By J.P. Dahdah, Founder & CEO of Vantage
Our lives are created by the choices we make every single day. Hopefully, we make more great choices than poor ones. When we make a bad choice, we should seek to learn from that mistake so that both we as individuals, and our loved ones whose actions are influenced by our behavior, can make a better decision when a similar choice arises.
The ability to choose is the ultimate freedom. It is such a powerful human force that millions of people are willing to fight to the death for the right to live life feely on their own terms. In relation to money, this truth also applies, which is why I fell in love with Self-Directed IRAs from the moment I learned about them in 2003.
I must admit, I had two conflicting emotions when I first realized that my Financial Advisor training had been limited. At first I felt cheated. As an Advisor, you pride yourself on helping clients plan and design their lifestyle by offering the best solutions based on their personal goals, concerns, and circumstances. I felt cheated because I realized that what I was truly offering my clients was the “Illusion of Choice.”
Sure, my clients had thousands of investments to “choose” from, but those choices were all limited to the stock market. Somehow, if their choice was outside of that set of options, it was no longer “suitable” for them. I probably wouldn’t have felt cheated by the system if in fact stock market investments were my clients’ only choice, but I learned they weren’t. So, the second emotion I felt was liberation — empowered and free! There WERE more choices to choose from within their IRAs and for the clients who preferred to build wealth with an alternative asset class, I could still help them solve their financial dilemma.
You see, we all make financial and life choices based on personal belief of what our options are, or what we have been led to believe they are. Self-Directed IRA investing is for those of us who embrace the responsibility that freedom brings. When I founded Vantage in 2004, I made a choice to fight for all investors who have been duped with an illusion of investment choices. It was a great choice and continues to be one of the proudest professional moments of my life. Let the revolution live on! Who’s with me? Join the Self-Directed movement with Vantage! Happy Investing!!