Wealth Isn’t About Money

Amanda Heckman|June 24, 2023

Let freedom ring.

Heaven help those who get in its way.

Last week, I took my family to New York City. We hit many of the popular spots that make the city unique… including the Empire State Building, Central Park and John’s Pizzeria in the West Village (best pizza in NYC!), to name a few.

But more importantly, I made sure to show my family two powerful symbols of American freedom and resilience…

The Statue of Liberty and the 9/11 memorial.

One watching over the city from afar, a beacon of pride and hope… the other drawing our eyes and thoughts into the depths of remembrance.

I bring up my trip because freedom and liberty were very much on our minds this week at Manward.

No Guarantee

As Andy told us on Monday, the terms freedom and liberty are often used interchangeably.

That’s wrong, he wrote…

Freedom is a word of German origin that simply means the ability to make decisions or perform actions without external constraint.

But liberty, which has French roots, means freedom that has been granted by some sort of external entity, typically a society or government.

In short, we must never forget that our liberty isn’t guaranteed.

It’s fragile… and must be protected. That’s why we invest. Having wealth means having the ability to live for ourselves, in the way we choose. Having wealth means never having to depend on others.

Especially the government… which clearly doesn’t always make the best decisions.

We’ve long said the government is the greatest threat to your wealth. And right now, as Andy told us, “It’s on a mission to create dependence and destroy individual wealth.”

(Read Andy’s full thoughts on freedom and liberty here.)

Payment Past Due

Just look at the student debt debacle playing out today.

Soon, millions of borrowers will again receive monthly bills in the mail.

And millions of borrowers will say they can’t afford their payments.

Why?

“Washington turned a short-term emergency into a multiyear free-for-all in the name of political indoctrination,” Andy wrote on Thursday.

Younger generations are learning to spend instead of save… and to borrow without worry… because the government will be ready to step in when things go wrong.

It’s dangerous. It’s creating a new class of folks who expect the government to take care of them… while giving the folks in charge more and more power.

(See what else Andy had to say about this “damaged class” of folks here.)

The final cost of all this? Our freedom.

When the government controls our debt… it controls our lives.

That’s why we must build our own wealth by investing and making smart choices. And it’s why we must shout it from the tallest rooftops and skyscrapers… and teach our children and their children about the freedom and liberty that come from wealth.