Body Language Expert, Motivational Speaker, Influence, Persuasion, Sales Training

New
This Week:
 

Your Questions Answered: Article on Stock Market Misleading? Do Audio Subliminals Work? More!

Can You Motivate Them to Change? Become a Person of Influence

 

Kevin Hogan Body Language Expert, Motivational Speaker, Influence Persuasion, Sales Training

• Releasing the Millionaire Inside: The Science of Affluence

• Appearances and E-Courses

 

Kevin Hogan - Motivational Speaker at your next event?

Featured Articles:

  
   

   Kevin Hogan Body Language Expert and Motivational Speaker

Kevin Hogan, Psy.D.

Store - CDs & DVDs
  Articles/More Info
Selling/Persuasion
Body Language
Millionaire Mind
Psychology/NLP

Success Thinking

Communication
Relationships
Tinnitus
Mind/Body

Hypnosis

About Kevin Hogan
Motivational Speaker
Licensee Programs
The Inner Circle
Appearances/Events
E-Courses
Affiliate Signup
Affiliate Login

Visit the Resource Center for Human Behavior, Body Language, Influence and More!

Influence Boot Camp with Kevin Hogan

New Release!
Influence Boot Camp 2008  Kevin Hogan, Dave Lakhani, Gary May, Ben Mack and special guest speaker
Mark Victor Hansen

WOW! Now on 25 DVD's - get Kevin Hogan's Influence Boot Camp 2008. Professionally recorded and produced for a truly remarkable experience. 
Get Boot Camp 2008

"Thanks for making a change in my life. I never miss our Coffee meeting Monday mornings and it made me resign from my job and start my own venture 4 months ago, making 3 times the amount of money I used to. I also read your book, Covert Persuasion, awesome stuff. Thanks for everything." Johan Grobler, Gauteng, South Africa

Newly published? 

Secret Language of Business - Body Language with Kevin Hogan

Secret Language of Business - Turkey

Covert Persuasion by Kevin Hogan now published in Korea

Covert Persuasion - Korea

Covert Persuasion - Indonesia

Science of Influence

Science of Influence - Turkey

Covert Persuasion

Covert Persuasion - Turkey

"I just bought your book, Covert Persuasion, and having read it, have found it fascinating and couldn't put it down. I have already used some of the techniques with total success and would be interested in any other books you've written! Many thanks for an excellent book I would recommend to anyone!"
William Goldsworthy, Oxford, England

"Kevin, I love your NEW INTERVIEW CDs, they are a potential GOLD MACHINE, so it's up to me to practice and get great results." Jeffrey Carfagna, Pawtucket, Rhode Island

"I recently purchased Covert Hypnosis and absolutely love it. I sell security systems to small business owners. I was calling on a repair shop owner and after giving my presentation I asked for the sale. He said his budget was really tight now but call in 6 months. That's when I remembered what you taught and with only ONE sentence, I had the sale! It blew me away. Thank you, thank you!" Andy Howland,
Grand Rapids, MI 

"I have been following Kevin's programs for 3 years. I have all the Science of Influence, Covert Hypnosis and Body language programs. Although I was very familiar with Kevin's content, I was blown away by the new strategies that I've learned during the Influence Boot Camp 2006. I've learned at least 7 new powerful influence techniques that will at least double my income in 2006. Thank you for the phenomenal hands-on training."
Roberto Monaco, # 1 Peak Performance Strategist for 3 years straight, Las Vegas, NV

psychology of persuasion

Psychology of Persuasion is now available in this mook version in Japan! See sample pages


NEW ARTICLES

    Selling/Persuasion

Harry Houdini & Persuasion:
Influence Starts with Perception

Sexy Influence Cues:
The New Research

How to Be Assertive Without Being a Jerk

Do Powerful People Want Your Opinion, Care What You Think, Use Sex, and Know What Happens When You are Powerless?

Three Newly Discovered Influence Factors That Matter

Controversial
Relationship Marketing Secrets Revealed, Part 1

Unconventional
Relationship Sales and Marketing Strategies to Build Your Income, Part 2

New Mind Blowing Influence Research Revealed (Seesaw Principle)

Who is Kevin Hogan Voting For in 2008 For President?

The Influence of Friends and Those You are Familiar With...On You

Are You a Defector, Freeloader, Punisher or Cooperator

16 Quick Tips in Marketing Your Work

Commercial Influence and Stealth Advertising

Can You Really Run Their Brain? Do You Really Want To?

Full Price Over and Over for You and Your Products?

Burnout: Escaping Living Hell

The Center of Influence: The Missing Ingredient

4 Psychological Devices PROVEN to get Clients and Make Sales: Accessing Their Mind

Disrupting Their Dislike...Channeling Mixed Emotions...Getting to Yes...Now

Life Lessons on the Road

Persuasion, Lap Dancing and the Secret to Women & Economics

Persuasion, Subliminal Persuasion and Propaganda...from the Bible to Evolution

The Great Persuasion, Attraction and Perception Quiz Take it!

Covert Persuasion Tactical Power

The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

Is Dish TV Network Scamming Your Family or Just the Elderly?

7 New Persuasion Principles, Part 1 of 4

Research That Will "Up" Your Sales

How to Raise Your Prices so it CAUSES More Sales

What Color is the Most Persuasive?

Proven Most Effective Techniques in Selling

7 Hot Persuasion Tactics That Really Work!

Persuasion and Permission Granting by Guest Dave Lakhani  

Turning Persuasion Strategies Into Selling Skills

The 51% Guy, by Steve Farber

7 Powerful Frames to Paint Your Selling Picture In

Mastering Metaphors in Their Mind

Is this sales opportunity qualified? by Bill Stinnett

10+ Powerful Strategies that Get Them to Yes!

The Most Powerful Influence Secret I've Ever Released

Sales & Hypnosis Scripts: What Works

Power of Persuasion: The Intensity of Past & Future Regret 

Influence: It's Not How You Ask but...WHEN! 

Explosive Persuasion Secret Revealed

Can't Get an Appointment?

Keeping Their Attention

No to Yes!

Fighting to Buy From You

Tough Customers

Why They Keep Saying, "NO!"

Copywriting: The Final Frontier in Using the "Written Word' to Speak to Your Customer, Part 1

Copywriting: The Final Frontier in Using the "Written Word' to Speak to Your Customer, Part 2

Copywriting: The Final Frontier in Using the "Written Word' to Speak to Your Customer, Part 3

Copywriting: Writing Your Guarantee Statement (Part 4)

Persuading People Who Don't Want to be Persuaded

11 Influential Keys to Persuasion Success

Power of Intentional Suggestion: License to Sin

The Subliminal Face

  Body Language

Body Language:
Follow the People Signs

The Secret Language
of Business

Attractive Women Want...Everything!

How Your OWN Body Language Influences EVERYTHING

Reading Body Language in Life and Death Situations

Body Language 101:
The Science Behind Silent Communication

Reading Body Language: Japanese vs. American

Decoding & Interpreting Body Language

When do People Lie the Most?

4 Ways to Increase Your Charisma Quotient 

Lies: Are We All Masters of Deception?

Non-Verbal Skills

Use Your Body

Hear Your Body Talk?

Women: Dressing to Impress Other Men

Sex, Women and the Truth About What Women Think...About Women

  Psychology/NLP

Why Are We So Resistant to Change?

Your Motivation to Change (Part Two)

Resistance to Change and Finding Motivation, Part 3

Angry Women Lose Big (Oh, And Men Have a Problem, Too)

It's What You Don't Want That Might Matter Most

How to Remember Anything and Accelerate Learning Now (Part 1)

How to Remember Anything and Accelerate Learning, Part 2

Feeling Angry? Do This

Causing Your Own Tipping Point

New Memory Enhancement Technique That Works...Really?!

Mirror Neurons: The Answer to Sales, Advertising & Marketing, Part 1

Rejection: Who'd Have Figured On These Cultural Differences?

Rejection - The Science of Overcoming Your Biggest Barrier (Part 1)

Dealing with the Fear of Rejection (Part 2)

Rejection: Here's How it All Works Out...Or Not (Part 3)

The Rejection Response: Overcoming the Fear of Rejection (Part 4)

Nonconscious Goals Can Put You in a Bad Mood

Criticism: Fixing a Problem of Apocalyptic Proportion

Who Else Wants to Buy a Spokesmodel?

Burned Out

Human Buying Behavior Mirrored in Monkeys

Attraction and Your Net Worth

Scent of Love?

Help For Chronic Depression

Beliefs: Power Beyond Your Scope

Sleep: Key to Memory & Learning

OCD in Kids: Medication or Therapy?

Treating Depression in Kids

Eyewitness Memory Under Stress 

What Color Car is the Safest? 

Brain Patterns the Same While Doing vs. Watching

Physiology Influences Thoughts

Humans & Birds Shop Alike

Who are You? Finding Your Self Part One

Accelerated Learning

The Mind of a Terrorist

Heart of NLP

Advanced NLP

Put It On Their Right

The American Flag, Perceptions of Sexiness, Patriotism and Being Offended

  Success Thinking

The Money Report, Part 1

Developing Self-Control - How to Begin?

Whose Life are You Living Anyway? Getting Control Back in Your Life Now

Getting Paid for What You Love? Here's Exactly How

SOOP: The Big Obstacle of Success

Positive Daily Affirmations for Achievement...You're Going to be Shocked!

Why People Fail

Is "The Secret", Law of Attraction the Cause of Increased Foreclosures?

The Achievement Factors, Part I

The Achievement Factors Part 2: Mastering Criticism

Passion and Identity: The Sixth Achievement Factor (Part 3)

The Seventh Achievement Factor: Reality Based Optimism (Part 4)

Why Your Goal Setting Failed Again This Year

The Science of Getting Rich

Another Year Wasted? Why Your Goals Have Failed

23 Windows on Success: Your Countdown to Fulfillment

The Singular Secret of Your Financial Future (...and Bonus Info for Financial Freedom for Your Kids)

Success in Life...When?

20+ Achievement Tactics

Kevin Hogan's 16 Quick Tips for Success

Being the Best:
Personal Excellence...Can You Really Be All You Can Be?

Bringing Out Your Personal Excellence, Pt. 1

The Science of Goal Getting

Developing the Success Mindset, Part 1

Developing the Success Mindset, Part 2

Can You Be Successful, Part 1

Making Time for What Matters

Calming Chaos:
Time Management Strategies That Work

Making Your First Million
on the Internet:
The 4 Pillars of Online Wealth

Advanced Goal Setting Blueprint

An Insider's View of the Playboy Mansion

An Insider's View of the Playboy Mansion...Part 2

Power of Concentration

The Money Secret, Episode 1

The Money Secret, Episode 2

Why Doesn't Achievement Come Easy?

The Sherlock Holmes of Success

3 Simple Actions to Move You From Where You Are...To Success!

Hidden Motivators to Achieving Your Dreams

Developing Unrelenting Willpower

Protesting Gas Prices, Service Stations, and other Feats of Stupidity by Americans Who are Unable to Add 1 + 1

Success: Pushing the Envelope, Part 1

Success: Pushing the Envelope, Part 2

Time: The Level One System

5 Reasons Why People Have a Fear of Success

Got Life Figured Out?

The Key to Success:
The Ultimate Secret

Getting Rich...The Unexpected Obstacles Understood At Last!

The Real 'Secret'

From Failure to Success with Positive Thinking

Achieving the Impossible...Believe

The Power of Positive Thinking: When Bad Things Happen to Good People

The Secret - The Truth Behind the Lie

The 'Secret': The Truth Behind the Lie of the Century (Part 2)

Understanding the Secret 'Law of Attraction' (Part 3)

The Truth Behind "Positive Thinking"

The Truth Behind Positive Thinking (Part 2)

Believe and You Just Might Achieve- or Not - Depending on the Belief

Getting What You Really Want - The Motivation & Goal Achievement Short Course

Achieving Your Dreams, Part 1

Dream Achievement,
Part 2

Understanding Motivation IS Understanding Persuasion

Success Secrets That Work

A New World of Motivation

8 Goal Setting Power Strategies

Business Culture: Where Management Stops and Leadership Begins by Harlan Goerger

The Power of Changing Perception

Why Life Gives You What You Don't Want

Words Do Matter
by Kevin Eikenberry. 

The Law of Success - Napoleon Hill's Masterpiece The Introduction with Comments from Kevin Hogan

The Goal Setting They Taught You will Fail...Here's Why

The Science of Goal Achievement

How 18 Impoverished Men Changed the World

Why Do Some People Get Rich?

Do You Think There Will Be Time for Love?

Skyrocket Personal Success by Tom Nicoli

Make Magic in Your Mind

Build Lasting Confidence

The Attraction Principle

The Millionaire Mind

Does Status or Money Equal Happiness?

Success Rituals

The Psychology of Wealth Accumulation

Add $5-10,000 to Your Pocket Immediately

Self-Esteem

The Millionaire Mind Checklist

Mind Conditioning

Money Can't Buy

A Little More Money, A Lot More Happiness

The Secret Law of Attraction:
The Next Deception

The Cold Hard Reality of Money: How to Acquire it, Make it Multiply and How to Keep Everyone Else's Fingers Off Yours

The Science of Getting Rich?

Wanna Be Famous? The Star of the Scene? (or you can be something in between)...

  Communication

How to Be a Professional Speaker, Part 1

Mastering the Art of Communication

The Seven Principles of Persuasive Selling Presentations

18 Ways to Handle an Argumentative Communicator

Being a Better Public Speaker

Flubbing the Story - Communication Mistakes We All Make

The Magic of Exceptional Communication
by Al Duncan

How You Can Run Their Brain

How to Read Their Minds

Rewiring Her Brain. How To Do It

Overcoming Hostility

Ineffective Communicators

  Relationships

What do Women...and Men...Really Want...Speed Dating Gives Some Answers

13 Ways to Build Happy, Lasting Relationships (Or Start a Great One)

Stop the Ticking Conflict Bomb

Seduction, Stalking and Love: The Differences & Similarities

Scent of Love?

Can you MAKE someone happy?

Are They the Right Person for You? 3 Questions to Find Out   Katherin Scott

Marriage: Solution to Early Death, Stress & Depression?

Addicted to Love

Can You Always Trust a Woman?

Relationship Coaching

Love Relationships

  Hypnosis/Hypnotherapy

Hypnosis: Weight Loss Solution?

What is Hypnosis Anyway?

Hypnosis Extends Life

Hypnotic Suggestion

Reducing False Memory

Hypnotic Seduction

Losing Weight Just Might Make You Rich!

Women Who Lose Weight, Win!

Covert Hypnosis: Influence Through Story

Pain Relief

Understand the Mind

Therapy Protocols

Miracles of Hypnosis

  Mind/Body

Pain Reduction with Teddy Bears

Healing: What Works

I Feel Your Pain

Mind Body Connection: Getting Well Again 

Mind & Body: Gardens and Your Health

Rejection Really Does Hurt

Eat Less Live Longer

Mind Power

Stress

Depression & Pain

Pain Study

  Tinnitus

Phone Therapy for Treatment? What Works

Tinnitus FAQ

Tinnitus: Repairing Perception Problems

Tinnitus Research

Tinnitus Update

Tinnitus Series

Tinnitus: for the Hypnotherapist

Understanding Tinnitus

Quieting the Noise: One Woman's Story of Coping with Tinnitus

 

contact influence expert Kevin Hogan

KEVIN HOGAN
AUTHOR, SPEAKER, COACH 
Network 3000 Publishing

3432 Denmark Ave. # 108
Eagan, MN  55123 USA

Tel: 612.616.0732
Fax: 651-365-0524

eMail
kevin AT kevinhogan.com
 

 

 

Influence and Selling, Body Language, Achievement
and Wealth Building E-zine 

Coffee with Kevin Hogan.
Free! (Every Monday Morning!) 

No obligation. Subscribe today by typing in your email address below and you will not only receive one of the hottest and most-read e-zines on the planet, but you will also receive a FREE E-book!! Mind Access: Influencing Human Behavior contains numerous secrets that have never been revealed anywhere and never will again. Included: How to isolate your customers' buying profile with only TWO questions. Make EVERY opportunity enticing to them! This underground book is worth far more than the $195 it sold for when it was released! Instructions for access provided immediately upon subscribing. 

Yes! I want the gifts!
Email:
Name:

"Currently I'm stationed in Baghdad, Iraq. I came across your link reading about strategies and tactics of persuasion from a suggested reading on one of our training sites. Just thought I would send a note to tell you I find your approach very interesting and look forward to reading your e-letters. All the best." CPT Nathan Brookshire

"Thank you so much for your weekly shots of "Coffee"! I really appreciate being able to benefit from your wisdom, knowledge, humor and kindness on a regular basis." Sean Cook, The Cotswolds, UK

"I have been receiving your newsletter for a couple of years now as well as several others. Over that time, I have 'weeded out' most. I have purchased some of your products and believe you are the 'real deal'. Your insights and the wisdom you impart have been, are, and will be invaluable. Many thanks." Mark Estlick, Seattle, WA 


Uncovering Your Hidden Threads to Releasing The  Millionaire Inside: The Science of Affluence and a Lifestyle of Integrity and Wealth 
 
October 16, 17, 18

at  the 4-Star Luxor Hotel and Resort
Las Vegas 

Apply: Releasing the Millionaire Inside: The Science of Affluence
 

The question is very simple:

Can you have not only a happy life but also a wealthy life? 

The answer is also quite simple: You can. 

The choice is yours. 

By the way...YOU SHOULD BE THINKING: "Is this real or is this not real." 

ANY TIME someone makes a claim you need to be skeptical.

Stupid = Ignore.

Skeptical (Smart) = Evaluate with a CRITICAL EYE. 

Continue.... 

Do You Deserve a Happy and Wealthy Life? 

I have a simple philosophy about this. If you have busted your butt for the people you love and your self, if you're the person who cares about the people around you...then I believe "yes," but it's your question to answer.... 

Is There Really a Millionaire "Inside" You? 

Good question. Let's get real precise. YOU are a millionaire waiting to happen and the latest scientific research shows that unless you are seriously cognitively impaired or live in a non-free nation, yes, you can make the choice as freely as you choose anything else. 

One of the cool things about the October Event is that you will be exposed to a complete model of how the wealthy THINK, how they FEEL,  and HOW THEY BEHAVE, and HOW THEY ARE MOTIVATED and what their WORLD VIEW, ATTITUDES and BELIEFS are. Whew.... 

I will walk you through all of this step by step on the first half of the day on Thursday. When you take a lunch break you will be thinking as the wealthy do. (It's rather enlightening.) 

What I won't get to on Thursday is VENUE and PROCESS. 

In other words, we won't talk about the market, businesses, jobs, careers, biz opps, pyramid schemes, integrity, value, money, and well....you get the idea....until Friday. 

"How Do I Know That YOU Know the Answer" 

Because I can add. 

Most people who talk about wealth are clueless...and frankly, most have accumulated enough to live two or three years without working. 

I care about your reality. I care about my reality and I live a life where I help people live a comfortable, good life that includes unnecessary things life fun, enjoyment, love, happiness, giving, caring, making a difference, fulfillment and most important MEANING. Your life CAN HAVE MEANING. 

Most people will never release that. 

Like Zig said so often on stage, "Don't die with your music in you." 

"This ain't no dress rehearsal," was John Lennon's predating equivalent.  

Both were saying, do what you love and do it now, because you don't have a clue as to what day or date will be your last. 

Building wealth is more than just "making money." Building wealth is about building a lifestyle of PERSONAL INTEGRITY and MEANING. 

Try living a life with meaning when you spend 8 hours each day in a cubicle. 

The "answer" is frankly quite easy. 

The IMPLEMENTATION on the other hand..... 

"Do I Really Need to Be A "Millionaire?" 

Short answer: Almost certainly. 

What anyone needs, is to be able to live a comfortable and reduced stress life from now until they have finished their time on this planet.  

If you are young, 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's then this is indeed a *need* question. 

If you are older, say in your 60's or 70's, then, because of longevity factors, the fact that Social Security will still be paid until 2023 (15 years from now) then you may be able to live on $750,000. 

In generally, conceptually, the answer is "yes." 

If you are going to retire when you are 65, are fine living on $50,000 per year, and plan to live 20 years, then of course, yes, you need to have $1,000,000 accessible to you in addition to a home. (And that is the definition of a millionaire, someone who has assets that are $1,000,000 greater than their debts.) If it costs you more than $50,000 per year to live comfortably, then you'll need more. If it costs you less than a $1,000,000 per year then you won't need quite that much. 

In fact, if you are a man, your chances of living to 85 are not as great as those of a woman who needs that magic number far more than a man.  

But even men are eclipsing 85 a good percentage of the time nowadays.  

I'm a skeptic, but I have to plan that I'll make 85 and maybe top that. 

The other factor worth thinking about is that for almost everyone under the age of 50, today in 2008, their own personal income and savings is all they will have to support them when they retire or are unable to work. 

Finally, having wealth when you are younger makes life more pleasant. 

I want to be able to travel and have a comfortable life where I'm in charge of what I do and I want that from today forward. 

If something goes wrong in life then there is a way for you to ride out the storm.  

People who live in nursing homes spend $50,000-$100,000 annually for that little cubicle of a room.  

In cases like this money runs out quickly. For me it's just a math problem and nothing magical.  

In fact, in various scenario's that I've modeled the younger you are today, the more money you'll need, forget want. 

If you are 60 and male you will be able to retire at 65 if you have that million dollars. Otherwise you'll have to work forever....and that by the way is GREAT, IF YOU ARE WORKING FOR YOUR SELF or doing something you truly love and enjoy doing. 

"I Think I Could Live on a Lot Less" 

Good luck. 

People who believe that should stop reading because there are really two kinds of people in the world. People who believe in The Secret and that all you have to do is wish things into existence (and how is that working for you by the way) 

...and there are intelligent people who can do 5th grade math. 

I will simply tell you that you are, respectfully, in grave error. 

"But Do I want to Spend My Life Chasing Money?" 

If you do, you are an idiot. 

Life is not about chasing money....ever. 

Life is about living a life that is rich with meaning where you can make a difference in the lives of others whether subtle or significant in impact. 

If you are chasing money, you aren't living....and yes, most people cubicle-ize so they can chase money....and NO, this is not how people should be living. 

Nothing we talk about in October will be remotely about chasing money. 

"Do I Have What It Takes?" 

If you can read, think, and write a check, care about the people around you, and indeed, care about yourself, and most importantly the desire to apply things you learn to make your life EASIER and BETTER, then yes indeed. 

"Aren't Millionaires Just As Susceptible to Economic Problems?" 

Yes, their house went down in value. Yes, their stock portfolio is not much different than it was in 1998. But as a whole, the group is positioned better to survive the hurricane that is coming soon to the lives of those around them. 

"It seems like a dream..." 

Most people...it will stay that way because people are "in the moment," status quo, take care of it tomorrow, start the diet in the morning, start walking tomorrow, quit the job tomorrow, do what I love tomorrow.......people. 

And one of the things we address in October is the concept of THREADS...the little things that people can do that can help generate momentum for living a great life. 

We are all who we are and where we are, in large part, because of our habits.  Generally those habits haven't helped much. 

In October, you learn which threads, which tiny pieces of life need to change to generate the energy to cause action that matters.  

I Could Have Been Wrong.... 

About four years ago I started helping friends begin accelerating
their wealth accumulation strategies by flat out answering their questions when they asked where they should take their savings and put it. The answer is almost the same now as it was then.  

These aren't strategies that would make them millionaires (probably, I guess they could). The goal was only to help them start accumulating wealth faster with their current investments. 

Unfortunately, there's more than just one little thing to do when you're talking about growing life lasting wealth. 

There's, like...well....a LOT of stuff that has to happen.

STOP. 

**IF ANYONE ever tells you growing wealth is E-Z or implies it, grab your jacket and keys and leave.** 

Continue.... 

I've been helping a lot of people close to me with passive wealth building strategies, like investing in specific things. 

...and that...always leads to this conversation.... 

Should You Be Putting Money in the Stock Market to Build Wealth? 

Over the years, every now and then, people would write me when I'd write about rational investing in Coffee with Kevin Hogan. Scowl, grumble, grrr.

 And please don't confuse with putting money in 401 K's and retirement and so forth as a way to accumulate significant wealth. 

It's potentially a way to accumulate...a little nest egg in case of emergencies. 

STOP:

Write a list of all the people you know who are living off of and will continue to live off of money they have saved in 401 K's and IRA's. 

 It took me 10 seconds. There are none. The plans are good ideas and they are helpful in stashing short- term needs but accumulate wealth for living?  

How's that working for you?  

Seriously.... 

For some, they have their clients in broad spectrum funds that invest in a wide variety of stocks to "reduce risk." What a lot of hoo-ha. (Hoo-ha is Minnesota for BULLSH...but we are nice people up here...)

Their return over the last few years? Marginal, if any. 

Our return? Double and tripling of money. But that will change too...it's TOO good to last in my mind. 

In fact STOP. 

Reality Check: Let results and before-the fact suggestions speak for itself. I've kept myself out of the investing advice business in large part because it is a function of probability, and also, because it is misleading to cause people to believe that they will retire on their companies 401 K, IRA and pension plans. 

Can it happen? Sure.  

The answer to the question? No. 

So I hesitate to talk about this stuff because retirement plans should only be a tiny part of someone's personal wealth accumulation program. 

Go back through old issues of Coffee with Kevin Hogan for the last four years to see what suggestions my family and friends have asked me for. Compare those Monday morning transparent suggestions with just about anyone's diversified portfolio of stocks, bonds and mutual funds. 

Simply grab THEIR PORTFOLIO of wealth and stocks and bonds and investments and expenses and income and compare. I've ALWAYS been wide open to transparency...in ADVANCE.  (I've already put it all out there in Coffee....!) 

I've met a LOT of very smart and super honest high integrity people in the investment biz. I've also met some very wealthy one's.  

Here's where a problem can happen.... 

Not all of the wealthy one's got that way because of their personal investments and I wouldn't expect ANYONE to become wealthy because of their personal investments in the stock market, but sometimes you and I get a sense that our future is in the market...and that is scary thinking. 

You might want to consider that a license given by the government to advise is one thing and a person's actual results on the job...another. 

Just because someone has a pilot's license doesn't mean I wan them on the flight deck when I head out to Vegas. 

I'm really big on RESULTS.  

Something to ponder....seriously....all pilot's are NOT the same.... Neither are all doctors, or....anyone. ...and all people who have a piece of paper that says they know what they are doing in investing, are different too.  

Why the bit of prodding here? 

Because for MOST people,  it's their entire LIFE at stake. Remember, I told you to be skeptical. Ask to see performance records of the people who are advising you. Read their Ezine's or newsletters.  

I am *not* an advisor. I refuse to tell you what to do with your money (aside from think and be skeptical).  

I'm a closet nerdy scientist. 

A lot of people pull out "risk assessments" like they are scientific tools. 

They aren't. They are utterly meaningless. They are there to let you "feel better" when you invest, so you aren't investing in a way that makes you "feel" uncomfortable. i.e. destined for failure. 

Your "risk tolerance" needs to become a non-feeling issue.  Because of the fact that it's people's entire life savings at stake, they dread the idea that their clients will lose money. 

(THANK GOD!) 

But the fact is that risk is incorrectly assessed by financial planners. They are trying to measure your feelings when your feelings don't have diddle to do with your wealth. 

Just because you feel gold is risky, doesn't mean it isn't the highest probability simple investment to make. It can "feel" scary and gold can be categorized as something that is risky by the company that makes the cute little risk tolerance

National Enquirer questionnaire..... 

....but my feelings and my score on the National Enquirer Questionairre for risk "tolerance" don't mean a thing. 

Just because your planner uses it, doesn't mean that SHE is a bad person. It does mean she doesn't UNDERSTAND her business which is to secure your future to the best she can with what you have.... 

She is not a therapist. Her job isn't to make you feel better. If you are paying a planner to be a therapist....it's time to rethink that. 

If you are a planner reading this, throw away the bogus questionnaire. Has it EVER dawned on you that it is essentially an almost evil tool? 

You KNOW that the PE ratio of the market is 12 and your client SHOULD be in stocks or that it is 26 and your client shouldn't have a PENNY in stocks and your client doesn't know a PE ratio from a dividend. 

Your job is to help your client preserve and make money. PERIOD.  

And there's other stuff that planners may or may not take into consideration. 

The biggest risk factor is the one that most people under 50 will experience.

They will end up at retirement age, not working, have nothing, have no social security, and enough money to live on for 3-5 years. 

THAT is the problem that YOU must solve as an individual and if you are

entrusted with your clients money you better not give a rip what his risk tolerance is, you better be investing highest probability of high return with lowest risk of negative return within the context of the person's total net worth. 

Take this home with you today..... 

There is a very kind elderly lady in the car in front of you. She is  driving 35 MPH in a 55 MPH lane on the highway and she and YOU could end up dead because she thinks it's too risky to drive fast. 

The lady, honestly and with good intentions, has miscalculated risk. 

You and I totally get that the elderly lady is trying to be "safe," but she doesn't have the knowledge of analysis, statistics and calculus to be able to calculate that her decision making process is potentially devastating. 

We will talk about "risk" and what it is in the scientific sense when it comes to money and you. Because there is nothing to buy or sell, there is no personal bias. It's math. And people need to get math (and it isn't that hard to get this kind of math). 

Want a QUICK foretaste of life-risk assessment?

If so read this section, if not, scroll to the next section.... 

QUESTION ONE: If you became disabled tomorrow you'd have enough money to live on for the rest of your life, yes? 

No? Then you are at HIGH RISK. 

You and your family or those that rely on you are at very high risk. 

Make sense? 

You are (on average!) SEVEN times more likely to become disabled than die this year. 

QUESTION TWO: Your 401 K/IRA/whatever it's total value is enough to live on when you retire, yes? 

No? Then you are at VERY high risk. 

Those that depend on you are at SEVERELY high risk. 

Why the difference? 

Because most people are better prepared NOW for retirement than they will be in 10, 20, 30, or 40 years. 

Sound counterintuitive? 

We'll talk in October about this, but here's a sliver of it.... 

When you choose to retire or are no longer able to work, will you have enough money to live the way you want to live for the rest of your life? 

Most people's 401 K and retirement plans are destined for maybe 100,000 or 200,000 at retirement in today's dollars. (2-4 years of life.) 

If you are currently over 70, you will probably have social security until you die. If you are under 60, it will likely be phased out completely before your death. If you are under 50 you need to be thinking HARD about what your plans will be. 

The problem with little risk is when contrasting it with investment size. People should take SOME percentage of their net worth and put "it" at "risk."  

Actually money doesn't "work" "for you" and anyone who tells you it does really doesn't get money. Another crucial distinction for October when we meet. 

There is little logic and huge real life risk, in 2008 of putting your SMALL percentage into the Dow....but there ARE logical investments that will hedge your real life income and other wealth building strats. 

In other words, if you or the world screw up (and I generally like the odds of at least one of these things happening) you SHOULD have SOMETHING going on that will go up in value when your world, or THE world goes down. 

That is common sense. 

If someone has $100 and they are trying to build a retirement portfolio, it's not going to grow on "little risk." 

In fact...it won't grown on great risk either but you see the point. 

Do I want you to take high risk?

Put it all on number 27 at the roulette wheel? 

HA! No way.  

I'm one of the lowest risk people on the planet...here's why... 

I've always been EXTREMELY risk averse and have had to challenge myself to even rarely break out of that thinking. 

When you grow up like I did, 7 people, 440 square foot house....you are conditioned to survive on very, very little. 

And we did. 

Breaking out of that survival mode was extremely hard. 

Don't get me wrong, survival is a VERY GOOD THING. 

But moving from barely surviving and missing the orphanage by weeks or days on more than one occasion....I can share with you that my little reptile brain is EXTREMELY RISK AVERSE. 

As you will see, I hate it when people do stupid stuff.  

Putting your money in the stock market, whether the DOW or gold or ANYTHING is NOT THE ANSWER for growing  predictable long-term wealth. 

And if I was down to my last thousand or ten thousand dollars, not a penny of it would be in "the market." 

What would the point be?   

So, my answer to "risk," is not about deviating from the median, it's about having the vast majority of your wealth SAFELY stashed...and the market is anything but "safe." 

REALITY CHECK: How are all your "safe investments" doing? 

Specifically, how much money have you made this decade?  

Yup, same as everyone else. End of that story. 

....There is never a reason to do stupid stuff in the markets. 

We'll talk about this stuff as it fits in later. 

Almost everything I do in life, whether investing, biz building, or whatever, is going to go right past the brain of the average person on the street,  because it is so counterintuitive and against conventional wisdom.  

I totally understood this.

I've never done things in a "normal" way. Normal and average are pretty close in definition and when you look at how the average ANYONE does at ANYTHING it is not something I want to ever be infected with.