You will notice that in this second stage there are no stocks, options, futures, metals, rare coins, or derivatives in the portfolio. And there is a good reason for that. When you have less than $100,000 to invest and less than a long time to get rich, you should focus on only two things:

1. Continuing to increase your income by continuing to perfect a financially valued skill such as selling, marketing, product development, or profit management

2. Investing the surplus in high-return equity ventures If you focus on this for a few years, chances are that you’ll end up with a surfeit of cash—that is, more cash than you need for your side business and real estate ventures. This extra cash should be kept safe. Extra safe. Remember, this is the beginning of your retirement nest egg. So place this surplus cash in bonds, and reinvest the interest in bonds, too. Make it a primary objective to have this safety reserve grow substantially every year. Once your bond savings become significant, you’ll start to appreciate what a valuable, comforting investment bonds can be.