The Problem At Hand

Every American on U.S. soil is abroad, in a sense. That's because the American worker is competing against an engineer in Japan, a computer programmer in India, a factory worker in China, a banker in London and so on. No matter how skilled we may be (and that skill level is arguably sliding), inevitably, many Americans will lose this competition. It's impossible to compete against a person who will work for a miniscule fraction of your wage.

Don't expect the U.S. government to help the situation. With a Republican congress in cahoots, President Bill Clinton (D) gleefully rammed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) through, over the objections of unions, farmers and basically anyone concerned with America's ability to provide economically for its own citizens. As a result of that and many other acts, today's Americans are accustomed to stagnant wage growth, even as report after glowing report of robust economic growth comes in from the media.

If our government is an accomplice in the obsolescence of the American worker, what can we do? Obviously, each person is different but I've decided that the only option is to take responsibility for my own financial future and security. This means learning as much about the financial environment as I possibly can. It means researching the various economic indicators and finding out what they indicate. It means paying attention to what is going on economically, politically and environmentally in this world. And it means leveraging technology and other people's expertise so that I can filter out hype from substance and take calculated risks based on informed decisions.

Is this going to be a pain in the neck? Yes. There are a hundred other things I'd rather do. Most people would rather watch TV than figure out the future of interest rates. But I can't afford to do nothing and let what may come come. And neither can you. Chances are, we aren't going to like what's coming if we aren't proactive.

So begins our quest to build wealth, despite the obstacles, foreign and domestic, in our way. We will use every resource available, every investment vehicle within our reach, every tax cut offered and most importantly, all the advice and knowledge that we share amongst ourselves to accomplish our goal of financial independence. We cannot afford to fail.

The Enlightened American

The Problem At Hand