LIVING OFF DIVIDENDS & PASSIVE INCOME

Personal Finance blogger Lazy Man & Money is being sued by a multi-level marketing company called MonaVie that sells a very expensive juice. The crux of the matter is that Lazy Man is highly skeptical of the claims the company makes about the product and the company is trying to shut down his freedom of speech on the basis of a very flimsy trademark infringement case.  Read more... (985 words, 8 images, estimated 3:56 mins reading time)

UCLA Alumni, Andrew Lahde, announced last week that after making an astounding 866% last year, he was closing down his hedge fund and returning all the money back to his investors. While it’s not certain how much money he’s made, it has been speculated that he’s worth around $30 million – pretty good for a guy who just ran a hedge fund for only 2 years!

Unlike other hedge fund managers, he doesn’t want billionaire status. He’s made enough money to afford him a lavish lifestyle and he’s quitting to enjoy it. He made one-sided bets against the sub-prime market and he made a killing. Why ruin his track-record now!

Here’s his farewell letter to his investors – it’s quite entertaining.

Today I write not to gloat. Given the pain that nearly everyone is experiencing, that would be entirely inappropriate. Nor am I writing to make further predictions, as most of my forecasts in previous letters have unfolded or are in the process of unfolding. Instead, I am writing to say goodbye.  Read more... (1365 words, 8 images, estimated 5:28 mins reading time)

I saw a news clip on Fox saying that Al Gore has made $100 million from his scare campaign on Global Warming. But he’s just really a poser – his research center says that his Alabama mansion uses 20 times more energy than the national average!

While I think his global warming campaign is a scam, his movie is a work of fiction, and that carbon credits will not have any effect on reducing pollution, I must tip my hat to Al Gore, the businessman.

Since his election defeat, apart from winning a Nobel Peace prize and an Academy Award, he’s landed numerous $175,000 speaking gigs and his stock in Google and Apple that he received as a board advisor is reportedly worth nearly $35 million. Plus he’s started a carbon credit trading company and his networth is supposedly north of $100 million!  Read more... (174 words, 10 images, estimated 42 secs reading time)

Here’s another vacation from India. I’ve hired a chauffeur to drive me around the city of Ahmedabad (also called Amdavad)  in Gujarat state. Even though people don’t (more like ‘can’t) drive fast because of the insane traffic, its very stressful so having someone else drive is a good idea. I just found out  that my 22 year old chauffeur (who’s called a “driver” in India) is a multi-millionaire.

How did he become a millionaire?

His family owns farming land, where traditionally they’d do sustenance farming and raise milch cattle. With the boom in India’s economy, real estate prices have shot through the roof and many cities are expanding at a furious rate. His family owned land that was in the path of development and become extremely wealthy. He happened to buy some land a few years ago and thats now worth 10 times what he paid for it, making him a millionaire.  Read more... (495 words, 8 images, estimated 1:59 mins reading time)

Here’s an inspiring story I received via email from a friend. Enjoy!

When things in your life seem Almost too much to handle, When 24 Hours a day is not enough, Remember the mayonnaise jar And 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class And had some items in front of him When the class began, wordlessly, He picked up a very large and Empty mayonnaise jar And proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students If the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

He then asked The students again If the jar was full, They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand And poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.  Read more... (459 words, 8 images, estimated 1:50 mins reading time)

Here’s an inspiring story about Prof. Randy Pausch. At 46, Dr Pausch has pancreatic cancer and only a few months left to live. He gave a speech about achieving his childhood dreams.

Why are we all concerned with making money? So that we can get out of the rat race and achieve all the dreams we had as kids.

I believe its not the quantity of life but the quality that matters. Dr Pausch has definitely lived a great life, fulfilling all of his childhood fantasies.

Make sure you achieve yours!

Here’s the full article at WSJ.com