“For richer or poorer, till death do us part.” Most of us, when we say these words we don’t quite realize that the latter of the two is where we will spend the majority of our lives. We have high ambitions starting out in life, but somehow, over the years it just seems to fade as each month we struggle to get ahead. Save a little, then you blow a tire. You get a tax return and your car breaks down completely. We still ask ourselves the eternal question, why do the rich get richer and the poor get poorer? I don’t believe in luck, there has to be another answer. Does all of this seem to echo the thoughts you’ve had for decades? Now, I don’t promise a solution, just an idea. So, sit back and take a breather; maybe I’ll give you a new perspective on things.

How many of us were told as kids to go to a good school, get good grades, and if your lucky you’ll get a good job? How many of us took out thousands of dollars in student loans, worked our butts off to be average in school, and are still waiting for our ship to come in bearing that “good job” we’ve been waiting for? How many of us pay the majority of our income out for taxes. Did you know that the average American spends half of their income working simply to pay taxes? With that kind of deal, is it any wonder that credit card debt goes up as our income seems to drain with the flush of the toilet? Can we really call that good?

The real problem, is that the general public is never taught how money works. For most of us, this is the most boring topic we’ve ever tried to suffer through…or the most boring subject we’ve ever thought about trying to suffer through. Somehow, we know it’s important to pay attention, and yet most of us don’t. This is the reason we have taxes to begin with. When taxes were first introduced in America, it was seen as a way to even things up. The poor would pay just a little and the rich would pay a lot. How is it that the poor and middle class are now the ones that pay the majority of what they make? Because, as a general rule of thumb, the rich teach themselves about how money works. Once you are educated you find ways to legally get ahead. The rich teach themselves the difference between assets and liabilities. Most of the rest of us “average Americans” still think that our biggest asset is our home. We spend most of our money on eating out, the cable bill, the phone bill, and all the other amenities we are used to. We think these are assets but the truth is, you can’t consider something an asset unless it provides a way to make money.