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DISRUPTING SACRED COWS
NAVIGATING & PROFITING IN THE NEW ECONOMY
GARRETT GUNDERSON
WITH COREY WERT
Published 2022 by Gildan Media LLC
aka G&D Media
www.GandDmedia.com
DISRUPTING SACRED COWS. 2022 by Garrett Gunderson. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be used, reproduced or transmitted in any manner whatsoever, by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The stories told in this book are true, but names have been changed to protect the privacy of the authors clients. No liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained within. Although every precaution has been taken, the author and publisher assume no liability for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.
Front cover design by Tom McKeveny
Interior design by Chinook Design, Inc. (chinoooktype.com)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request
ISBN: 978-1-7225-2682-5
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CONTENTS
To the Producers:
The world is changing rapidly. This book is for those who seek knowledge over ignorance, truth over deception, freedom over security, and responsibility over captivity. A time of disruption is at hand, a time to displace antiquated philosophies and myths and instead live a life of abundance, prosperity, and value. Will you answer the call?
A Gift
MAY I GIVE YOU A GIFT? HOW ABOUT THREE? Because youre reading Disrupting Sacred Cows, Id like to give you two complimentary companion books. The first is my New York Times bestseller, Killing Sacred Cows (the prelude to this book). The second is the important follow-up, What Would Billionaires Do?
Killing Sacred Cows challenged convention and pulled back the curtain to reveal the old financial paradigms and models that were positioned as helpful but were in fact destructive to wealth accumulation. More than ten years later, the myths and models I challenged in the book have begun deteriorating at an accelerated rate. The book is your guide to identifying those myths, and your roadmap around the financial pitfalls that reduce wealth. With finance, and the world, becoming increasingly difficult to navigate, Killing Sacred Cows is even more relevant now than when it was first released.
What Would Billionaires Do? gives you my tactics and methods for securing cash, capturing wealth, and creating a legacy. It illustrates a strategy I started using when I was nineteen years old and that continues to serve me to this day. The book then takes it one step further by expanding on the ideas and philosophies that some of the wealthiest families have used (both correctly and incorrectly) to build a legacy that lasts.
As a final gift, Wealth Factory, a firm that focuses on supporting people to get their financial houses in order, plug financial leaks, and identify the financial professionals required for the implementation of the strategies you will learn about in this book, will also provide a complimentary one-on-one support call to determine your financial strengths and highlight the best path for you to reach economic independence in ten years or less.
Go to WealthFactory.com/disrupting to claim your gifts.
Introduction
MORE THAN TEN YEARS AFTER I WROTE MY FIRST BOOK, the Wall Street Journal #1 bestseller Killing Sacred Cows, its philosophy is more relevant than ever. Our world has changed immensely over the last decade, however, and it is essential to take a fresh look at these concepts and see how they can help us navigate the next few years. We are witnessing the greatest wealth transfer in history, and it is only getting faster with the massive disruption due to blockchain, hyper-inflation, and the displacement of the old rules of investing.
This book is not an update to Killing Sacred Cows. Its a sequel.
Since I pointed out the destructive mythology around building wealth, Wall Street, and retirement planning in that book, the wealth gap has widened, the value of money has been decimated, and even the literal notion of money has been redefined. It has become more digital, more confusing, and less personal, and the consequences of inflation are imminent.
Accepting the dangerous dogma of these myths that undermine and destroy prosperity has swift and severe results. Without proper principles to guide them, people chase returns that require unnecessary risk and speculation that leads to loss. Or they buy into sophisticated stories about investments peddled by salesmen that amount to little more than gambling.
Invest early, often, and always is a mantra that will lead to disappointment and destruction. Blue chip companies that were a sure thing in the past will eventually be replaced by blockchain or other emerging technologies, even AI (artificial intelligence).
We are living in a new world, one where anyone can succeedif they know the rules and dont get played by them, that is. Strategies that were once accessible only to Wall Street moguls and used in secret backroom deals are now being democratized. Thanks to crowdfunding, online communities, and strategic partnerships, opportunities that used to require millions of dollars and the right connections are now readily available to anyone looking to start a business, all with minimal to no up-front investment.
This is not a time to rely on gurus who are great at selling advice rather than making their money by following it. In an age when anyone can become a thought leader with just a few videos, Instagram posts, or a long article that gets turned into a book, their free advice can ultimately cost you more than ever.
With billions upon billions of dollars dumped into marketing, the message has become, Hey, were smart, just trust us. Most financial gurus make money very differently from the way they tell you to make it. When they say, It takes money to make money, they mean it takes your money for them to make money. When they say, High risk equals high return, sure, you take the risk, they get the return. This is a win/lose proposition that only stops when you stop letting money intimidate you.
And its not just you allowing money to feel complex, it is a deliberate message from Wall Street, financial institutions, banks, and retirement planners that says you cant be trusted to make these choices, you dont have the time, and you should really just rely on them since they are so much smarter than everyone else.
Most people relate money to spreadsheets and numbers, which supports the complexity narrative and is one of the major reasons why most people feel they will never truly understand money.
In this book, I shed light on the scarcity mindset that holds people captive to a life of financial struggle and frustration. I simplify money, illustrate how to focus your time where it matters most in your finances, and teach you how to deal with the destructive, ingrained childhood beliefs that created the habits and beliefs holding you back from taking responsibility for your money.