闖蕩華爾街
有多少愛可以重來 有多少人值得等待 因我自橫刀向天笑 故我自立馬冷眼瞧
“Rich Dad Poor Dad” (《窮爸爸富爸爸》) （By Robert T. Kiyosaki）
by 如山
書中的道理，思考問題的方法發人深省。
他說，在麵臨一個生活走向或投資決定時，人類是在恐懼和貪婪之間徘徊（……human emotions named fear and greed.P41）。我們在很想獲得某些東西的同時，又很害怕因此而失去某些東西，從而不敢行動。
“You spent a life playing it safe, doing the right things. But the truth is, you let life push you into submission. Deep down you were terrified of taking risks. You really wanted to win, but the fear of losing was greater than the excitement of winning”. (P.33)
在拍賣場上碰到這種情況的不少。有些人在開拍以後，看沒那麽多人競投或聽旁人說些負麵的意見，就臨時退出或降低自己原先設定的最高競投價。這種害怕的心理誰都有。尤其是當隻有一個人去投一個物業時，常常會想，是不是我看錯了？為什麽這麽多人都不認為值得買，而我還認為它的價值遠遠大於開拍價，並預先將我的競投價設定很高？他們都不是愚蠢的人呀？這時候，我總要對自己說，別怕，相信自己的調查和判斷力。這樣我才能成功買得。像這種有很高潛在價值的物業，一般都不會那麽容易就看得出來。就算你做了充分的調查（不可能全部，因為這些都需要雇請專業人士和花上幾個月的時間），也是沒法百分之一百肯定。
“I have never met anyone who really likes losing money. And in all my years, I have never met a rich person who has never lost money. But I have met a lot of poor people who have never lost a dim…..investing, that is.
“The fear of losing money is real. Everyone has it, Even the rich. But it’s not fear that is the problem. It’s how you handle failure that makes the difference in one’s life. That goes for anything in life, not just money。THE PRIMARY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A RICH PERSON AND A POOR PERSON IS HOW THEY HANDLE THE FEAR.”（p.147）
“So for most people, the reason they don’t win financially is because the pain of losing money is far greater than the joy of being rich. Another saying in Texas is, “Everyone wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die.””(P.149)
“Winning means being unafraid to lose.” (P.149)
決策的膽量是可以通過有意識的鍛煉而提高的。我自認為是一個思維細密，並非魯莽行事的人。我曆來都反對盲目行事。但是，我們常常會麵對不可能清楚作出利弊和優劣分析的情況。這時候就是要體現所謂判斷力和膽量上。在這種根據現有資料無法準確判斷的時候，我往往就是用Common sense 來做判斷依據。有時候，不作為對於你就是一個最適當的選擇。但是，很多時候，不作為不是一個最優的選擇。
在財務決策的膽量上，我並不需要很長時間去提高。有1萬的時候，我不怕失掉1萬；有5萬時，我不怕失掉5萬；有10萬時我敢於失掉10萬；到了有100萬時，我雖然不敢失掉100萬，但依然敢失掉30到40萬。
關於富人和專業人士，Robert T. Kiyosaki說：
“Have you ever noticed that there are a lot of accountants who aren’t rich? And bankers, and attorneys, and stockbrokers and real estate brokers. They know a lot, and for the most part are smart people, but most of them are not rich.”(P.6)
“The world is filled with talented poor people. All too often, they’re poor or struggle financially or earn less than they are capable of, not because of what they know but because of what they do not know. They focus on perfecting their skills at building a better hamburger rather than the skills of selling and delivering the hamburger. Maybe McDonald’s does not make the best hamburger, but they are the best at selling and delivering a basic average burger.”(P.140)
當聽取別人投資意見時，他有精妙的說法：
“A WARNING: Don’t listen to poor or frightened people. …..they are the “Chicken Littles” of life. When it comes to money, especially investment, “The sky is always falling.” They can always tell you why something won’t work. The problem is, people listen to them, but people who blindly accept doom-and-gloom information are also “Chicken Littles.” As that old saying goes, “Chickens of a feather agree together.”（P.170）
“There are so many “intelligent” people who argue or defend when a new idea clashes with the way they think. In this case, their so-called “intelligence” combined with “arrogance” equals “ignorance”. Each of us knows people who are highly educated, or believe they are smart, but their balance sheet paints a different picture, A truly intelligent person welcomes new ideas, for new ideas can add to the synergy of other accumulated ideas……Too many people think with their mouth instead of listening to absorb new ideas and possibilities, They argue instead of asking questions.” (P.169)
看看他如何描述關於把握機會和做決定：
“Great opportunities are not seen with your eyes. They are seen with your mind.”(P.125)
“Opportunities come and go. Being able to know when to make quick decisions is an important skill.”(P.29)
“Most people have an opportunity of a lifetime flash right in front of them, and they fail to see it. A year later, they find out about it, after everyone else got rich.” (P.114)
“Smart investors don’t time markets. If they miss a wave, they search for the next one and get themselves in position. Why this is hard for most investors is because buying what is not popular is frightening to them. Timid investors are like sheep going along with the crowd. Or their greed gets them in when wise investors have already taken their profits and moved on. Wise investors buy an investment when it’s not popular. They know their profits are made when they buy, not when they sell. They wait patiently…they do not time the market. Just like a surfer, they get in position for the next bug swell.”(P.171)
“There are many people who want to do, instead of think, and then there are people who think but do not do. I would say that I am both. I love new ideas and I love action.”（P.187）
裏麵還有很多相當精彩的話夾著生動的例子。我曾經推薦過給很多人去讀。可是各個人的反應不一。有的很喜歡，像我一樣，受啟發而采取行動。有的沒啥感覺。有的甚至反感，說是裏麵充滿對打工一族的歧視 (我覺得這是誤解)。
順著“Rich Dad Poor Dad”這本書推薦的相關書，我又讀了另一本對我影響很大的書：“Creating Wealth” by Robert G. Allen (“Nothing Down” 的作者) 。
房地產是一個古老的行業。但也是一個永遠都有人賺錢的行業。讓我們看看Robert G. Allen這位房地產大師又是怎麽說的：
Wealth Principle 6: Choose Investments That Are Both Powerful and Stable
By power, I mean the ability of an investment to grow at high wealth-producing rates. What make an investment powerful? The reasonable use of leverage, or debt.
What make real estate so stable? It is the law of supply and demand. Real estate, especially residential property, is a commodity in critical shortage and one for which there is an enormous demand. It is a necessity, not a luxury. People can’t print up a hundred thousand homes as they might print up s stock offering.（P.32）
但是，是否無論誰和無論什麽時候，什麽價格，隻有進入這個行業去買就能成功呢？當然不是。正是因為有它的難度，才使專心致誌於房地產的人有了賺錢、賺大錢的機會。請看Robert G. Allen怎麽說。
So what makes real estate tick?
First of all, the real-estate marketplace is an imperfect market. It’s not like the stock, bond, or commodities markets-all perfect markets-……..A real estate investor is never really sure what his property is worth. And to find out may take months of marketing. It is precisely this uncertainty that creates opportunity.
In addition, real estate is a very complex beast. There are intricacies that the average speculator rarely takes the time to learn. And when times get harsh, these quick-buck folks are the first to get burned. Stories abound about how everyone is losing his shirt. The amateurs head for the sidelines. That leaves the entire marketplace to the experts. The competition is gone. It is veritable gold mine. （P.32）
也有不少人問過我，做房地產（出租房子，新建築中管理那些contractors等等）有沒有煩惱，壓力？是不是整個過程都隻有樂趣？
Robert G. Allen也有一段話很好地回答了這個問題：
“I Hate Real Estate!
…………
I love to buy it. It’s fun and exciting. But once I sign the final closing documents, it’s all downhill for me……
The worst part of all is dealing with tenants……..
If I hate all these hassles, why do I buy so much real estate? Because the good points far outweigh the bad ones. Real estate is a vehicle that takes a person to wealth.”( P.139)
我所寫的故事都是從我的經曆中提煉出有趣的部分，並經過語言的加工。實際生活中，那能都是一片歡歌，沒有一點壓力和煩惱呢？不同的是，你怎樣去對待和處理壓力與煩惱而已。有時候碰到一個難題想不出解決辦法，我就自己放鬆自己，去做運動，做Sauna ，出一身汗relax。每次我感到Frustrated 一陣子，一場運動和睡完一覺後又是一條好漢。改天往往就找出辦法了。每解決完一個棘手的問題，我都有一種成功感，有一種增加知識，增加經驗和能力的滿足感。當然，有時候的“解決”就是想通了。例如做了錯誤的判斷，造成了虧損。其“解決”辦法，就是安慰自己，錯誤總是會發生的，錯誤也給了我寶貴的經驗，同樣也是學到了東西。隻要是我做成功的（盈利的）大於失敗的（虧損的）我就前進了。要是成功的（盈利的）遠遠大於失敗的（虧損的），我的前進速度就不會減慢。有時候克服自己心理上的挫折感和失敗的沮喪感更為重要，也是更大的成功。其實，生活往往就是一種態度。你要是能夠正麵去對待，那結果往往也是正麵的。
我買過一塊地，買下之後開始申請建築才被City告知這塊地不能建。然後我經曆了2年多的不懈努力，才拿到Building permit。在這2年多解決這個棘手問題的過程中，我所獲得的經驗和學到的知識對我後來的快速成長起到了重要的奠基作用。我有時甚至很感激生活給我的挑戰和困境，克服以後，我既有成功感又加快我知識積累的速度。因為正是這種挑戰，我才比別人在同樣的單位時間內學到更多的東西，也令我比同期進入同行業的人更有經驗和進步更快。
是的，正是這二本書，尤其是“Rich Dad Poor Dad”，令我拋棄了原來準備報考CPA 的打算，義無反顧地投入了經營房地產的不歸路。後麵的是曆史。
現在，由美國的房地產泡沫而引至的全球經濟危機還沒有過去。就全美以至全球總體而言，是房地產的低潮時期（要不是曆史上的最低潮的話）。有人說現在美國的房地產是一個千載難逢的好機會；也有人說美國的房地產像幾年前的榮景不再，最少是20年內不會見到。不管哪一種說法，假如你認為房地產是一個行業的話，作為這個行業的商人（不說投機者）或投資者，是什麽時候都能做才對。隻要有交易就有市場；隻要有市場就有機會賺錢。有容易與不容易賺錢之分；沒有能與不能賺錢之說。要是說不能，如山認為那還不算這個行業中的一個真正商人或真正投資者。隻要你不過度使用財務杠杆，做到勝時不嬌，敗時不餒，進退有據，你就能任憑風浪起，穩坐釣魚船。不光是很容易度過難關，還可以照樣發展。
我覺得，一個人的“聰明”程度的分別並沒有人們想象的那麽大。能不能做下去和是否能做成功一件事的差別往往不在於一個人的“聰明”與否，或是有沒有運氣，而是在於堅持。
我選擇做房地產作為我謀生的行業，是因為我根據自己的情況認為這是最適合於我的行業。但絕不是說，隻有房地產才是最好的Business, 或最好的投資。有很多人做不同的行業，不同的投資， 一樣做得很好，甚至更好。舉兩個我身邊的例子，一個是做IT業（也就是打工），進公司兩年後，公司上市，光股票選擇權就換回一百多萬。還有一個，就我的鄰居，亞裔，畢業後在學校當老師，同時開了一個公司，發明一些電腦方麵的東西（我不懂）。三年後，賣掉公司，純收幾千萬。從此，不當老師，隻做Venture Capital。空餘時間很多，除了隔天約我打一次網球外，還自己動手，將他的地下室裝修成很有專業水準的電影院和音樂廳。相信讀者也能舉出很多身邊的例子來。此所謂“行行出狀元”是也。更何況，在房地產裏麵，我遠遠算不上“狀元”。
就算你不做任何投資，但你有很好的收入，沒有財務的困境，沒有將來退休的後顧之憂，做你喜歡做的事，也是很好的生活。當然，統計調查顯示，掙紮在貧困線以下的人，愉快的比例是很低的。
“成功” 的定義本身就很難介定。事業成功以什麽為標準呢？就算事業做得好，你的身體健康嗎？心理健康嗎？你的生活呢？家庭生活、感情生活、以及性生活愉快嗎？要是成功沒帶來愉快，那這所謂“成功”又有什麽用呢？隻是給別人看的嗎？我相信大多數讀者跟我一樣都是凡人，不必像“以天下為己任”的偉人一樣，“居廟堂之高則憂其民；處江湖之遠則憂其君”。更何況，“笑到最後的人，笑得最好”。成敗得失，人的一生還沒到蓋棺都不能定論。更不用說曾經叱吒風雲的人物，就算到了蓋棺往往也不能定論。
所以我真的認為，最重要的還是你身體健康，每天都過得愉快，這就是像我一樣的凡人的最大成功。
“Rich Dad Poor Dad”：
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
------The Road Not Taken
by Robert Frost (1916)” (P.18)
還有一本書也很好，作者是寫《心靈雞湯》的，書名是《one minute millionaire》，是本勵誌書，希望你喜歡。
也看過你的其他關於房地產行業的文章，尤其是對美國房市的分析，很有見地。
要多向你請教。