Break the chains of financial slavery

Those of us old enough can recall Charlton Heston in the famous scene from the film Ben-Hur in which he is chained to a slave boat. As he is being whipped to keep time with the pulsating drumbeat , the boat is rammed and begins to sink with all the unfortunates going down with it. While this scene is very dramatic, it is a slow motion version of an average American’s personal financial situation. Drowning in debt, enslaved to their toys, and kept in line by financial service companies who have the profit motive rather than their clients best interests as a priority item is an all too common narrative.  While the luxury car you lease for $800 a month, or the McMansion which you cannot afford to furnish, impress the vacuous outsiders, you are slowly instead of dramatically drowning. Add to this toxic recipe, loans designed to maximize the short term profit of the agent rather than the long term needs of the client and you have the blueprint for a financial disaster movie with academy award winning potential. Like the chains around Charlton Heston’s legs, the depreciating assets you purchased with borrowed money will all but guarantee you will also go down with the ship like the past slaves to the Roman empire. Break these chains and free your self from this self induced bondage. Ignore the marketing machines that encourage you to borrow. Rid yourself of friends who are only impressed with material possessions. Finally, take control of your money by finding an advisor who is a fiduciary and puts your interests first. While this movie might be considered boring by some, it sure beats the alternative of being a slave to your possessions and eventually being suffocated by them.     Anthony Isola