| "Money". What is the definition of money? What is | | | | …so why is it that as you start driving |
| money to YOU? Chances are your thoughts | | | | away having picked up everything you settled for, |
| toward money have a lot to do with how you | | | | you start to wonder how MUCH of a return |
| feel (your emotion) and less to do with what you | | | | harvest did those seeds you entrusted to the |
| believe or know. So many people have an | | | | farmer-manager REALLY reap? |
| irrational emotional attachment to money. Has | | | | How much money DID they make on your |
| anyone ever taught you how to understand it? | | | | money? |
| Why is that? I'm not sure why but so very many | | | | Let's rewind the tape. |
| of us have disempowering beliefs and about and | | | | Remember how when you first came to the |
| an illogical attachment to the concept of money. | | | | farm operation you were so impressed with how |
| A concept which is, after all, completely intangible. | | | | professional it all was with all those pieces of |
| Since many of us do have these irrational | | | | machinery, barns, silos, dozens of laborers and big, |
| tendencies towards money, I'm going to use a | | | | shiny tractors? |
| crazy metaphor to sneak around these limiting | | | | Remember how safe you felt entrusting your |
| beliefs in your mind and introduce you to a way | | | | seed into the hands of the farmer-manager, how |
| of thinking about money and investing you likely | | | | confident you felt that everything would be |
| haven't imagined before. | | | | exactly like you were told it would be and you |
| Let's be radical here. Take a second to set aside | | | | would receive the exact return as promised- do |
| what you were told or have been taught- in short | | | | you remember that feeling? |
| what we think we know- about money and | | | | Now, though, as you're driving away with your |
| investing. | | | | initial seed and your "investment" return proceeds, |
| You're in for an interesting roll in the hay. | | | | you start to see things in a different light. |
| What if you were to think of the bank where | | | | You start to look now through the eyes of |
| you take your money and invest in a Certificate | | | | abundance rather than scarcity. |
| of Deposit (C.D.) as a "consignment farm"? | | | | Not with the eyes of a consumer but as an |
| Imagine the bank as the professional farmer who | | | | investor, you start to examine what just took |
| oversees everything, from the planting and the | | | | place |
| harvesting…to the distribution of produce. | | | | Now, you start to examine what took place |
| Let's say you take your seeds ("money") in to be | | | | through the eyes of an investor rather than just |
| planted in November for the planting and ask the | | | | a consumer. |
| farmer to sow ("invest") your seeds for you. | | | | Now you remember how much land that farmer |
| He tells you to come back in six months when | | | | had and how there was a car pulling away even |
| your seeds have "matured" into harvest, and | | | | as you pulled up- and a car pulling in even as you |
| even tells you UP FRONT how much to expect | | | | were leaving. You start to think that when planted |
| back as produce. | | | | your seeds surely didn't take up but a tiny portion |
| The cost? Nothing. You just can't have any of | | | | of that farmer's fields, the rest of which is used |
| your seed back once it's sown into the ground- | | | | to sow the seeds for many other people. |
| not until the 6 month harvest time is up and the | | | | Then you remember those huge, bursting |
| seed has matured and grown. | | | | warehouses full of produce the farmer has to |
| So, feeling quite good about your "investment" as | | | | load up and take to market every year. |
| you look over the very professional-looking farm- | | | | Wait a minute…what did you miss? |
| with all of its expensive-looking machinery, big | | | | Didn't the farmer sow YOUR seed? Doesn't he |
| shiny equipment and tractors, barns, large silos, | | | | also sow the seed for many, MANY other people? |
| and dozens of laborers- you get in the car and | | | | Why is it that you and the other people who |
| drive away feeling safe enough in trusting that | | | | deposit their seed to be planted with this farmer |
| when you come back in 6 months everything will | | | | leave the harvest with only a trunkful of ears of |
| be exactly as promised. | | | | corn? |
| As you're driving away, you feel pretty darn | | | | And why does the farmer have warehouses |
| good. You feel pretty good about all the hard | | | | literally BURSTING with TONS and TONS of corn? |
| work and effort you DON'T have to do, and all | | | | The simple answer is you were given what you |
| the details you don't have to worry about | | | | agreed you wanted. |
| understanding. | | | | When you handed over your seed it was based |
| It's so simple. | | | | on an agreement that the bank would guarantee |
| You don't have to prepare the land. | | | | you a specific harvest plus your seed back (or |
| You don't have to till the fields. | | | | you could replant the extra again next season). |
| You don't have to time the seasons. | | | | You got what you agreed you wanted when you |
| You don't have to understand crop rotation. | | | | made the deposit. They did nothing |
| You don't have to know how to plant, or harvest, | | | | wrong…so why is it that deep down you |
| or reap or bale. | | | | somehow feel cheated by this operation? |
| You don't need a system to maximize harvest | | | | Interesting. |
| yields. | | | | Let's bring it full circle so you can realize why we |
| You don't have to worry about payroll. | | | | used this "corny" analogy to illustrate a point. |
| You have no need to think of workman's comp. | | | | The point is that because the farmer has all the |
| You have no overhead just giving your seed to | | | | tools, because the farmer has all the land, |
| the farmer. | | | | because the farmer has the working system, |
| You don't even need to worry about selling the | | | | because the farmer has hired hands to harvest |
| harvest. | | | | the crop…because of all these reasons, |
| In short, you don't have to worry about or do a | | | | you felt comfortable trusting him and you like |
| single thing once you enter the consignment | | | | doing business with him because it's easy and you |
| agreement with the farmer-manager and lend | | | | know what to expect. |
| your seed to the operation. | | | | And you thank God that you don't have to do |
| Drop off seed. Pick up harvest in six months. | | | | ALL THAT WORK. |
| You can do that! | | | | But you begin to ask yourself…what if I |
| Fast forward six months. | | | | could find a place to sow myseed that is just as |
| You return to the professional farm in six months | | | | safe and secure as that farm operation, but that |
| when your agreed-upon term is up and the | | | | helpsme harvest a better return? |
| farmer who is in charge of your money… | | | | What if I could invest my money in a place as |
| …gives you back the same number of | | | | safe as a bank certificate of deposit but with a |
| seeds you gave him, and plus he gives you a | | | | much better return on investment? |
| much, much smaller additional amount: the | | | | You can, and one answer is private lending. |
| produce. | | | | Private lending is where an individual loans money |
| You load it up in your car trunk and drive away | | | | to an investment company secured by real |
| with your "produce", the proceeds from your | | | | estate property, about the same thing banks |
| "investment". | | | | already do with YOUR money (loaning on |
| The farmer-manager gave you back your seeds | | | | mortgages and lines of credit) except |
| and he gave you the harvest produce promised- | | | | that…now YOU are in control, and YOU |
| and you had to put in absolutely zero work to | | | | get the higher returns. |
| reap your return harvest… | | | | |