3% – Watching your stock portfolio lose 40% of its value in only a few weeks
  • 36.4% – Ingesting 40 habanero peppers within 24 hours

Question 4

The ultimate financial security blanket

Did you know that the Bank On Yourself wealth-building method has NEVER had a losing year? Used by Walt Disney and J.C. Penney, it has stood the test of time for more than 160 years.

To find out how you can grow your nest-egg safely and predictably, even when stocks real estate and other investments tumble… and how much money you could have – GUARANTEED – on the day you plan to retire, request your FREE no-obligation Analysis and Recommendations now.

5. Which of the following is more frightful to you?

  • 58.8% – Sitting for 30 minutes in a tub of live snakes
  • 41.7% – Explaining to your family or other loved ones that you’ve lost your home to foreclosure

Question 5

6. Which of the following is more frightful to you?

  • 49.2% – Having to pick the one mutual fund (among hundreds) that will outperform all others during the year
  • 52.1% – Bobbing for a 10 oz gold bar in a vat containing 50 gallons of cow’s blood

Question 6

7. Which of the following is more frightful to you?

  • 9.4% – Going on twelve once-a-month blind dates with a randomly selected bachelor or bachelorette
  • 91% – Entrusting your retirement portfolio to an anonymous fund administrator, who may or may not have any special education or training

Question 7

Editors Note: Although 9 out of 10 Americans fear entrusting their retirement to an incompetent administrator, millions of Americans may unknowingly be doing exactly that right now! Read our shocking exposé and learn the facts!

8. Which of the following is more frightful to you?

  • 64% – Having my personal tax returns audited by the IRS
  • 37.3% -Walking around for a week wearing pants with pockets overflowing with live worms

Question 8

9. Which of the following is more frightful to you?

  • 31.7% – Be strapped atop a vintage stunt plane while it performs a typical aerobatics routine
  • 70.% – Be tied to the Social Security program as your sole source of retirement income

Question 9

10. Which of the following is more frightful to you?

  • 66.1% – Losing my job and having to live only off of my current savings for a year
  • 34.6% -Renting an extended-stay room in the Bates Motel and sharing a shower with Anthony Perkins

Question 10

Were you surprised by any of your responses?

These results are a sad commentary on the financial condition and current state of mind of so many of our family members, friends, neighbors and colleagues.

The definition of insanity is doing the same things in the same way and hoping for different results.  So, if you’re ready to find a better way to save and invest for your financial future that gives you peace of mind and lifetime financial security, check out the Bank On Yourself method.
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To find out how much brighter your financial picture could be if you added Bank On Yourself to your financial plan, request your free, no-obligation Analysis now, while it’s fresh on your mind!

Bank On Yourself Money Alert!

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Teleconference replay reveals the steps you must take immediately to protect yourself from Wall Street’s bloodbath

I just held an urgent Teleconference on what you should do right now to protect your family’s financial security.

A number of people told us they weren’t able to attend and asked if it was recorded so they – and the people they care about – could still listen to it.

You can listen to a replay of it below, or you can download the recording as an MP3 and listen to it on your own player or iPod now at:



I urge you to shut the door and put out a “do not disturb” sign while you listen to this critically important information which includes answers to timely questions such as:

  • Should you stay in the market despite the turbulence and wait for the market to rebound?
  • Is now the time to shift into gold?
  • Where else can you find shelter from the storm?
  • What can we do to encourage Washington to get its act together?

Find out what you need to do right now to protect your hard-earned savings and take back control of your financial future here:


Are you ready to do something different?

And if you’re ready to find out how the Bank On Yourself method can give you the financial security and predictability you want and deserve, take the first step right now by requesting a free Bank On Yourself Analysis.

You’ll also get a referral to one of only 200 advisors in the country who have met the rigorous requirements to be a Bank On Yourself Professional, who can answer your questions and show you how much your financial picture could improve when you add Bank On Yourself to your financial plan.

Nobody is going to twist your arm, and you won’t even be asked to buy anything at your first meeting with your Professional.

But at least you’ll know whether Bank On Yourself makes sense for you and your family.  So please request your free Analysis today.

 

How Everyone Can Love Paying Bills and Taxes: No, We’re Not Crazy!

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A core tenet of the Bank on Yourself Nation is that money should always bring pleasure or satisfaction, never regret or guilt.

overwhelmed by bills

For so many people, that principle seems unrealistic, especially considering how very hard it is most months just to stay afloat – paying for necessities such as groceries, medicines, utilities, transportation, insurance and the like.  Oh yes, let’s not forget the always hungry tax monster!

overwhelmed by bills

Seems to so many of us that our paychecks are swallowed whole by our obligations before we ever get the chance to even sample the flavor of having some accumulated cash in our pockets and bank accounts.

To which we can only respond… how wonderful!

Wonderful? Really? Paying Bills! And Taxes?”

Absolutely.
[Read more…] “How Everyone Can Love Paying Bills and Taxes: No, We’re Not Crazy!”

Top 16 Investing and Savings Myths

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All the statements listed below are common financial myths.  Accepting any of them as fact could lead to costly financial missteps…

See how many of these common beliefs you already recognize as flawed and which ones you have yet to unmask.

Unmasked Myths

As you may discover, what we’ve been taught by mainstream money experts and well-intentioned friends and family isn’t always accurate.

The Myths:

  1. Over time, the stock market has consistently proven the best and most reliable investment vehicle for the vast majority of Americans
  2. Investors need to accept risk and volatility in order to generate meaningful profits
  3. Home ownership and appreciation is a reliable vehicle for protecting and growing your wealth
  4. 401(k)s make effective investment vehicles, if only because your employer matches your own contributions
  5. Your 401(k) plan administrator must be a licensed, professionally trained and carefully screened financial expert
  6. The fees you pay for your IRA, 401(k) and other retirement funds have only a trivial impact on your ultimate returns
  7. You will not require as much income when you retire as you need now, especially since you’ll qualify for a lower tax bracket
  8. It is never possible to know with any certainty the value of your retirement account at intervals down the road, because market fluctuations are unpredictable
  9. Wise retirement planners recommend you aim to make your retirement income last to age of the average American life expectancy, currently 77.9 years
  10. Always defer taxes as far into the future as possible, especially when you wish to accumulate a larger retirement nest egg
  11. People of modest income can’t possibly set aside $1 million or more for their retirement
  12. Before you can begin saving for the future, first you have to dig your way out of debt
  13. Paying cash is the ideal method of purchasing big-ticket items, such as cars and vacations
  14. Effective savings and investing strategies are too complex for amateurs.  Only professionally trained money managers consistently succeed
  15. If you follow the advice of mainstream financial experts and don’t stray, your nest egg will be safe and grow large over time
  16. To receive quality, personalized attention from highly trained financial advisors, you have to already be wealthy, or close to it

Retiring Boomers’ Savings Fall Far Short

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“The 401k generation is beginning to retire, and it isn’t a pretty sight.”

That’s the conclusion of a recent Wall Street Journal study.1 But the most shocking revelation is just how big the gap is between how much retirement income people will need to maintain their standard of living… and how much they’ve actually saved:

Many have less than one-quarter of what they’ll need

And how are they dealing with this challenge?

Facing shortfalls, many are postponing retirement, moving to cheaper housing, buying less-expensive food, cutting back on travel, taking bigger risks with their investments and making other sacrifices they never imagined.” 1

Sad Baby Boomer

Like Carol Dailey, who is continuing to work at age 71 because her 401(k) took a hit in the 2008 market crash.  She also cut back spending for entertainment and food, and is substituting boxed wine for the ones she used to enjoy from her favorite vineyards.

Sad Baby Boomer

Her financial advisor is planning to help her be able to retire by shifting her assets into riskier investments that can “return 10% a year.”

Hmmm… I wonder if that’s the same financial advisor who advised her on where to invest her money prior to the 2008 market plunge?

If people could take more risk, and do it successfully, why haven’t they been doing that all along?

Isn’t that the classic definition of insanity?

How much more evidence do we need to know that 401(k)’s and “doing all the right things we were told to do financially” aren’t working?

[Read more…] “Retiring Boomers’ Savings Fall Far Short”

Sure-Fire Results: How Old Sensibilities Are Proving a Potent Balm for Modern Personal Finance Ailments

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The ’10/10/10′ Formula of Savings Rescues Many Overstretched Family Budgets

Executive Summary: Most modern Americans overspend, assume too much debt, and fail to invest wisely for retirement.  Tim Austin, a leading proponent of ‘old-fashioned’ spending and savings strategies, recommends a time-tested 10/10/10 financial formula: saving 10% of gross income for the near-term; 10% for the mid-term; and setting aside 10% for the long-term.  Austin’s favorite savings tool is specially-designed dividend-paying whole life insurance policies such as those structured by Bank On Yourself’s specially trained and Professionals.

Love_and_death.jpg‎ (233 × 358 pixels, file size: 34 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)

By Pamela Yellen and Dean Rotbart

Even back in 1975, the year comedian Woody Allen wrote, directed and starred in the movie Love and Death, the perception of whole life insurance as a savings instrument designed for fuddy-duddies and masochists was already commonplace.

There are some things worse than death”

…deadpans the film’s protagonist, Boris Grushenko, played by Allen…

If you’ve ever spent an evening with an insurance salesman, I’m sure you know what I mean”

[Read more…] “Sure-Fire Results: How Old Sensibilities Are Proving a Potent Balm for Modern Personal Finance Ailments”

Bank On Yourself: A financial plan you can count on

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Oh what a roller-coaster year this has been!  Our entire financial system and economy almost fell off a cliff.

Bailout

And while there are some hopeful signs of new life in the economy, this year has also brought us:

  • Massive bailouts
  • A tripling of an already-bloated federal deficit
  • A falling dollar
  • Rising foreclosures (and likely to spike as billions of dollars in ARM’s are now coming up for adjustment)
  • Major banks and investment houses taking on three times (!) the risk they were before the collapse
Bailout

So what do you think next year has in store for us?

No one really knows for sure.  (Well, except maybe the folks at the Psychic Hotline.)  So how do you prepare for a very uncertain future?

Here’s a quick quiz that may reveal an answer for you…

What’s the one financial asset that increased in value during the market crash of 2008?  And in 1929?  And in every period of economic boom and bust in between?

Answer:  The product used for Bank On Yourself:  Cash-value life insurance.

As I’ve mentioned, my husband Larry and I now have 18 Bank On Yourself policies.  I’ve picked one of them to show you how a dividend-paying whole life policy like this can grow over time – even when the markets are plummeting.  It’s a great example of how Bank On Yourself gives you the peace of mind that lets you sleep at night.

Here’s how much this plan has grown each year since the beginning of 2000, a period that includes not one, but TWO devastating market crashes.  In four of these years, the S&P 500 was down for the year, as you can see in this side-by-side comparison:

chart
chart

If you had put $10,000 into an S&P 500 Index fund at the beginning of 2000, how much do you think it would be worth today?

Take a guess before you read on.

[Read more…] “Bank On Yourself: A financial plan you can count on”

Bank On Yourself receives endorsements from top experts in personal finance

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My New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Business Week best-selling book, Bank On Yourself, has been receiving some five-star endorsements from top experts in personal finance.

Check out what T. Harv Eker, #1 New York Times best-selling author of “The Millionaire Mind,” said:

t-harv-eker

If you’re looking for more of the same conventional financial advice, this isn’t the book for you. But if you’re prepared to take back control of your financial life once and for all, Bank on Yourself is a ground-breaking method that can put you on the fast track to reaching your goals and dreams.”

t-harv-eker

As Harv noted, Bank On Yourself really isn’t the same old financial advice people have been getting everywhere else. And that’s a good thing, don’t you think?

Because look where that’s gotten us – we’re deep in the midst of the greatest destruction of household wealth in history, with no quick fix in sight.

[Read more…] “Bank On Yourself receives endorsements from top experts in personal finance”

The Ultimate Financial Security Blanket in Both Good Times and Bad

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In my book on Bank On Yourself, you’ll meet Bill Liebler, one of the many folks who shared their experiences with Bank On Yourself.  Bill gave me this update last week:

bill-liebler-and-his-new-car

As we’ve watched our IRA, 401(k), and stock portfolio dwindle, we are relieved we have a chunk of our net worth in our Bank On Yourself plan. It creates a place where our money is safe, the value didn’t drop, and in fact, has continued to increase every year. We really have been able to achieve peace of mind with this approach, and I strongly encourage everyone to look into it.”

bill-liebler-and-his-new-car

I’m getting letters and emails echoing what Bill said every day, which is why I became convinced Americans have been brainwashed into believing they must accept risk, volatility and unpredictability to grow a sizable nest-egg.

The ultimate financial security blanket in both good times and bad

Did you know that the Bank On Yourself wealth-building method has NEVER had a losing year? Used by Walt Disney and J.C. Penney, it has stood the test of time for more than 160 years.

To find out how you can grow your nest-egg safely and predictably, even when stocks real estate and other investments tumble… and how much money you could have – GUARANTEED – on the day you plan to retire, request your FREE no-obligation Analysis and Recommendations now.
Request Your Analysis Button

Wall Street fails those planning to retire next year…

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Have you noticed that every day it seems we get a new reminder of just how badly Wall Street has failed us?  One of the latest reminders is simply astonishing.

Do you know what a “Target Fund” is?  This increasingly popular choice for 401(k) plans is a mutual fund billed as a one-stop solution for investors saving for retirement.  You put your money in a single fund linked to the year in which you plan to retire, and the fund company does the rest.

The idea is that the company invests your nest-egg more conservatively every year, so that when you’re ready to retire, your money will be there for you.

So how well do you think that strategy worked last year, for investors who pinned their hopes on retiring next year? [Read more…] “Wall Street fails those planning to retire next year…”