Can you believe another year has almost come and gone? Where did 2015 go? It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating the arrival of 2014!
Well friends, given that we have reached the final month of another great year, I’d like to share the 10 most popular articles of 2015 with you.
But before I do that, I wanted to say “Thanks!” I started this blog a couple of years ago and the reception it has received has been incredible, to say the least. Financial freedom is a subject that I’m very passionate about and it appears that many others are as well, as evidenced by the very large number of people that have subscribed to the blog and who visit the site from all over the world. Thank you for being a part of the blog’s community!
Now without further delay, here are the 10 most popular articles of 2015, as measured by page visits to each article:
#1. How To Build An $8 Million Bank Account, While Earning Less Than $30,000 A Year At A Job
The story of Ronald Read clearly resonated with readers. I think it’s because he was able to amass a small fortune while never making a large salary. What put this article into context was that so many people make more than Mr. Read did, and yet are still not financially free. The moral of this story is that making money is important, but keeping it is equally important.
#2. 7 Mistakes That Kill The Small Investor’s Odds Of Being Successful In The Stock Market
Probably the number one suggestion I received during 2014 was to write more articles about investing in 2015. I heard you and this year I wrote many more articles about investing than in 2014. It’s no surprise that the individual investor has not fared well when picking stocks compared to had they just put their money into an index fund. There are very distinct reasons why this is the case, and this article uncovered all those reasons.
#3. Can The Experts Really Predict The Stock Market? The Answer May Surprise Some
I’m glad this article made it into the top 5, because it was one that I had wanted to write for some time. Whenever I hear some talking head on TV predict what will happen in the stock market the next day or next week, I cringe. With millions of investors participating in the market each day, all with their own agenda and ideas, how in the world could someone coalesce all those thoughts, emotions and perspectives down into a single binary prediction of what the market will do next? The short answer is, they can’t! This article dispelled the myth the people can accurately predict the stock market.
#4. Are You Seeking Advice That Can Change Your Life Or Just Validation…For Your Bad Idea?
I’ll admit it, this article addressed a pet peeve of mine – people who just want validation for some (most likely) bad idea, but masquerade their intentions as seeking advice. Not being one to shy away from a little controversy, I used Suze Orman’s “Can I Afford It?” show as a prime example of this nonsense. A person that seeks to always “be right” will most likely not “get it right”, as they reject the real truth.
#5. Common Sense Financial Advice That People Tend To Ignore…And Later Regret Ignoring!
One of the great universal mysteries: Why do most people ignore the very common sense financial advice that could make them wealthy? The answer revealed in this article may surprise you. Indeed, one of the most important keys to success is having the discipline to do what you know you should do even when you don’t feel like doing it.
Ryan Broyles is not your typical professional athlete when it comes to managing his money. This article began with a disheartening journey thru the sad stories of so many professional athletes who built sizable wealth only to lose it all with excessive spending and mismanagement. Know this: Financial independence is income blind. You can certainly earn a seven figure income and be flat broke. Don’t be one of the people who earn a good living throughout their careers, only to never be able to retire.
#7. What’s The Most Valuable Asset You Own? I’ll Give You A Hint: It’s Not Your Money!
This article was actually my personal favorite. Wealth-building has always been an inner game where ethics matter. Sure, there are plenty of stories about people building riches and becoming successful while also being immoral. But many of them suffer the indignation of either criminal convictions, failed personal and business relationships and just self-imposed prisons of guilt and shame due to their lack of integrity. No matter what you set out to achieve in this world, your integrity will be your destiny.
#8. Will You Take The Financial Freedom Pledge? The Other Declaration Of Independence
I’ve said it many times, disgust is a powerful motivator to bring about change. Disgust brings about declarations, much like America’s forefathers declaring their independence from Great Britain. And if you want the independence offered by financial freedom, you too have to declare it. In this very article, you’ll find a specifically-worded declaration that you can take today to declare your independence.
#9. The Little White Lie (You Know The One), That Keeps People Stuck In The Middle Class
Whenever I hear someone say “I just want to be comfortable” relating to money, I know that person will most likely never be wealthy. This phrase is the bane of the middle class. People who “just want to be comfortable” have a Goldilocks mentality about what it takes to get rich – they don’t want to do enough work to actually be wealthy but they’ll do just enough work to stay out of the low-income bracket. I have news for them in this article – the middle class has been taken over. So much for wanting to be comfortable.
#10. Will You Take It Personally? A Financial Freedom Manifesto
This article was also a personal favorite of mine, because there’s so much of my raw personal emotions in it. You get the life you settle for; the life that you tolerate. I always say that everyone has dreams of getting rich when their young and then by around age 30 they give up on those dreams and start to be slowly eaten alive by mediocrity. That doesn’t have to be the case. You can take building wealth personally again and to achieve financial freedom, you must take it personally.
Want more?
You are always welcome to browse the full archives and see all of the posts I have written to date. Also, if you haven’t been to the resources section yet, take a look there for even more information about achieving financial freedom.
Want even more?
Consider subscribing to the blog this year and you’ll receive my Finding Freedom newsletter in your inbox every other week for free! Each edition is packed with actionable advice and some of my best articles about achieving financial freedom. Subscribers also receive 5 free ebooks, just for subscribing! Don’ t worry, you can easily unsubscribe if later you decide you no longer want to receive the newsletter. The free ebooks are yours to keep either way. To subscribe, just enter your email address in the space below and click on “Sign Up Now!”
Thanks for reading and thanks for a great 2015!
Be free. Nothing else is worth it.
