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Weekend Edition – I’m Not Done, How About You?

By Dividend.com July 29, 2012, 08:05:16 AM EDT

Everyone has a different drive and motivation in life, whether it is to retire at a younger age, become a millionaire by 50, own one's own business or home, or just enjoy whatever life has in store for us.

I read an interesting argument recently that most of life's most significant events take place by age thirty-five. The statement certainly holds a fair amount of water, but I want to take it a step further for everyone. Let's assume that most of our readers agree with that statement. What, then, is your approach going forward?

Personally, I never want to think that my greatest opportunities are long gone just because of how old I am. I remember hearing actor Jeremy Irons say the biggest thing that scared him in life was not being given the opportunity to pursue the sort of acting roles he loves as he gets older. We live in a world that is none-too-forgiving to older folks, especially where one's professional life is concerned.

We should all find comfort in the fact that many people have achieved their greatest successes in their later years. I've sometimes written about Ray Kroc, who took a small Midwestern hamburger franchise called McDonald's ( MCD ) and turned it into a global empire. Mr. Kroc began his journey with McDonald's at the ripe old age of 59! Colonel Sanders did the same with Kentucky Fried Chicken. The Colonel was 65 when he got the ball rolling with his now-world-famous company. These two are just a couple of examples of those who seized an opportunity and parlayed some initial success into massive fortunes - and didn't let their ages get in their way one bit.

So you see, it's never too late to get started building your own fortune. Many people will sadly pass away with fortunes only in their mind, never to be shared with the rest of us. Whether their barriers were financial, emotional, or just a form of laziness, the vast majority of all people out there will not fulfill their true potential.

Gordon Ramsey of the popular Fox reality show "Hell's Kitchen" likes to occasionally scream at the show's participants who are struggling through a dinner service. He stops them, confronts them and yells right at them "Are you done?!?!?". I certainly don't ever want to think I'm done, and I hope many of our readers feel the same way!

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An Important Note Regarding the Best Dividend Stocks List

We want to make sure everyone understands that the stocks on our Best Dividend Stocks List are the names we currently like for new investor capital, regardless of what date the stock was first recommended on. If and when a stock is removed from the list, we will clearly state whether the stock should be sold (which is rare but occasionally will happen), or simply held in one's account until we see a better entry point or catalyst.

And here's one last thing to remember about what we do here at Dividend.com. It's not just the names that we recommend that can help you build wealth, but also the things we try to steer you away from that are just as important. Forget about speculative or penny stocks, chasing unprofitable IPOs, and listening to the manic talking heads in the business media!

Thank you for sharing part of your weekend with me, and please be sure to pass this post on to anyone you think we can get inspired and educated about money, building wealth, and using common sense to do so.

Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks , as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here .




The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc.


This article appears in: Investing, Stocks

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