The 1% - If you can't beat 'em, join 'em

Instead of trying to fight the 1%, like they did with Occupy Wall Street, why don't we join them and maybe expand it to 2%...or maybe 5 or 10%...or maybe even more. It's really not all that difficult to break into the top 1% as you'll see a little bit later.

I came across this picture on Facebook yesterday and it helps to show why most people are stuck where they are.

As you can see, they use 5% vs 1% but the idea is the same. Most people are in the upper left quadrant - they work...they get paid, they don't work...they don't get paid. Your income is determined by how much your boss decides your time is worth. And it's the only quadrant where you pay taxes first and then spend what's left. The other 3 quadrants spend their money and are taxed on what's left.

The lower left quadrant is the self employed person. Again, your income is limited but this time it's limited by how much your customers want to pay you for your time and by how many hours you can work.

The two quadrants on the right introduce leverage. The upper right quadrant leverages time, that is other people's time, and the lower right leverages money...putting your money and maybe other people's money (OPM) to work for you.

Network marketing allows you to move into the upper right quadrant because as your team grows, your income grows because you make a percentage of the sales that your team makes.

J. Paul Getty didn't get to be the richest man of his time by working a massive number of hours a week, he did it by creating businesses that utilized the efforts of thousands of people working 40 hours a week.

How difficult is it to get into the top 1%?

Probably not as difficult as you might think. Here is a map that shows how much income you need to earn in each state to be in the top 1% for that state:

According to this article in the Huffington Post, the income needs range from $228,298 in Arkansas to $677,608 in Connecticut. And about $438,000 in California, where I live.

But what about the median income? How do these 3 states compare versus the median income for that state?

According to this table at The Kaiser Family Foundation:

Median Annual Household Income

View Table in New Window

Location	Median Annual Household Income
Arkansas	$44,922
California	$60,487
Connecticut	$70,161

So, in Arkansas the top 1% earns a little more than 5 times the median income. In California, that difference is about 7 1/4 times and in Connecticut it's about 9 2/3 times the median income.

Here's an interesting table that shows the median income by county. For an interactive version, go here.

Network marketing is one of the easiest and least expensive ways to move into the upper right quadrant. Many companies can get you started for less than $1,000 and a small monthly fee. SendOutCards, the company that I'm with, charges $445 to get started plus $39/month. To find out more, go to www.sendoutcards.com/144087.

Interesting days

Today - World Water Day, As Young As You Feel Day and Goof Off Day

Tomorrow - Near Miss Day, Puppy Day, Melba Toast Day and Chip and Dip Day

Next Tuesday - Smoke and Mirrors Day, Niagara Falls Runs Dry Day and Lemon Chiffon Cake Day

April 22 -  Earth Day and Jelly Bean Day Looks like a good day to go to the Jelly Belly factory