Missed Fortune 101: A Starter Kit to Becoming a Millionaire (Hardcover)

by Douglas R. Andrew (Author) "HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED if you're on the right path?..." (more)
Key Phrases: liquid side fund, spendable annual income, spendable retirement income, Uncle Sam, Social Security, Internal Revenue Code (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
The author's voice and the snappy clarity of his writing have a wonderful optimism that serves his ideas well as he makes useful and detailed suggestions on the process of attaining wealth. His main points are expertly organized into the four phases of the wealthy life. He especially good at laying out lengthy discussions of financial logic without losing his listeners' attention. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Description
From financial expert Douglas R. Andrew comes an extraordinary book that challenges the most basic and fundamental concepts of personal investing in a user-friendly format.

In the 30 years Douglas R. Andrew has worked as a successful financial analyst, lecturer, and retirement consultant, he has routinely questioned and challenged the accepted tenets of personal finance. His conclusions are absolutely startling. In 23 informative chapters, Andrew reveals his no-nonsense, yet unconventional, financial growth strategies that challenge widespread money myths and make his clients rich with advice like:

* You shouldn't pre-pay your mortgage
* Don't expect your 401Ks and IRAs to cover retirement
* You can (and should) buy a home with no money down
* and more!

Originally self-published as MISSED FORTUNE (Paramount Publications, 7/03) and targeted towards a more professional financial audience, the first edition of this book sold 10,000 copies. In 4/04, it was published in Warner Business Books trade paperback (0-446-69350-2). This new hardcover edition has been significantly condensed to appeal to the average personal investor.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Business Plus (January 3, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446576573
• ISBN-13: 978-0446576574
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (80 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #17,917 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

100 of 115 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Utter Garbage, October 1, 2007

By	Doug Thorburn (Northridge, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Every flimflam man knows that the con must be carefully layered around a kernel of truth for credibility. Missed Fortune 101 by Doug Andrew succeeds in this by wrapping a number of preposterous ideas and prevarications around three basic and true axioms. They are: (1) income is taxed in what are essentially "chunks," (2) the only relevant tax rate for decision making is the marginal rate, and (3) tremendous wealth can be created by borrowing at one rate and investing at a higher rate. Everything else in this book is not only utter nonsense, but potentially lethal to one's financial health.

The author arrives at two basic conclusions. We should borrow out of our homes and invest the proceeds at a higher rate. Universal life insurance serves as Andrew's means to this end. We should also suffer the consequences of withdrawing from our IRAs and other retirement plans now rather than later, since the tax from such withdrawals will only get worse. Naturally, the leftover funds (heavily diluted by taxes) should be invested in the same insurance policies, which supposedly offer a higher--and safer--yield than whatever the retirement plans were invested in. By page 5, I realize I'm reading a book-length sales pitch and con that has the potential to wreak havoc in my clients' lives (disclosure: I've been an Enrolled Agent tax professional and Certified Financial Planner licensee for almost three decades).

Anything this full of nonsense is difficult to critique. Short of writing a book-length retort, I've settled on the idea of listing the multitude of problems by category and providing examples from each.

A far more comprehensive review is available at my personal sites; just Google my name to find me. This is an abstract from that review. Serious readers will want to check out my books to see what links may exist between financial abuse and the field of addiction. You may wish to start with Drunks, Drugs & Debits: How to Recognize Addicts and Avoid Financial Abuse or Alcoholism Myths and Realities: Removing the Stigma of Society's most Destructive Disease.

Highly misleading examples
(2) "A $6,000 interest expense deduction on an itemized tax return has the same impact as a $6,000 qualified plan contribution. They are simply reflected in different sections of the return." Aside from numerous other issues, the tax savings from the interest deduction may be zero if you don't already itemize deductions.

(3) He implies that ordinary investors can double their money for 20 periods by comparing one dollar pre-tax and one dollar taxed-as-earned, doubling each "period" for 20 such "periods." The number of humans who have done this or something equivalent numbers perhaps a few thousand, which wasn't accomplished by investing in insurance contracts.

Faulty and twisted logic
(4) "...Your home may likely sell much more quickly and for a higher price with a high mortgage balance rather than a low mortgage balance." What the heck does the balance on my mortgage have to do with what a buyer is willing to pay me for my house?

Broad, sweeping and misleading generalizations
(2) Andrew advises that we all sell our homes and repurchase with 100% financing with the goal of freeing up equity to invest in his recommended universal life policies. He ignores the higher interest and property mortgage insurance costs on such loans, overlooks possible increased property taxes and disregards fixed transaction and moving costs.

(4) "Unfortunately, non-spouse heirs far too often end up with only about 28 percent of the money that was left in their parents' IRAs and 401(k)s." This is exceedingly rare and, therefore, scare-mongering.

Questionable predictions and grand assumptions
(3) "Conservatively, [our cozy retirement] cabin will double in value every ten years..." and our $100,000 cabin will be worth "$800,000 in thirty years." Very few areas in the country even during the late real estate boom of the last three decades have done that well. What would qualify as "aggressively"?

Assertions and generalizations that may be lethal to your retirement
(1) "Home equity has no rate of return when it is trapped in the house..." This is outright nonsense. The return is what you save in interest or rents.

(5) He concludes that if not done before, "roll-outs" from IRAs commence at age 59 ½ over a five year period and that some younger people under age 50 should commence withdrawals despite the imposition of early withdrawal penalties. The value of tax-deferred growth is ignored, as is the fact that "repositioning" of funds shrink the amount available for investment by the tax paid, which greatly distorts his calculations.

Inane or incorrect assertions
(2) He states that the interest on an equity line used to purchase universal life insurance from which you contemplate borrowing is deductible. Under IRC section 264(a)3, it isn't.

Sloppy editing of facts
(2) "One requirement [for withdrawing tax-free income from a Roth IRA] is that a distribution may not be made until at least five years after the first contribution is made." This is incorrect. Principle contributions, which are withdrawn before earnings, can be taken at any time at no cost in tax or penalty.

Poor writing and berating of those who disagree with him
(2) "There are two ways to handle information: ignore it as false or increase your level of understanding to accommodate new ideas." Obviously, we are supposed to accommodate his ideas or we're complete idiots.

(3) There are probably hundreds of examples poor writing. "...Premium payments can be varied, fluctuated, and adjusted according to circumstances..." should be, simply, "Premiums can be adjusted."

Throughout, Andrew uses variations of the typical bunko-artist salesman ploy: scare you into agreeing to do whatever he says because life will be filled with disasters if you don't. On the contrary: your financial life will likely turn into a catastrophe if you do.

30 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars What your Life Insurance Agent hopes you NEVER read, October 1, 2007

By	In the KNOW (USA) - See all my reviews

When did Life Insurance become a good Investment?
Did they stop charging those 90% plus commissions on target premiums?
When did the Life Insurance Agent become a charitable organization?

Anyone who is believing this so called NEW way of thinking is either really bad with math or simply does NOT understand Life Insurance. There is a REASON you don't see REAL professionals using this concept they KNOW the TRUTH!!!

What is the ROI on my home Equity? MORE THAN ANY LIFE POLICY!!!!

After you learn how to subtract out all the commissions and fees, then the REAL cost of the death benefit, loan fees for your house loan fees for the life policy let's sit down and compare which approach works best. Having my house free and clear with NO COMMISSIONS to pay, no loans, and no INCREASING internal costs for the life insurance will BEAT any Life Policy I GUARANTEE IT!

Here is a shocker to reality. If you bought into this BS and mortgaged your house and placed the money into a life policy order a current statement for your policy showing the SURRENDER CASH VALUE in the first year, HOW MUCH did you LOSE? Then look at the 5th year how much have you LOST? Tenth year? Do the REAL MATH find out the REAL FACTS.

LIFE INSURANCE is one of the HIGHEST commissioned products in the financial industry if not the HIGHEST FACT! Where do you think that money comes from, YOUR POCKET. 90% first year target premium commission and then about 6% commission each year thereafter. Do the math if the insurance company is paying out 90% of the first year target premium in commissions and 6% each year how long does it take for YOU to make MONEY or even breakeven on your so called investment? It will take OVER 20 YEARS!

Here is a little KNOWN FACT there are currently MANY so called experts out there today TRAINING for a large fee many other life insurance agents and mortgage brokers how to SELL LARGE COMMISSIONED life insurance policies. They don't care if you need a policy or NOT they only care about SELLING a policy. Check the facts. Some are even paying for cruises for Seniors then encouraging them to apply for insurance. IT IS HIGHLY PROFITABLE to someone BUT NOT YOU the policyholder.

You will see many lawsuits in the coming years from these abuses when the you know what finally hits the fan.

By the way did you know that it was illegal for you stock broker to encourage you to take out a mortgage to buy an REAL INVESTMENT? It should also be illegal for Insurance Agents but it's not, well not YET, time will tell.

I wish more people would ask the harder questions before believing this new line of BS.

FACTS: Insurance agents make about a 30-50% commission on term life insurance and around 90-95% commission on whole life products. Keep in mind that this is the first year commission on the premium and subsequent year commissions are much lower with an average of 6% per year for whole life products and 4% per year on term life insurance products.

One of the great problems with whole life is only an expert can tell if a policy you own or are considering will ever become a decent investment. James Hunt, actuary for the Consumer Federation of America, who has analyzed thousands of policies, notes that whole life policies hardly ever yield a reasonable return unless held for 20 years or more.
So if you buy one be prepared to pay into it for the very long haul.
The key to a whole life policy is its internal rate of return -- the yield on the policy after all fees and charges are subtracted. A competent analysis can determine at a minimum whether the weight of the fees and charges built into one of these policies will ever allow a worthwhile return. Such an analysis will also pinpoint the minimum amount of cash value that you can derive from a policy at any given time interval.
Some financial planners, actuaries and accountants can perform internal rate of return analysis on your policy. The Consumer Federation has a service that will do this, calculating the real return year by year and comparing it with other investments.

29 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Smart advice for some, June 6, 2006

By	Swim Guy (Florida) - See all my reviews

I am astonished that so much negative is written about the ideas in this book. One person even admitted he had not read it, but critiqued it anyway. Many people misrepresented what he said. Must be some scary stuff in the book to get people so riled up. So here are my ideas about the book. Even the Dallas paper's columns were not very fair IMHO.

1. He says up front that for simplicity sake he will use 33% as the tax rate. But that is for both federal and state taxes. So if state taxes represent 5% that leaves a federal tax of 28%, a tax rate many of the middle class are in. But even using the 25% tax bracket the theories still hold true.

2. I have recently looked at the insurance products and there are some out there that have paid around 7%-8% over the last 15 years so the number he used (7.75%)is a legitimate number.

3. Suggesting that folks only have one tax deduction (their mortgage interest) is impossible. At the very least they have real estate taxes to deduct so the deduction gained over the standard deduction is not totally unrealistic.

4. Everything he says about dead equity in homes is true. It does have a 0% gain and lendors due foreclose on homes with high equity first.

5. If you take out the equity of your home and invest it you don't have to get a rate of return equal to the mortgage rate because of the interest deduction. Using a more conservative 25% tax rate if you have a mortgage of 6% then you only have to get a return of 4 1/2% to break even. I know of tax free muni funds that have returned better than than over the last 20 years.

6. Which brings me to a final point. The ideas he presents are solid, but if you don't like insurance companies then there are other alternatives for the investment side that makes sense mathmatically. And no lender will loan money to folks if they think that they can't repay the loan so it is unlikely that the larger mortgage would get folks in trouble. If you don't have the income for the larger mortgage you won't get it. If you hate paying commissions or fees for financial products then put your money under your bed or bury it and watch it slowly dissipate (time value of money).

Any investment idea is by definition not for everybody. If you don't like the idea of investing with life insurance and want to invest with banks (CD's, MM's), fine, this strategy might not be for you. If you feel the need to have a paid off house (although he talks about this in the book) then don't carry a mortgage. Just understand that their are ways of doing things that produce better results. This is one of many. Great book for many of us.