Topic : 07/03 Get Rich Quick Disasters

Not I personnally.  In 2001, I met and fell in love with a wonderful man.  He was a good father and had a good job.  He was building houses on the side.  Everything was going well.  But one day, he decided to make it big in the construction business.  His mind was set.  He was going to be a millionnaire by the time he reached 42 years old.  Well, guess what? He was getting money and spending it immediately.  He bought a pickup truck, a SUV, a boat, three ATVs.  Before you know it, he was going broke.  I tried to stop him but he would not listen.  Within a year, he was going broke and so was I.  Want to know what he did to put a stop to all of this?  He committed suicide.  Now, his two sons don't have a dad anymore and I don't have the man I though for sure I was going to spend the rest of my life with.  I've always known that money doesn't make you happy.  I may help a bit but that' not all of it.  I hope that something like this doesn't happen to someone else.

Claire

Canada

Hey Dr. Phil

I am a 911 operator..and you would never believe how many people call about these silly scam schemes.  they actualy believe if they send someone money they get so keep some.  and they send it thur western union.  i will never forget the call where the wife was slapping the back of her husband's head for sending someone 500 buck thur western union thinking he was gonna get free money.  it was sad that he was not employed and used her money.  man she was mad!!! but i tell people all day long...if u didn't invite them over to your house or asked for information...don't deal with them .  I am sorry to say i actually have to tell people not to be afraid of being rude to strangers..just tell them no!! hang up the phone!!! and don't open the door. 

I know about those overseas lottery schemes, I have not fell for that, although I did play along with it for a while, and then tried to shame the person who sent it to me, told him if I had indeed won all that money, then why do I need to pay something upfront to get it, I told him to take that amount out of my winnings.  He dropped me real quick.

I have put my resume online, in search of a company who will hire me to work from home, due to health issues. I'm going thru a tough divorce, I get temp spousal support, but I do need an income of course.  One company, called Alaska Textiles "hired" me to process international payments, they want me to take the checks I receive to western union, have them cash it, I take 10 percent for myself and wire the rest to their office, located in a different state.  I did try this once, western union will not accept check, cash only, at least around here.  Now their telling me to deposit the check, wait for it to clear and then they'll send me my 10 percent.  Please someone tell me, is this legit business practice?

I do not have money to risk.  My mom tells me to tear up the checks and forget about this company. I'll take any advice.  Thank you.  Sheryl

Unfortunately I have to say that I know only too well what these guys are talking about.  However, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.  I can't say that I can blame all my behavior 100% on the illness but check out the Bipolar Handbook and it describes me to a "T". 

I see myself all too much in them.  I just am coming off a huge manic episode covering a full year - April 2007 - April 2008. I:

  Spent $95,000:  $7,000 on trying to patent a really outlandish idea and business concept, $7000 on 550 domain names; Several thousand on Trademarking; and on and on.

I am married and have a wonderful wife.  I feel that I really need to get my life in order so that we will go on to live together for the rest of our lives.  The more I look back at my life the more manic episodes I can identify.  They are typically followed by massive depression.

So, just wanted to say that I really liked this episode of Dr. Phil and appreciated the other Posts that people made about the show.

Married to HIM 40 years.  After being married to a man who never kept a job over 18months I would only marry someone with steady work.  He drove a taxi waiting for a government job. Got a good one.  Said I ridiculed him so he quit.  Then the get rich quick started.  I may have lost track of all he tried.  Some things worked for a while.  But when he had a plan to buy land on the river, was allowed to use it, had 100 picnic tables built, bought $35,000 worth of tents, planted grass (no water, so used firehouse hoses) finally the day came to open his great event.  The temp soared to 103 degrees, no one came.  People stole the tables, ripped up the tents, the grass grew in little patches here and there.  Well, that was one thing that didn't work.  I can go on and on but you get the picture.  He's now over 70 and still trying to make big bucks on a double Victorian house in a sad area of the country.  He has worked on this place for over 15 years.  It is a two day trip there from where we live.  He used to go there half time, then one-third of his time leaving me along caring for my Mom.  The time grew less and less. 

He did rent out part for a while to college students.  They wrecked it so he worked some more.  Now he is almost "ready to sell" and make big money as soon as it's done again.  Did I mention it has NO PARKING , 3 stories, each side has 10 rooms and several bathrooms, + basement.     He did make money sometimes.  He bought a house for $23,000 and sold it for over $80,000.  Did you wonder how he paid for the tents and picnic tables.  Yup, that was it.  Off the top of my head I'd guess he went through 15 to 18 get rich quick disasters.  To talk to him he will tell you all the good things that happened in each of them.  I married him knowing life would be interesting.  Yes it has been.  I'm the one work worked the steady good job.  I'm tired, still caring for Mom who is now 98 AND his Mom who is 100+.  Where is he right now?  Up there working on the house. 

Dr. Phil, how about this for an invention............ adult bibs.  I put a cloth napkin on my shirt.  LOL the stain ends up where?  ON MY SLEEVE.  My spouse, who meets me for lunch, laughs how this always happens to me.  The only thing I don't spill is ice cream (go figure). 

Happy 4th everyone.

Pearl

... our computers are equipted with a delete button.  Don't open anything that you have no idea who its from.

I don't know a Peggy Warren, LOL. 

Pearl

Dr. Phil, some of the television shows, for example, "Flip that House", they show how folks buy properties, clean them up and flip them for a profit.  They try and fix a house before the first (or second) mortgage payment is due.  Why I'm thinking this,... some shows make it easy to think big.  They only show bits and pieces of the sweat equity.  It takes more than Dorothy's red shoes.... it takes passion, a lot of planning, experience and hard work.

Pearl