Here’s how it works. You’re visiting your niece or
nephew, and she or he will say, “Come play it with me,
Uncle Tony!”
You immediately protest, “No, no, I don’t know this
game. You go ahead and play.”
And they say, “C’mon, it’s easy! Just let me just show
you.” Then they shoot a few bad guys when they pop up
on the screen. You still resist, so they start pleading.
“C’mon! C’mon! Please, please, please!” You love this
kid, so you give in. Then she says the simple words that
tell you you’re being set up: “You go first.”
So you decide you’re gonna make it happen! You’re
going to show this kid a thing or two. And then what?
Bam! Bam! Bam! In 3.4 seconds, you’re dead. Shot in
the side of the head. Smoked.
Then the kid takes the gun, and suddenly it’s bambam-
bam-bam-bam! The bad guys are dropping from
the sky and whizzing around every corner in hyperspeed.
The kid is anticipating every move and picking them off
—and about 45 minutes later, you get your second turn.
Now you’re ticked off, and even more committed.
This time you last a full five seconds. And she goes
another 45 minutes. You know the drill.
So why do these kids always win? Is it because they
have better reflexes? Is it because they’re faster? No! It’s
because they’ve played the game before.
They already have one of the greatest secrets to
wealth and success in life: they can anticipate the
road ahead.
Remember this: anticipation is the ultimate
power. Losers react; leaders anticipate. And in the
following pages, you’ll learn to anticipate from the best of
the best: the Ray Dalios and the Paul Tudor Joneses and
the army of 50 other extraordinary financial leaders who
know the road ahead. They’re here to help you anticipate
the problems and challenges on the path to financial
freedom so you don’t get hurt along the way. Like Ray
Dalio says, it’s a jungle out there, full of things that can
kill you financially, and you need trusted guides to help
you get through it. With their help, we’re going to lay
out a plan that will help you anticipate the challenges,
avoid unnecessary stress, and arrive at your ideal financial
destination.
I want to give a quick overview of where we’re going
and how this book is set up, so you can make the best use
of it. But before we do that, let’s be clear about our true
purpose. This book is committed to one primary
outcome: to set you up so you have an income for
life without ever having to work again. Real
financial freedom! And the good news is, it can be
achieved by anyone. Even if you’re starting out in debt,
deep in the hole—no exaggeration—with a little bit of
time, consistent focus, and the right strategies applied,
you can get to financial security or even independence in
a few years.
Before we walk through the steps, let’s first take a
look at why being financially secure used to seem so
simple. What’s changed? And what do we need to do?
Let’s start with a little history lesson.
You can be young without money, but you