The Story of Significant Wealth

Good afternoon readers! Correction, good evening; it's after 1700. Silly me. Well it's Monday. I had my three hour circuits lab. That fucking sucked, as per usual. Karen would usually meet me after class and we'll enjoy the night together but she's going home for Nick's birthday at Red Robbin. Fun shit. Karen and I have gotten into the habit of butt-fucking the rules set by ResLife. Typically two or three weekdays each week she'll stay in the tower overnight. She breaks a big rule by not taking an overnight and I break a big rule by letting my guest stay past midnight. The amount of shit we give about this job is declining by the minute. I've already gotten my boss in a lot of trouble by ratting his immature ass out to his bosses bosses boss. She wasn't happy with him upon hearing the news. Long story short my boss is in a tidbit of trouble. Oops. Did I do that?

Yes. I did. I fully intended on exactly everything happening the way it did. Typical Decker.

So I've had a lot of built up energy about money lately, I decided I need to get it all out an lay it down on this blog post because Karen's clearly tired of hearing me talk about it. Once that happens it's time to blog. But yeah I'm all focused on money now. I believe it's a mix of reminiscing in my high school days, playing Grand Theft Auto: V, and my increasing involvement in the stock market. Whatever caused it, it's lead to me analyzing and obsessing over money.

I always have something to obsess over. I always seem to find something to research, analyze, plan and strategize to the point I learn how to maximize my gain for minimum effort for the long term. In high school it was partying, I planned and analyzed until I had something to my name. More recently I've spent a bit of this semester planning on how I can fuck over my asshole boss and attempt to fix the ruined system I'm apart of. Whatever has my attention at the time; it's what I go to bed thinking about, it's what I think about walking to class, and typically I think about it long enough to figure something out.

When I was in my sophomore year of high school, one of the seemingly random ideas that I obsessed over was the idea of being rich. I had $100,000 cars picked out, $0.5 million yachts picked out, and my first class priority frequent flier program selected (Lamborghini Murcielago, Meridian 541 Sedan, and any legacy carrier would do actually). I developed the idea that I would have to figure out a way to get rich in my life. It felt as if dying with less than a few million dollars of assets wouldn't leave me satisfied with my life. I didn't know how, but I knew I would likely climb the ladder of wealth and status and somehow secure a great deal of money.

The way I see it there's three things that make people influential on the world. If you possess one or all of these, then you're name will likely be remembered long after you're dead, and your life will have had an effect, either good or bad, on society.

One is fame. Famous people have popularity; they have a persona of which a very large amount of people are aware. I've never really cared for fame, nor have I chased it. With the spotlight, comes the curse that all of your mistakes are broadcasted and known by all. Nothing but the thoughts in your head are considered private matters once fame is attained. But with fame, comes influence and remembrance in the world. Long after you die, people will still know your name.

Another is power. True power is held by people such as the President, Chief's of Staff, etc. It's the most direct form of influencing the world around you, as countries and business follow your every order. People live and die, fortunes are made and taken, businesses succeed or fail all as a result of your input. Power has never really been something I've wanted to pursue, despite how easy it would be with my future in the Air Force. It's simply never turned me on as it does a lot of fellow thinkers. Your name may end up on plaques in museums and monuments may be erected in your honor; people with power die fully aware of how different the world would be if they never existed.

The final, of course, is wealth. It is what I have chosen to pursue to ensure my life has meaning. Money alone doesn't necessarily immediately deem your life significant however. Thousands of lottery winners instantly become wealthy, and those individuals never seem to die feeling like they've accomplished much. Money can buy you as many prostitutes and drugs and cars as you desire; but what draws me to more to admiring wealth is the story of how one acquires it.

With the exception of winning the lottery, the only way to become significantly wealthy is by living a significant life. Almost all rich people are directly responsible to a lot of things which got them to their current status. Notorious mobsters and drug traffickers play a big and influential role in the crime world. Corporate CEO's pushed a major company in the right direction. Anyone with money can tell a very fascinating story about how they earned their money. If I could climb up and build a fortune to expand upon, I would not only have a lot of money but I would have a story; thus I would know my life had influence on the world.

I spent a lot of my high school years dreaming of becoming rich, but clueless as to how. Fast forward to late senior year, the day is actually mentioned in this blog (titled "Swimming in the Money", cute huh?) . One day I decided to start researching the stock market, and by researching I mean balls to the wall reading. I'd casually illicitly download books online on investing and I'd read them. I'd browse through websites like Investopedia.com and absorb as much information as possible. It had suddenly occurred to my that I could make money on the stock market, and if I started gaining knowledge and experience in high school then by the time I had any real money to play around with I'd be able to make some motherfucking money. It wouldn't be instant. It wouldn't make me any money at 18 years old, but by 30? By the time I'm at an age where money actually matters for something then I actually might be able to procure quite a bit of it.

So it started small. $100 in stocks here, $80 in stocks over there. Like I said the purpose of it was for experience and knowledge, not immediate returns. However, in fact, it did give me a little money. My investments made me just enough money and confidence to start making some real moves right when I hit age 20. With more reading and more analyzing, I had the courage to throw $500 dollars into the stock market. In six months that initial investment turned into $1,000. And fast forward all the way to now, and I've gotten to the point of being confident enough to invest $1,000 at a time. Meaning that a minute 10-20% increase would yield me hundreds of dollars.

So here I am, just two and a half years after deciding to learn to exploit the stock market for money, and I'm back on the obsession of turning rich. Just like back in high school, I go to sleep and walk to class thinking about how I can make as much money as possible before I die.

People say that money's not important, that it doesn't mean everything and you can't buy happiness. But I've noticed that there are two types of people who say this. People who have money say it because they don't still have to worry about getting it. People who don't have money say it because they're in denial about their intense jealousy towards those who have it. And then there's me. I openly admit and clearly understand that I have the means and will necessary to acquire copious amounts of money, so why not do it?

Why not make a few risks and put a fraction of your life on the line if the payout is increasing amounts of money? Why not go to bed every night and wake up every morning thinking of how to get to the top? If you're smart enough to read and analyze the world, you're smart enough to take advantage of it.

If you choose to take the riskier path, spend time thinking rather than mindlessly watching T.V. or playing on your phone, and really put 100% of your wit towards increasing your personal value; you really have a chance at getting rich. Everyone knows one or two people who are just really fucking wealthy. If you sit down and ask them how the hell they got their money, it usually involves a little risk and a lot of thought.

But no one seems to notice that pattern and try to capitalize on it but me! Everyone just 'works' for those stupid fucking psychology and communication degrees which earn them, what, a $30,000/year salary for the next 40 years? And if you mention to them the one institution in which the sole purpose is to grow and develop wealth in the world, the stock market, everyone looks at you like you're the stupid asshole.

So here I am in college, reading my Wall Street Journal and analyzing quarterly income statements, and I'm already starting to make money. I really don't see my obsession and desire for wealth to go away anytime soon. I don't see my involvement in the stock market to go away either, at least until I start losing money from it.

People say money isn't everything, but I simply disagree. Once you have you're basic needs of food, shelter, and love; money is the only thing that puts you ahead of the person sitting next to you. If you don't have either fame, power, or money; then you're life didn't really count for much in the grand scheme of things. After my girlfriend and flying, money is what I live for. And I'll probably never stop chasing it.

One day I want to live in a big house in a big city in a country that's not America. I want to have a 50ft yacht and a $100,000 car. I want to be completely appreciative of my decision to get rich that I made in high school. One day I want to be that person who is very wealthy but not many people know why. And when they ask, I can refer them to this blog post.

"I must go back!"

What's up world? I decided that during my two hour break between my calc class and logic exam I should throw down on a blog post. I don't have too much direction for this blog post so I'm just gonna wing it like I usually do.

I got GTA V a few weeks ago. It's a ton of fun. The game takes place in Los Angeles, which of course is like one of my favorite cities in the world. I really enjoy driving the virtual streets of Hollywood while shooting out my window. It's really put me on another craze for LA.

The city of Los Angeles and I have an interesting history. At 17 years old I was lucky enough to get to visit my good friend Alex Krauss in the City of Angels. We saw the sights, hit the beach, and taught each other how to live. Then a year later, just two weeks before I left for college, I took to the land of status and stars again and visited Alex for another week of fucking around in the ultimate playground.

Then I started college and I kind of forgot about Los Angeles for a while. With scholarships to be earned and grades to be made I didn't have time to really worry about it. Once I started to figure it out and had secured some assets, Karen and I blew a couple grand on a spring break trip to Miami. Then I ended up getting re-obsessed with Miami and couldn't help but blow another grand down there over the summer. But with all this focusing on Miami I still left my love for Los Angeles far back in my mind.

And now I'm playing Grand Theft Auto and listening to Red Hot Chili Peppers and all of the sudden the flame is back. From the Santa Monica Mountains, through the spotlight-illuminated Hollywood and Beverly Hills, down past LAX and all along Venice Beach, I miss it. I miss the fun times I had with Alex; I miss the dry sunny evenings and foggy mornings. So just like I experienced with Miami around this time last year, I feel this strong "I must go back!" feeling.

But just like in the case of Miami, returning to Los Angeles alone wouldn't be enough. In order to get satisfaction out of it, I feel the need to bring Karen and show her every single thing I've experienced in the L.A. Basin. It would be such a fantastic trip! We would be sipping scotch and cosmos at FL380 as we enjoy the downtime seven miles above the Arizona desert. We'd listen to L.A. Story as our plane past the mountains and intersected SEAVU. The desert would turn to an infinite sea of houses and roads. With our noses pressed firmly against the window we'd try our best to find the Hollywood sign, but all we'd be able locate would be the L.A. skyline as we started our final approach towards 24L.

After landing we'd have to grab a delicious meal at In N Out and watch plane after plane land at the western gateway of America. It would be a great week. We'd be able to see everything, and fit in as the popular crowd in the sprawling mass of Southern California. And only then will I be the least bit satisfied.

However we have some time between then and now, unfortunately. This summer is going to be very exciting to say the least. We're planning on attempting three trips. LA, Ecuador, and of course Rio. If all trips are affordable (which right now they are) then we likely will get to do all of them. This would put the Summer of 2014 at the top of the charts for best summer Decker Loyd has ever lived. Currently the title goes to the Summer of 2010, which included a Honduras trip, houseboat adventure, and L.A. Really the only way to top '10 would be by traveling a ton and never being home and pretty much just living large with Karen.

In other news stocks are still making me money, grades are good, Air Force is good, and I really have no complaints. Oh and I'm trying to fuck shit up in ResLife as much as possible. So far it's going pretty well. So yeah that's all for now. I'll try to blog more this month but I'm writing a memoir of my senior year and needless to say it's pretty damn captivating, so this blog may have a lack of posts in the near future. Until next time...