If you want to be wealthy, do as the wealthy do. The wealthy do not use IRAs and 401Ks to invest in heavy loaded mutual funds. That system is set up to make others wealthy! The ultra-wealthy get a completely different set of options when it comes to investing their money. They often have direct ownerships in businesses and real estate. They may own publicly traded equities, but they are not paying the fees that most people do. The ultra-wealthy also understand the importance of leverage and apply it judiciously whenever possible to increase their returns. They are also keenly aware of tax efficient investment strategies. Perhaps the biggest difference between the typical retail investor and the ultra wealthy is that the latter does not simply hope for the success of their investments: they engineer it! What does that mean? Well, let's take permanent life insurance as an example. Dave Ramsey and Suze Orman tell you to stay away from it. Yet, the wealthiest families in the world like the Rothchilds and the Romneys have used these products for generations to preserve and build wealth. In fact, the wealthier the family, the more likely it is that they are using some kind of permanent life insurance as part of their wealth building strategy. You see, the affluent do not view permanent life insurance policies as simply assets. They use the elements of permanent life insurance to enhance their other investments. Life insurance, when used properly, is a tool to leverage your other investments. So, again, why would Dave Ramsey and Suze Orman tell you that permanent life insurance is a bad idea? Well… a fool with a tool is still a fool. It's hard to become wealthy if you are a fool (or at least to maintain your wealth for long). I have been trying to uncover these kinds of secrets of the wealthy for years now. Along the way, I've learned a ton and have tried diligently to pass this information on to you. I know there is a lot to absorb. However, I will say this. If you do nothing more than to pay close attention to the concepts of what we call Wealth Formula Banking and Velocity Plus that we discuss on this week's Wealth Formula Podcast, I truly believe that I will have done you a service. Don't miss it!