Right now, there’s a secret war being waged against you – and your money – every single second of the day.
Nobody in the Pentagon will talk about it.
Nobody in the White House knows what to do to stop it.
And millions of Americans won’t be able to protect themselves from it when it robs them of their wealth.
No, it’s not government theft, inflation, or a grand conspiracy to usurp the dollar…
It all has to do with…
The Enemy Within
Throughout history, we’ve seen time and time again that our biggest threats don’t come from outside our borders…
But from something dangerous hidden inside.
It might be the doubters, naysayers, or even outright traitors lurking within our inner circle…
But more disturbing is the true enemy within us all that works to sabotage us from having the happiness and success we know we deserve.
Fear, uncertainty and doubt.
And across world religions and mythology, the hero of the story is eventually faced with one of the great challenges in life…
Confronting the enemy within us all that tells us we aren’t good enough, smart enough, or capable enough to achieve our version of personal freedom.
But as the gap between the haves and have nots grows ever wider…
I think we’re all ready to admit that what we were taught to believe about money, wealth, and investing isn’t true.
And if we want to win in the Great Game of Pre-IPO Investing, it means we have to be willing to examine our beliefs – and be willing to change them – to serve our higher purpose.
With this in mind, I’d like to share the final lesson in this 6-part series that could literally change your life.
Inside The Propaganda Machine
As a quick recap of the core thesis of the game we’re learning to play…
- Most unsuccessful investors live in a constant state of fear. They are afraid of money, they are afraid of taking risks, and they are afraid of losing.
- Successful investors, however, live in a constant state of confidence. They see investing as a winnable game and they have fun playing it.
- A game is a form of art in which Players gather (1) Information and make (2) Decisions in order to (3) Manage Resources… through the use of (4) Game Tokens… in the pursuit of a (5) Goal… in the face of (6) Opposition.
We’ve discussed the first five elements of the game in Part 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of this series…
But it is this sixth element – the Opposition we face in pursuit of our Goal – is the final piece of the puzzle.
While it’s fair to say you’ll encounter untold opposition from the other Players in the game, like
- Wall Street “Banksters” who play the game by a different set of rules than the rest of us…
- Unethical CEOs and stock promoters who knowingly scam investors in blatant pump-and-dump schemes, and…
- The financial media whose purpose is to serve as the 24/7 propaganda machine to manipulate your emotions at the benefit of the “smart money” who pays them.
But eventually, the true Opposition we face is in managing our Emotions and Belief Systems.
When we start to examine what our beliefs are… and more importantly, how we came to believe those things…
We come to a rather startling conclusion.
Most of the things we believe – about ourselves and the world around us – were taught to us by someone else.
Meaning, most of the things we believe aren’t things we chose to believe after careful consideration.
They were marketed to us by someone with an agenda.
And before you think I’m sinking down a rabbit hole of conspiracies…
Check out the BBC documentary The Century of the Self for a shocking look at how the works of Sigmund Freud were weaponized by his nephew – Edward Bernays – to create a scientific discipline of manipulating the masses known as Public Relations (i.e. “Propaganda”).
And while I appreciate the irony that I – someone who has spent 15 years in sales and marketing trying to sell stuff – am telling you all of this…
It is because of my journey through the “belly of the beast” that I came to accept my responsibility to educate and inform investors about the real risks they take and set realistic expectations…
Not to manipulate you into accepting “too good to be true” deals that only benefit the people selling.
And according to the January 1945 issue of a journal called “Mental Hygiene” – when the final year of World War II was still being waged…
We are trying to show him not only what we are fighting against, but what we are fighting for.
So many of these boys have only a very hazy idea of the real issues of the war. About all they see is “going back to the good old days.”
This is a dangerous state. If they don’t stand for something, they will fall for anything.
They need to realize that we are fighting two wars—the war of arms and the war of ideas—that other war of which the war of arms is one phase.
And with this in mind, as we continue to fight against misinformation and hype in the “war of ideas,” I’d like to share with you…
The 12 Beliefs of Successful Investors
We all exist inside of our own realities… realities which are determined by our belief systems.
Because we are so invested in our own beliefs, it’s extremely hard to accept versions of reality that conflict with our beliefs…
Which, in turn, means that even if we somehow outperform the limitations of our beliefs… we will eventually regress in order to confirm our beliefs are, in fact, correct.
This is why it’s crucial to have a Belief System that allows us to have the success we want (or at least think we want).
When it comes to playing the Great Game of Pre-IPO Investing, here are the things that are helpful to believe.
- It’s possible to beat the market
Oprah Winfrey says: “Every time you state what you want or believe, you’re the first to hear it. It’s a message to both you and others about what you think is possible. Don’t put a ceiling on yourself.”
If you don’t think it’s possible to generate market-beating returns, all the data suggests you’re better off putting your money into a low-cost index fund and never touching it.
But if you do believe it’s possible, you will look for opportunities where you can beat the “default” strategy sold to the masses (which no one on Wall Street uses, mind you).
- Earning a higher rate of return than the market is a good thing to do
If you consider investing a “Zero Sum Game” – meaning someone has to lose in order for you to win – it’s hard to not feel guilty earning money as an investor.
But in truth, investing – especially in privately held companies – is not a zero sum game!
- Building great companies provides value beyond mere returns for the customers, employees, and communities they belong to.
That’s why we’re not looking for “Get Rich Quick”.
- Other investors regularly beat markets
Before Roger Bannister broke the 4-minute mile on May 6th, 1954… the medical consensus at the time was it was physically impossible to do it.
But then, he did the impossible… and all of a sudden, more people followed suit.
Today, more than 1,300 people have broken the 4-minute mile.
And even though most people can’t, by looking for examples of success (instead of failure), we can start to believe that…
- It is possible for me to beat the market
Confidence is the key to success in all areas of life.
But you are the only one who can believe in yourself… and it is vital to your success that you protect your confidence at all times.
- If I try, it’s highly likely that I’ll succeed
After 15+ years of selling information products, here’s something weird I’ve noticed…
The vast majority of people who buy courses don’t even open them!
Of the ones that do, most don’t finish it…
And even fewer ever bother to implement what they learn.
In fact, something like 70% of people who buy “stock picks” never trade the Guru’s recommendation.
But to succeed, you must try, and try again.
- My past failures don’t prevent me from future success
Of the people I know who “got rich” without failure, they usually lose it in the near future (and never get it back).
Why? Because overcoming failure – and persisting until success – is the cornerstone of entrepreneurship.
As Winston Churchill once said: “Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”
And it is this willingness to believe in ourselves – in the face of evidence that says we shouldn’t – that we need most.
Because…
- I have enough education/experience/time to be successful at this time
It doesn’t matter what you learned in school…
It’s never too late to learn to do something new.
And it’s never too late to find success in life.
Harlan Sanders – the founder of KFC – was a failure who got fired from a dozen jobs before starting his restaurant, and then failed at that when he went out of business and found himself broke at the age of 65.
But then things worked out when he sold the first Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise in 1952.
There’s Alan Rickman, whose first movie role came at 46…
Ray Kroc, who joined the McDonald’s franchise at 53…
Nelson Mandela, who emerged after 27 years in jail and became his country’s president at 76.
Julia Child, who was 50 when she hosted her first TV show.
Because no matter what…
- Market conditions are perfect for this opportunity today
There’s always people warning the sky is falling… there’s always a market crash around the corner… and there’s always reason to believe “we missed it.”
But successful people don’t care about circumstances. They decide they’re going to win, and they find a way.
And if you want to win, it means…
- Today is the right time for me to start
How long are you going to keep being “too busy?”
How long are you going to say “I’ll do it later”?
How long are you going to prevent yourself from going after your dreams?
Not a second longer. Because today is the day and now is the time for you to be a winner!
And if you’re willing to put in the work…
- This is the right opportunity for my investment goals
Full disclaimer: Pre-IPO Investing might not be the right choice for you and your Goals.
It’s high-risk and illiquid. If you need access to your money in the short-term, it’s not an ideal option.
So if you’re going to have success with this type of investment strategy, there can be no room for doubt.
This is a long term investing strategy you’ll need to stick with…
And the rewards that can potentially come from it could mean…
- I’ll be a hero to my family and the envy of my friend when I succeed with this
We all want to be the “hero” of our own story (or at least I know I do).
And while the potential monetary bounty of winning this game are appealing…
For me, it’s so much more than that.
Winning in itself is the prize. The opportunity to challenge myself, develop new skills, and grow as a person.
And of course, the bragging rights at the end because hey, I’m a competitive person.
Because at the end of the day…
- This is more interesting and exciting than all the other media I have access to.
On your journey towards reaching your Goals in life, you will face endless Opposition…
But perhaps the most dangerous is the lure of temptation; Shiny Objects that seek to pull you from your path.
Whether it’s Cryptocurrencies, NFTs, Cannabis, Psychedelics, or whatever “meme stock” is trending right now…
There is an army of people looking to separate you from your money with the chance of striking it rich.
But to succeed, you must focus.
According to Ian Cassel…
“If you want superior returns, find an inefficient, illiquid, under-appreciated market, and work everyday to be one of the best investors in that market. You can live a comfortable life fishing in the same small pond because you know where the fish are”
And to this regard, we hope you’ll decide to stay inside the Equifund Pond and play this Great Game of Pre-IPO Investing with us – and our community – for the next decade and beyond.
Sincerely,
Jake Hoffberg – Publisher
Equifund
