Love, Poverty, War and Confidence

There’s an old saying in the literary world that a man’s life is incomplete until he has tasted love, poverty and war.

Beginning with the latter, my closest brush came in January 1991. I was just graduating from the U.S. Army Airborne School at Ft. Benning, Georgia, as the bombs began raining down on Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. As it turned out, that conflict was so short-lived that I missed out on the war leg of the complete life.

As for poverty, well, although I come from a modest middle-class American family, I would hardly say that qualifies as poverty by global standards. And aside from some lean, post-college days working at the financial newspaper Investor’s Business Daily, I would also have to say that poverty has mostly eluded me.

When it comes to love, I think this is where I’ve more than made up for any deficit in the other two complete life components.

Love of family, friends, career, music, literature, philosophy, nature, fitness, sport and perhaps most of all, love of learning and educating are the animating forces at the core of my being.

That love runs particularly deep when talking about the love I have for helping investors better understand — and better profit from — the financial markets.

In fact, you might say that this love is a form of war on poverty itself… the poverty of knowledge that keeps investors paralyzed into subpar performance.

Ironically, my love for this pursuit also encompasses my own desire to be a complete man, engaging in a war to help others overcome their own conception of poverty.

Now, as part of my work, I often integrate the knowledge I’ve gained through my various passions in life. One such passion is horsemanship. Here, and I take pride in learning about myself from one of the best teachers on earth — the horse.

You see, the horse is a herd animal, and one that has evolved over millions of years to thrive in its group social structure. The horse also is an animal that requires leadership, as the highest-ranking mares of the herd are leaders, directing the movement of the group to different grazing areas or water sources.

In “natural horsemanship” of the kind I practice, the horseman is tasked with taking the “lead mare” role. In doing so, the horseman must provide the leadership to his beloved animals that they require to survive and flourish.

This method works well, provided the horseman has the requisite confidence in his knowledge and skills, and provided he has accepted the responsibility of assuming the lead mare role.

Confidence here is perhaps the most important ingredient, but confidence only comes after you’ve done the hard work to acquire the knowledge and skill necessary to assume that confident lead-mare swagger.

Have you ever noticed that truly confident people walk with their heads up?

Think about that for a moment. Have you ever known a confident person that’s always looking down?

The answer is almost certainly no, and the reason why is because confident people don’t look down. They look up, and they take on life with the responsibility of a lead mare.

That lead mare role is one that I assume not only with my horses, but also with my approach to investing, and to helping subscribers to my multiple newsletter advisory services.

And after nearly three decades in this industry, I have built up the requisite knowledge and skill needed to be the lead mare when it comes to helping investors grow and protect their money.

That’s why you’ll always get that sense from me through my writing and my speaking events. If we ever meet face to face, know that I am the type of person who never looks down.

If you want to run alongside me with the confidence of a lead mare, then I invite you to check out my newsletter advisory services today by clicking the links below:

Successful Investing

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Bullseye Stock Trader

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Upcoming Conferences

EconoSummit, Nov. 9-10, Ahern Hotel, Las Vegas: This will be the first investment conference after the all-important Nov. 5 U.S. elections. Jim and Mark Skousen will be speaking on the impact of the elections on your portfolio; other speakers include political experts John Fund and top economist Sean Flynn, with more to be announced soon.

This ticket, valued at $499, is FREE if you sign up for next year’s FreedomFest, set for June (not July!) 11-14, 2025, at the Palm Springs Convention Center in California. To sign up, go to www.freedomfest.com. After you register, you will receive a special code to get a free ticket to EconoSummit. For more info, go to www.econosummit.com.

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Don’t Just Vote

“As a citizen, you need to know how to be a part of it, how to express yourself — and not just by voting.”

–Sandra Day O’Connor

Not only was she the first female Supreme Court Justice, but Sandra Day O’Connor was also a font of wisdom. In the above quote, she reminds us of the importance of expressing our ideas and being part of an informed citizenry that can think things out and participate in the civic process. Remember that this time of year, and don’t just vote. Instead, express yourself.

Wisdom about money, investing and life can be found anywhere. If you have a good quote that you’d like me to share with your fellow readers, send it to me, along with any comments, questions and suggestions you have about my newsletters, seminars or anything else. Click here to ask Jim.

In the name of the best within us,

Jim Woods