Unshakeable CHAPTER 1 UNSHAKEABLE Power and Peace of Mind in a World of Uncertainty un·shake·able An unwavering and undisputed confidence; a steadfast commitment to the truth; presence, peace of mind, and a calm amidst the storm What would it feel like to know in your mind, in your heart, and in the very depth of your soul that you''ll always be prosperous? To know with absolute certainty that no matter what happens in the economy, stock market, or real estate, you''ll have financial security for the rest of your life? To know that you''ll possess an abundance that will enable you not only to take care of your family''s needs but also to delight in the joy of helping others? We all dream of achieving that tremendous inner peace, that comfort, that independence, that freedom. In short, we all dream of being unshakeable. But what does it really mean to be unshakeable? It''s not just a matter of money. It''s a state of mind. When you''re truly unshakeable, you have unwavering confidence even amidst the storm. It''s not that nothing upsets you. We can all get hooked. But you don''t stay there.

Nothing rattles you for any length of time. You don''t allow fear to take you over. If you''re knocked off balance, you find your center quickly and regain your inner calm. When others are afraid, you have the presence of mind to take advantage of the turmoil swirling all around you. This state of mind allows you to be a leader, not a follower. To be the chess player, not the chess piece. To be one of the few who do, not one of the many who merely talk! But is it even possible to become unshakeable in these crazy times? Or is it just a pipe dream? Do you remember how you felt in 2008 when the financial crisis savaged the global economy? Do you remember the fear, the anxiety, the uncertainty that gripped us all when the world seemed to be falling apart? The stock market collapsed, maybe crushing your 401(k). The property market was beaten to a pulp, maybe wrecking the value of your home or that of someone you love.

Big banks fell over like toy soldiers. Millions of good, hardworking people lost their jobs. I can tell you right now, I''ll never forget the suffering and terror I witnessed all around me. I saw people lose their life savings, get kicked out of their homes, and not have the money to send their kids to college. My barber told me that his business was in tatters because people didn''t even want to spend money getting their hair cut. Even some of my billionaire clients called me in a panic because their cash was all tied up, the credit markets had frozen, and it suddenly looked like they might be in danger of losing everything. Fear was like a virus, spreading everywhere. It began to take over people''s lives, infecting millions with a sense of total uncertainty.

Wouldn''t it be wonderful if all that uncertainty had ended in 2008? Didn''t you think the world would be back to normal by now? That the global economy would be back on track and growing dynamically again? But the truth is, we''re still living in a crazy world. All these years later, central bankers are still fighting an epic battle to revive economic growth. They''re still experimenting with radical policies that we''ve never seen in the entire history of the global economy. You think I''m exaggerating? Well, think again. First-world countries such as Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, Denmark, and Japan now have "negative" interest rates. You know how insane that is? The whole purpose of the banking system is for you to make a profit by loaning money to banks, so they can lend it out to others. But people around the world now have to pay banks to accept their hard-earned savings. The Wall Street Journal wanted to discover when the world last experienced a period of negative yields.

So the newspaper called an economic historian. You know what he told them? It''s the first time this has happened in 5,000 years of banking history. That''s how far we''ve come from living in a normal world: borrowers get paid to borrow, and savers get punished for saving. In this upside-down environment, "safe" investments such as high-quality bonds offer such terrible returns that you wonder if someone''s having a laugh at your expense. I recently learned that the finance arm of Toyota had issued a three-year bond that yields just 0.001%. At that rate, it would take you 69,300 years to double your money! If you''re struggling to make sense of what all this means for the future of the global economy, join the club. Howard Marks, a legendary investor who oversees nearly $100 billion in assets, recently told me, "If you''re not confused, you don''t understand what''s going on.

" You know we''re living in strange times when even the greatest financial minds admit to being confused. For me, this reality was driven home emphatically last year when I arranged a meeting of my Platinum Partners: an intimate group of friends and clients who gather once a year to gain financial insights from the best of the best. We had already listened to the opinions of seven self-made billionaires. But now it was time to hear from a man who, for two decades, had wielded more economic power than anyone else alive. I was seated in one of two leather wingback chairs on a stage in a conference room at the Four Seasons hotel in Whistler, British Columbia. Outside the snow was falling gently. The man sitting across from me was none other than Alan Greenspan, former chairman of the US Federal Reserve. Appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1987, Greenspan ultimately served as the Fed chief to four presidents before retiring in 2006.

We could hardly have asked for a more experienced insider to cut through the confusion and shed light on the future of the economy. As our two-hour conversation drew to a close, I had one final question for this man who had seen it all, who had guided the US economy through thick and thin for 19 years. "Alan, you''ve had 90 years on this planet and have seen incredible changes in the world economy," I began. "So, in this world of intense volatility and insane central banking policies around the globe, what is the one thing you would do if you were still the Fed chairman today?" Greenspan paused for a while. Finally, he leaned forward and said: "Resign!" HOW TO FIND CERTAINTY IN AN UNCERTAIN TIME What are you supposed to do when even an economic icon of Alan Green-span''s stature is tempted to throw up his hands in dismay, unable to make sense of what''s going on or guess where it will end? If he can''t figure it out, how on earth can you and I predict what will happen? If you''re feeling stressed and confused, I understand. But let me tell you the good news: there are a few people who do have the answers--a few brilliant financial minds that have figured out how to make money in good times and bad. After spending seven years interviewing these masters of the financial game, I''m going to bring you their answers, their insights, their secrets, so you can understand how to win even in these incredibly uncertain times. And I''ll tell you this: one of the greatest lessons I''ve learned from these money masters is that you don''t have to predict the future to win this game.

Etch that idea into your big, beautiful brain, because it''s important. Really important. Here''s what you do have to do: you have to focus on what you can control, not on what you can''t. You can''t control where the economy is headed and whether the stock market will soar or plunge. But that doesn''t matter! The winners of the financial game know that they can''t control the future, either. They know their predictions will often be wrong because the world is just too complex and fast changing for anybody to foresee the future. But, as you''ll learn in the pages to come, they focus so intently on what they can control that they''ll thrive no matter what happens to the economy or the financial markets. And with the help of their insights, you''ll thrive, too.

Control what you can control. That''s the trick. And this book will show you exactly how to do it. Above all, you''ll finish the book with a strategic plan that provides you the tools to help you win the game. We all know that we''re not going to become unshakeable through wishful thinking, or by lying to ourselves, or by merely thinking positive, or by putting photos of exotic cars on our "vision boards." It''s not enough to believe. You need the insights, the tools, the skills, the expertise, and the specific strategies that will empower you to achieve true and lasting prosperity. You need to learn the rules of the financial game, who the players are, what their agendas are, where you can get hurt, and how you can win.

This knowledge can set you free. The big purpose of this small book is to provide you with that essential knowledge. It will give you a complete playbook for financial success, so that you and your family won''t ever again have to live in fear and uncertainty but can enjoy the journey with true peace of mind. Many people just dabble in and out when it comes to their financial lives, and they pay an enormous price for it. That''s not because they don''t care. It''s because they get swamped by all the stresses and strains of their daily lives. Plus, they don''t have expertise in this area, so it seems intimidating, confusing, and overwhelming. None of us likes putting effort into things that make us.