Being born in the United States immediately vaults you into the top 5% in the world (roughly speaking from a “luck” point of view). You don’t need to do anything special and you get to start well ahead of everyone else on planet earth. Sure there are exceptions such as rich families abroad, but we’re talking about a general rule of thumb. Also. You’re born in the platinum age for making money which means there is absolutely no excuse for failure.
1) No Talent? Clear 6-figures: We’ve already done a post on making 6-figures if someone is as talent-less person. Having no talent means that the only skill is “working hard”. Individuals can easily make this by going into the looks industry or any sales role for medium value products. Seriously. People think we’re trolling or clowning on people but we’re not. We have verifiable proof that you don’t have to have any skill to make 6-figures. You don’t need to be a good athlete to become a personal trainer for example. All you have to do is get in shape and show up. Again. We are all for this idea if someone doesn’t have any skills. We’d never take fitness advice from these people but the market exists since so many people will pay for “hand holding”.
Secondarily, you can just work in multiple sales roles. If you have no talent you won’t convert a lot of your leads but you’ll still be employed for a long time. Why? Most people are too scared to pick up a phone and “dial for dollars”. Even without a knack for sales, you’ll improve through sheer volume and the income will become stable. Good economy or bad economy, someone needs to sell the products.
2) Flattened Access: Unlike other countries, everyone has access to the most important tools. The Internet is free (libraries if needed) allowing you to learn about anything you like. People like to claim that it’s not possible to move up socioeconomically… and it just isn’t true. The truth is that a flattened access market allows for the cream to rise to the top. If you’re in a developing country the opportunities are far, far, far smaller. In developing countries (for those with real travel experience), there is merit to the whole “you need to be born rich to have a chance” argument. In the USA… it just isn’t true which is fantastic. Before the complaints come in… an incredible 80% of millionaires first generation.
3) Speed In General: Speaking of internet access… If you’ve tried to use the internet in third world countries it can quickly turn into a disaster. Moving slowly is a general “rule-of-thumb” in developing countries. People don’t show up on time (5x worse than the United States), coming to an agreement can take days or weeks when it would normally take hours and older infrastructure makes overall movement slower. Moving slowly is probably the biggest reason for remaining in developed countries as it’s difficult to offset the long-term costs associated with this.
4) Limited Freedom: If you’re rich, it’s a lot more dangerous outside of the United States. Being rich in a developing country can lead to kidnappings/violence. A short trip is perfectly fine as you won’t develop a reputation in a specific city/country if you go out a few times a year. Try living there for an extended period of time popping bottles 4 days a week and the crime will come out and find you. This is the second largest reason to remain in a developed country. You can do what you like to an *extreme*. The only exception is if you become famous and ultra-rich… then you’re forced to have body guards (likely an awful experience).
5) Access to Leverage: Leverage and debt allows you to increase your net worth over multiple years. By being born in the USA you’re given access to the “carry trade”. High-yield currency funds low-yield currency (spread gained). This is something that you will likely do in the future and the first time you set it up you’ll realize how fortunate you were to be in the United States to begin with. Even the rich families in developing countries have to jump through hoops to invest in other currencies. Complex set-ups like this are simply unavailable.
6) Ample Communication Avenues: It’s pretty easy to keep in contact with people across long distances. Smartphones and computers allow for seamless video chats making the human connection a lot stronger. Just 20 years ago this would have been laughable as a voice chat is just not “personal enough”. Since the vast majority in the USA have access to smartphones you’re given an opportunity to develop real tangible contacts without leaving your office/home. This is unbelievable. In fact, we will all but guarantee that you’ll work with someone without ever meeting them face to face. It has already happened to us several times and the result was positive.
7) Food Quality: If you live in a major city you get access to food from across the world. Good luck trying to have various choices in a mid-sized city in a developing country. The options fall off a cliff! If you’re in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago or any other Tier one/Tier two city, you can “see the world” from a food point of view. While major cities in developing countries have a lot of options, it’s not even close to a major US city.
8) Lots of Insecurity – Money and Friends! This is actually a benefit. The vast majority are deeply insecure about “where they are in life”. This causes them to try and claim they are important at all times. All you have to do is make them feel that they are important and you’ll get the next sale. Seriously. This gets easier by your 30s. At this point the winners are already in the limelight so the ones that “didn’t make it” usually try to pick fights and nit-pick. It’s actually entertaining at this point. As soon as you see someone in his 30s being overly competitive about everything or “working really hard”… You know his life went to hell. So unlike other countries in the United States you can meet all of the important contacts without any effort. Guys in the USA try to “fake” being rich, “fake” being important and then claim being well off doesn’t “work” for socializing. The joke is on them because they don’t know what a rich guy acts like… since they aren’t actually rich.
9) Lots of Autonomy: There are a lot of rich people in the United States which allows you to blend into the crowd or stand out depending on the mood you’re in. This allows for extreme levels of freedom. You don’t have to react to anyone. The only people who struggle to reach high levels of autonomy are in debt (unfortunate for them). Unless someone is easily influenced by peer pressure (no one over the age of 18 should feel this), you can live life based on your own principles.
10) No Need for Lots of Help: It’s the same cliché, everyone talks about needing people. The reality is we’ve seen people make hundreds of thousands of dollars while having next to no help or friends (software is crazy!). This isn’t a path we’d recommend, simply stating that it’s possible. In other countries politics and contacts are a lot more important than in the United States.
