It’s ironic that in order to get to the Japanese Financial Academy for a “Money Cultivation Course” I had to walk through the Diamond District on West 47th.   I’m not a gold and jewelry guy but I was pretty amazed at all the value and the level of security.  (Half of the stocky guys in front of the stores must have been off duty policemen.)

I was rather nervous but was greeted warmly at the registration desk.   The speaker for the day also spoke to me and asked me if I was okay with fast-talking Japanese.  I asked him to bring it on because part of my reason for being there was to learn Japanese through immersion.

Killing Two Birds With One Stone (Ouch)

As the talk began, I was doubly rewarded.   I got some pointers on money and more importantly,  was flooded with spoken and written language as the presentation proceeded.  一石二鳥　(literally, one stone, two birds).  Some of the pointers I was able to figure out were:

• Change your posture when you think about being and becoming rich.
• To cultivate money, you must first invest in yourself.
• Have big goals or you will just keep making them smaller.
• “The bigger the why the easier the how.”  Be clear with yourself about wealth creation.
• From now on, never say to yourself, “I am bad at math.”   Rather, think of it as a game with which to live and play.
• Think of yourself as the manager of your money.
• Keep a notebook of all your expenditures and investments.
• Keep a balance sheet of assets and liabilities and think of it as a scoreboard.
• Keep practicing your financial skills until it becomes natural like driving a car.

I’ve put a lot of focus on living debt free and having a more clear financial picture of my life, but lately I’ve felt the urge to focus on wealth creation.   The second half of the two hour lecture focused on foreign exchange, stocks, and real estate and was harder to understand.   Of course, there were plenty of materials and invitations to continue at the Financial Academy to learn more.   But I got a chance to hear a lecture about something I’m interested in–all in Japanese.  Two-fer.  Winning.  🙂

Freebies:  Pizza, Beer, and “An Important Life-Changing Talk About Money”

After the two hour-talk, the host invited us to enjoy pizza, soft drinks, and beer.   Additionally, the friendly staff of the Financial Academy distributed complimentary copies of the book,  人生が変わるお金の大事の話、An Important Life-Changing Talk About Money.   

As I enjoyed a diet cola, someone introduced me to Masato Izumi, the author of the book.  She explained that he owned 15 buildings and was a millionaire.   Izumi-san seemed very unassuming and more importantly, seemed very relaxed.  (Is he relaxed because he’s rich or did he get rich because he relaxed?)

We didn’t get a chance to talk for long but he suggested that I could learn more Japanese by reading his book.  I’m all over that like white on rice!  Stay tuned.