How Many Cookie Jars Is Your Hand In?

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cookie jar

If you want to be rich, you need to start diversifying where you are investing your time and money so that you can increase your odds of being successful. You probably aren’t thinking about diversification because you don’t have that much money, but whether you have 1000 dollars or a million, you can be diversified.

But before I go into different ways you can get your hand into a lot of cookie jars, here are some diversification strategies that you need to know about:

  • Don’t put all your eggs in one basket – this may seem like a simple concept to understand, but most people put all of their eggs in one basket. For example if you buy 10 rental homes, you are putting all your eggs in the real estate basket even though you own 10 homes and not just 1.
  • Don’t get too greedy – no matter how good an investment looks, never put all your money or time into it. Keep in mind if you decide to be greedy all it takes is one unforeseen circumstance before you lose your shirt.
  • Slow and steady wins the race – if you have $10,000 to invest, don’t spend it all right away. You don’t know what opportunities lie ahead so make sure you spread out your money so that it lasts around 5 years. Hopefully by the end of 5 years you will start seeing a return on some of your earlier investments.
  • Cash is king – you don’t want all of your money tied up incase you need it. Due to this you want a percentage of your investments to be flexible enough where you can pull out your money whenever you need it. For example if you invest in a stock, you can sell it whenever you need money. On the other hand if you invest in a home you can still sell it or refinance it if you need money, but it may take some time to do so.

Now that you understand the ABC’s of diversification, here are some ways you can have your hand in multiple cookie jars:

  1. Why have 1 job when you can have multiple jobs – working for one company can be very risky. For example who would have thought companies like Lehman Brothers would ever go bankrupt? A good way to protect yourself is to take on consulting gigs on the side of your 9 to 5 job. For example if you are a marketer for Ford Motors there isn’t any reason why you can’t help a financial or furniture company with their marketing. The basic principles behind a profession can usually be applied to multiple industries.
  2. Your time is worth more than just money – when you spend a few hours helping a company, you will usually receive cash compensation for your time. Instead of taking money from various businesses, why not take equity? Having equity in companies that you believe in is never a bad thing. In the short run you may not make much money by doing this, but in the long run you can make a lot more.
  3. Investing in the stock market doesn’t have to be expensive – there are a lot of people who make money by investing in penny stocks. Just look at Timothy Sykes who turned $12,000 into $2,000,000. If you don’t know much about the stock market, don’t worry; there are a lot of blogs that give stock tips.
  4. Real estate can be affordable – no one says you have to buy an investment property in California. There are properties out there that you can buy for 50 or a 100 grand. The way rental properties work is that if you buy a place for $50,000 and put a 20% down payment, you’ll end up paying $10,000 for a place that is worth $50,000. The rental income that you receive every month should pay for the mortgage payments and after 30 years the home should be paid off. 30 years later, hopefully the home is worth $150,000. So if you decide to sell it, you’ll end up with a profit of $140,000 because initially you only invested $10,000.
  5. Look beyond the horizon – countries like India and China are growing at a rapid pace. The cost of a business overseas can be cheap and lucrative. If you are interested in investing in oversea opportunities you may want to consult with a financial advisor so he or she can help you find these type of opportunities.
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142 Comments

  1. Hey Neil,

    Its a quite common for people to become possessive when they have less cookie jars but if there are many, then diversification becomes necessary. By looking at your beautiful and diverse cookie jars, I may think about diversification.

  2. You’re right on all these. You never want to put all your eggs in one basket and another thing is that you have to take calculated risks.

  3. I love cookies! Putting my hands in as many cookie jars that they’ll fit into. I have big hands so they don’t always fit into tight cookie jar spaces but with a little effort I get lots of sugary sweets in return for my cookie seeking efforts.

    I’ve seen cookies so big you have to zoom out on google maps to view them.

    • LOL, I guess the cookie is a “mapper”. (inside joke for anyone who doesn’t get it)

      Your approach is wise. As a chiropractor you have your hands in the medical field, real estate, and the Internet. That’s really good, considering your real estate is close to the water.

      • Jacques Seoman :

        Close to the water? What exactly do you mean by that? Are you referring to tsunamis and the like?

        • Mike has a home right by the beach, in Southern California. Even better, he was smart enough to buy 2 homes by the beach and rent one of them out. The best part about it is that his home is worth around 2.5 more than what he originally paid… and in California beach real estate costs 7 figures.

          • Jacques Seoman :

            Beach homes are a valuable commodity here in South Africa too, especially in Cape Town. People who have had dillapidated beachfront properties and cottages for many years are realizing astronomical sums for their properties.

  4. All great pieces of advice. Thanks Neil. Happy New Year to you.
    I am an avid stock and mutual fund investor and I have usually done well even in a down market. I continue to have a full time job, be active in the stock market and consult companies on the side through my venture LotusBoost. Diversification of skill set will sustain anyone in any economy in any free market place.

    - Harnish

  5. Hey Neil, Happy New Year Buddy.
    I like your thoughts on investments as well as how to survive in competitive market.
    Let me know one thing, how i may have multiple jobs? Is it legal… Because companies do not allow to associate you with another firm. Awaiting your response on the same…Have a wonderful year ahead…

    • You only want one full time job. On the side you can do part time consulting work which isn’t a job, but more like a contract gig. Most companies will not have a problem with this as long as your consulting gigs aren’t related to your 9 to 5 job.

  6. Another great post Neil!
    I liked that you clarified ‘eggs in one basket’ aka diversifying – as diversifying is not investing in ‘different stocks’ but also different asset classes.

    Happy New Year and create a great 2009!

  7. Dear Neil,
    You mean to say “not putting the eggs in One Baskets” means saving in one Bank of MF or developing multiskills to make new techniques of making a living.
    Wish You A very Happy New Year.
    With Warm Regards,
    Debashish Brahma.
    Calcutta

  8. Hey Neil, we met last night checkin out your blog now!

    Great post, this is something I’m going to keep in mind this coming year. Right now all my cookies are in my 1 business. In the past I’ve been approached by a lot of people who wanted to do an equity trade, but I had zero confidence in their business. Lately I have started to come across a few great opportunities. Like everything else it comes down to the people you surround yourself with, smart investments come up when you start hanging around with rockstar people.

    • It was great meeting you. You should consider investing in the opportunities that you feel are great. They are usually hard to come by and some of the best opportunities that you will ever see are going to be during this recession.

  9. Sweet link there Neil, thanks!

    Those are some great points.

    When it does come to diversification, keep your ears open. That is one thing that worked for me in 2008. I was able to be willing to hear some really rough ideas and get in on some plans from the bottom at small costs which I know with patience and time, those will spit out 20+ times my initial.

    I always feel that getting equity instead of cash for my “consulting” is a better deal. Yes, sometimes it will not pay me back as much as immediate cash would, but that one time out of 10 that does, thats all that matters -I’m young and willing to take that risk.

    And yes, Neil is 100% on the mark. Do not get greedy. That will cause you to get tunnel vision on only making short term cash that will fizzle out. Stick to a sensible plan that allows for sustained growth that you can handle and success is yours!

    I have done well in the stock market this year, but can always do better and always try to read up on the latest news before it gets into the mainstream “6pm” news.

    And yes, Laura is on the mark too. Network and submerse yourself with people. Trying to make $ is hard work and even harder when you are not willing to socialize/network. My of my first “official” business deals was made in a VIP room of a night club with only a proposal on a wet napkin.

    All the best for 2009 to you Neil and all the readers out there. Knowledge, power, wealth for 2009!

    • No problem on the link… thanks for telling me about Timothy Sykes.

      You should also consider pulling some of your stock market winnings and putting them into something else.

      • yupp…its a goal for 2009, two more rental units for a more stable, worry free income source. But not investing in the markets is too hard to resist! lol

        • Nice plan! As you probably already know, if you can buy a rental property that you’ll break even every year, that’s a good deal. If you can’t, you probably don’t want to buy it.

  10. Great thoughts my friend. Since your familiar with my situation, what other ideas or thoughts do you have for me beside my blog?

    • I would consider consulting sales and biz dev people on the art of persuasion. Find some head hunters (and if you can’t I can put you in touch with one) and ask them to connect you with some companies.

  11. And Neil, this is one of the few times I am going to have to disagree with you.

    You should put all of your eggs in one basket and then watch that basket. I stole the quote from Carnegie, but it couldn’t be more true.

    Pepole don’t get rich by spreading thin. They get rich by becoming the best.

    I actually wrote an article about this today where i said you should put all of your eggs in one basket.Let me know what you think: http://prevential.com/success-factors-close-open-doors/

    • Putting all of your eggs in one basket is a great way to become filthy rich or dirt poor. If you are young you can try putting all of your eggs in one basket and roll the dice. If you are old or have a family you probably don’t want to put all of your eggs in one basket.

      Most of people that get rich do it from putting their eggs in one basket, but I think there would be a lot more rich people if everyone diversified their investments. Now granted they wouldn’t have the wealth of Bill Gates, but there is nothing wrong with only having a few million.

  12. I am not agree with you Neil, whole article shows that if you start earning on your young age, you will be good enough rich to survive in old age. There are very few people in the world who get rich enough, who can publish their name on someone’s back. Write about Ideas which you implement, coz “Cash is not king” but “Idea is King”

    • I disagree with that. Ideas are a dime a dozen and everyone has them. Very few people move on them.

      The reason cash is king is because it allows you to do almost anything you want.

  13. Interesting points declared here. I have involved in 3 active businesses for now. Sometimes, when the economic is bad or business is not so good, some other business will supplement the loss and give a good flow of income to the family.

    • That is the key. By having multiple business hopefully one or two are still doing well in a down economy. I have the same situation in which one of my businesses isn’t doing well right now, but the others are (hopefully it stays that way).

  14. Diversification is important. Even if you have put all your resources into one venture (like a lot of startup entrepreneurs do) its still good to have a safety net.

  15. I always liked the line, “An Investor’s best tactic is to sit back and smell the roses.”

    Great points and will definitely keep them in mind when doing so.

    • Nice quote! You make a good point because as an investor you have to be patient. Sometimes it is better to sit back and wait than it is to be involved in every little detail of your investments.

  16. Neil,

    You make good and valid points but ultimately I find that if you don’t narrowly focus on your priorities with a laser it is too easy to lose focus and do a mediocre job at many things instead of a knock out job on one. I think you may one of the exceptions to the rule that can do many things well but I am a half pollack and have trouble with it.

    So, I agree that it is ok to have your hands in more than 1 cookie jar but be careful-don’t eat too many! You know what happens.

    Here is an interesting read by Shane Pike that I found interesting regarding the topic:
    http://www.askshane.org/traffic-generation/go-deep.php

    • You are right, you don’t want to spread yourself too thin. I personally have a lot of time so I am able to do a lot of things.

      As for the “doing all things well”, no one is a Jack of all trades. I find people who know a specific industry very well and invest in them. For me, it is all about the people you are involved with and making sure you trust them.

      • Now, Does it hurt you to “spread yourself thin” in investments?

        A little bit of something that booms is better than a lot of something that has expected results..

        Something like investing in Google.com when you could buy their shares for $XX instead of mid $XXX :)

        • It doesn’t because most people who invest in companies don’t spend much time investing. What everyone usually does is invest in things their friends are investing in. It is what I call the “herd mentality”.

          Yes investing all your money in Google at $XX isn’t bad, but there could be investments other than the stock market that give higher returns.

          • I think you misinterpreted what I said (or perhaps I just didn’t go into detail enough :) )

            I meant back in 2001 when they were JUST starting up.. If you had put even a couple hundred in their stock at the low price, your ROI would of been fantastic.

            • I understood that, but you have to look at your ROI over time as well as the financial return (not just the percentage). For example if you invest 100 dollars into Google you may get back 1000 if you sold it at its peak, which could have taken 3 or 4 years. For me that doesn’t really do much unless I could have bought 1000 shares.

  17. Neil, You have really stepped up the last couple of posts, since the video post. I’d be curious to find out why, buy that might be for another time, but this post is great, what advise do you have for the guy who has tried and failed and has yet to seen “any” fruits of success? Where would you recommend the starting point?

    • I would continue to chug away. Everyone fails sooner or later, but if you want to succeed you can’t give up. Learn from your mistakes and start over again with the same concept or a new business.

      Before starting again list out all the reasons why you failed. After you do that, make sure you don’t repeat those same mistakes.

      • Because each business has been different, there really hasn’t been one clear cut reason as to “why” it does seem like there comes a time when there is a problem and “I” can’t see around it, and while i try different approaches the end results keeps the same.

  18. This relates to a post I made on why “The Rich Get Richer.”
    Without diversifying, it is really difficult to become super wealthy in most cases.

    You can’t be diversified from day one, but as opportunities present themselves, you have to study them and see what is appealing.

    I linked the post in my name, if you are interested in reading it.

  19. Nice one. But I don’t like cookies. ;)

  20. I like the point you made about “slow and steady wins the race”, there is no get rich quick scheme. Understanding the importance of carefully evaluating your investment and keeping cash on hand for future opportunities is a critical for long term success.

    Your right about India and China, that’s the future, there are some serious investment opportunities out there today, I’ve been following the Eaton Vance Greater India Fund:

    http://www.eatonvance.com/mutual_funds/fund_info.asp?fund=ETGIX

    • You are a great example of “slow and steady wins the race”. You put in a lot of hours in your business without seeing any returns. You are starting to do well now, but it just shows that good things take a while.

  21. I think too many people get too greedy and want to make the quick buck and put all their eggs in one basket. They just hear from people how I made this much money..blah blah but they do not do their research before making such a decision.

  22. I’d agree with those points. The real estate value should increase more than that though.. Historically real estate increase about 5% a year in value (depending on where you live, etc). If you increased 5% a year over 30 years, that $50k house should be worth about $225k in 30 years.

    At 3%, about $125k, at 4% about $168k. So either way it’s a good investment..

    If you listen to the stock pundits though, they’ll advise to invest in a good mutual fund. Stock market typically makes about 10% return per year over the course of a human life, so you’re getting much better rates of return.

    It all comes down to tolerance for risk, and what your personal investment goals are. Most important thing.. invest!

  23. You make a lot of sense, I have never really thought about my current job going under and put me out of work. There is always room to do another job, and now with the internet age almost everyone can get a second job. Also with a job on the side will help bring in some extra income to buy a house.

    Thanks
    Custom Silicone Bracelets

  24. For me the challenge has been narrowing down how many cookie jars I have my hands in (as far as time investment) to ensure that I get sufficient traction. I do agree that those with one “job” should start applying their transferable skills to a side project to prepare them for whatever circumstances might hit them in this economy.

  25. Always have multiple jobs and multiple projects.. Great point!

  26. Great post! Amazing explanation with such a nice examples. This post really helpful for current market position. But how to possible multiple jobs?

  27. nice post neil patel i was opportune to know about from johnchow dotcom, and i really love your post its great. keep up the good work.

  28. “For example if you invest in a stock, you can sell it whenever you need money. On the other hand if you invest in a home you can still sell it or refinance it if you need money, but it may take some time to do so.”

    True. You could always set up a line of credit, so the equity in the house is instantly available, even easier than selling a stock, with no tax implications (capital gains, at least in Australia that is the case).

  29. A great article showing a balanced and wise approach. I come away informed and more knowledgable, but especially hungry for some homemade cookies, hehe.

  30. I think you are thinking like sukrat, but I think you should cover the other side of the topic in the post too…

  31. You do a great job of mixing your message and pictures, and I like the way you relay your message to us. I have put my hand in a couple of new cookie jars and pulled my hand out of a few. Diversity and focus…lol

  32. Interesting that you mentioned not putting all of one’s eggs in one basket. Even though you are right with that one, I can’t help mentioning something I once read about someone that said “I don’t diversify. Instead, I put all my eggs in one basket and WATCH that basket”. LOL. I doubt if that person can say the same thing today, especially with the global economic downturn that has affected nearly every sector. Anyway, thanks for a very interesting read, once again. Keep em coming.

  33. Financial security comes from being focused on a, I repeat a career. The whole package that you recommend can be called a career for a particular kind of person. If burnout is to be avoided, what we do with our lives must be within reason and keeping our health and mental equilibrium intact.

  34. I must say the selection of cookie jars are beautiful….
    I thnk this post shows that if you start earning on your young age, you will be good enough rich to survive in old age.
    So Good luck :)

  35. about “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket ” you are right but don’t see that it will be good if you focus in successful biz ?

    i mean if you have 10 houses and it is good investment in that time , don’t you focus on this niche ?

    • Focusing all of your energy on one thing can make your really rich or broke. By diversifying you are reducing your risk.

    • LOL, Money Academy, think you have enough RSS icons at the top of your website?

      Money Academy, Don’t get too greedy. Greed Extremism is why we’re in the financial crisis that we’re in right now. You may think I’m in a “successful biz” but remember. Life is Life and s**t happens, the only thing permanent is change.

      One day houses are selling like crazy and the next day you can’t sell a house. (I remember a trip to Miami and seeing what looked like Condos being built on top of Condos, only to find out a year later that many didn’t sell and some canceled their construction.)

      One day your Bank stock is worth thousands of dollars and the next day you realize you could have made more money by buying six packs of beer, drinking them and selling the aluminum back to recycling facilities. *actually comparison is true*

      â–ˆ Kris Tian â–ˆ

  36. Wow are you serious? This is the WORST financial advice I’ve ever read. Diversification is the worst form of hedging there is. Focusing on assets that both generate high yields and capital growth is the only strategy that works – believe me.

    You need to focus on FEWER things, not more. For me, that’s business and real estate. I don’t touch the stock market, start 6 different “.com companies” or invest in startups. Stick to what works and do it forever – think Bill Gates.

    This article really should be deleted for giving such poor, misguided advice. Clearly you are not wealthy nor educated in respect to wealth generation.

  37. I still need to work on the don’t be greedy advice, I usually act on impulse for good or for bad. So far it has worked out pretty nicely, but I don’t exclude the possibility of failure in the future.

  38. Great tips, one problem I ran into and I am restructuring my company now but I actually had my hand in too many cookie jars. I spread myself so thin that it was tough to really focus enough energy/time on each to make it successful.

  39. Putting all your money into one business/opportunity is very risky. If you’re lucky you can earn a lot but the most possible outcome is that you’ll lose everything…

  40. These are some pretty neat ways to diversify your income. The stock market is something that I’m really interested in also. The only problem I have with that is finding the right stock to invest in.

    • Sadly I am losing a lot in the market right now. :(

      • Yep, I’m down on mine too. But it’s a long term thing and I could be doing a lot worse – diversification helped!

        Now is a great time to be putting money in, though. Historically, the best times to put money in are when it’s all doom and gloom, yet the time the masses put their money in is after the markets have been going up for years and everyone’s thinking it’s a dead cert to make them rich!

        If you can carefully pick the areas to invest in and specific stocks or sectors then (if you have the spare cash at the moment) you could make a great gain over the next decade.

  41. cash loans uk :

    A lot of advice you put here do actually make sense.. but they should not be taken as a rule.. Sometimes situations may demand different behaviour.. great piece of advice though..

  42. You’re right, at the start just concentrate on one project then when you feel comfortable start to branch out and, in doing so, spread the risk of your investment.

  43. Timothy Dalessandro :

    Neil,
    I really liked what you said in pint 25..it doesnt matter what you want,it only matters what the customer wants.Now this is always something I had a real problem with as todays generation of workers come with a hand out and it is displayed in customer service.It drove me nuts to see the younger or even the older agents get defensive immediatley and a battle erupts with a customer.Now I know some customers will never be happy no matter what you so but most folks,if you just shut-up,listen intently and try to feel their heart,you can resolve things rather quickly.There are scammers too ,those just out to get something,but they give themselves away to readily…you can discern them easily.I worked in the Airlen industry 32 years as a Supervisor Customer Service and can pick out good customer service all the time now.Im looking for a job in the Middle East where I can broaden my horizons even further.Thanks for your website,
    All my Best,
    Tim D

  44. Gold is a pretty much sure thing that buids wealth i can pretty much garrentee you could put all your money into gold and you will be safe. Gold builds wealth.

  45. You re right on all these. You never want to put all your eggs in one basket and another thing is that you have to take calculated risks…

    • It all comes with the experience you go through… it allows you to really understand what’s going on.

    • You will be way better if you invest some of your money and if you keep something at hand. If you put your money in a bank you will get a very little percentage from them while they are making a lot more from your money, so why helping them when you can help yourself instead? If a opportunity comes along you have money available to invest in it and make much more than the bank will give you.

      • Exactly… just do your research to find out what would make the best deal possible. With investments, you need to be careful and pay attention to various things going on .

  46. resources for teachers :

    Great post, and you are so right about it. The secret is to act in between so to know what risk can be taken and not to try too much. Another thing that comes to my mind is also the old truth that the more you have the more you want. We should be careful with that as well.

  47. I’m still learning from you, while I’m improving myself. I definitely love reading everything that is written on your website.Keep the tips coming. I enjoyed it

  48. I’m currently not but feel free to send me a sample article if you’d like neil @ neilpatel.com

  49. Every design is awesome of these jars

  50. There are very few people in the world who get rich enough, who can publish their name on someone’s back.

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