So, you guys already know that I work as a financial advisor to professional athletes and entertainers.  I really enjoy what I do, but sometimes, it has unintended consequences.

I speak to lots of kids, and when they find out what I do, all of their concern and attention shifts to “Wow, how much money does [that celebrity] make?” or “What kind of car do they drive?” or “I bet [that celebrity] has a HUGE crib, right?” Now, all of those things are valid questions, especially given that TV has conditioned us to be enamored with the “lifestyles of the rich and famous.” But, focusing on the lives of prominent athletes and entertainers can give our kids an incomplete perception of what success really looks like.  Even worse, it may lead them to believe that if they can’t rap, act, sing, dance, or shoot a basketball, then they may not be able to live the type of life that they desperately want to live.

I mean, these kids can’t really think that “Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta”, “UnReal Housewives of Blah Blah Blah” or “Kim and Kourtney Take Acting Lessons” really tells the entire story…do they???

That’s when I had my epiphany.  I realized that as a financial advisor, I have also come into contact with, and have as clients, a plethora of doctors, lawyers, accountants, architects, business people and entrepreneurs that are living fabulous lives.  In fact, many of these individuals live lives that are far more enriching than a number of these celebrities, because of the fact that, due to their inability to manage their money, the average celebrity’s “high life” is short lived.  However, the stories of these wildly successful “non-celebrities” has largely gone untold…until now.

Enter “The Best Kept Secret.”  I’ve developed this online show to expose viewers to individuals that have become very successful in fields other than sports and entertainment.  And I mean REAL success.  Not the sort of “I’m on a reality show, so I will make it look like I’m rich, but my home is getting foreclosed on next week” type of (fake) success.  In the coming months, I’ll introduce you to and tell the stories of people that look like you, sound like you, came from where you came from and found a way to make it big.  I’ll also give you the blueprint so that you can do it to.

Check out the video above which sets the stage for why I decided to put this project together.  When you see the looks on the student’s faces, you’ll know why.  I’m also certain that you too, will enjoy learning how to get closer to living the life of your wildest dreams.

Because after all, why should rappers have all the fun?

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WEBSITE: http://www.robwilson.tv
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P.S.

Do you know someone that should be featured on “The Best Kept Secret?” Email me at rob@robwilson.tv!

Special shoutout to @Emmai_Alaquiva, PNC Bank, the Heinz Endowments and Urban Pathways Charter School for getting this project off the ground!!!

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No matter how successful you are, I’m sure that, from time to time, you have some of “those days.”  You know the days that I’m talking about.  The days when you might question yourself more than usual.  The days when things are going as well for you as they normally do.  We all face ups and downs along the way and it can be difficult to stay motivated under those circumstances.

If you’ve ever dealt with this type of challenges, then you need to meet Eric Thomas, a.k.a. ET The Hip Hop Preacher. Eric’s notoriety skyrocketed when a speech he gave to a group of students went viral.  If you haven’t seen it, you need to watch the video below so that you’ll be properly prepared for the interview.

In this episode, we’ll talk with ET about how he overcame tremendous obstacles (including homelessness, and dropping out of high school) to become a highly sought after motivational speaker, author, voice over artist and entrepreneur.

If you feel like you have things you need to over come in life, or you want to build a platform to help others do so, you’ll love this episode.

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Don’t worry, I already know what you’re thinking. The polar vortex has you questioning why your risk your life the in the treacherous city streets, just to go to a job you hate. If this is you, I’m sure it wouldn’t take too much convincing to get you to leave your job.

But what if you have a good job? What if you work for a billionaire and travel across the world? What if you have a fancy degree that everyone thinks you should be using? How easy would it be to leave then?

In this episode, we’ll meet someone who was in that exact same position, Paul Brunson. Paul, a.k.a. the Modern Day Hitch, left a lucrative finance job to create a business as a matchmaker and he hasn’t looked back since.

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With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, there seems like no better time to have a relationship expert on the show. To that end, we decided to have one of the best relationship experts on the show, Tony Gaskins.

Tony is a highly respected life and relationship coach who has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show and the Tyra Banks show, written countless books, performed speaking engagements around the globe and turned his “mess” into a “message” and built a six figure business around his expertise and experiences.

In this episode, Tony gives tons of valuable advice on how to grow your following and monetize your message.  Plus, he even throws in a little relationship advice as a bonus.

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No matter how successful you are, the tough times are going to come eventually. For the most successful people among us, it’s how you handle those tough time is what really matters.

In this episode, you’ll get to hear from one of the most highly decorated and accomplished female basketball players in history, Swin Cash. From the University of Connecticut, to the WNBA, to the Olympics, she has seen success at the highest levels of competition.

But she’s been met with adversity as well.  Like the time she didn’t make the USA Olympic Basketball Team in 2008.

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I came across a pretty disturbing study that uncovered the fact that the richest 85 people in the world own as much wealth as the bottom 50% of the world population. Thats’s right, 85 people own as much as $3.5 billion people!

People hate to talk about wealth inequality for fear of being accused of hating capitalism. I, on the other hand, feel as though it must be discussed because I believe such a great disparity threatens our future security.

After all, when people are hungry, their politeness goes out of the window.

I do believe that people that want to build wealth can do so if they understand how to play the game. Here is my simple framework on how to start building wealth in 2014 in the form of my “4 Ps.”

The 4 Ps of Financial Prosperity

1.  Potential – I frequently say “If you focus on living up to your potential, you’ll never have to worry about living within your means.” Get intense about being the best at your craft, and you’ll have enough resources where you won’t be worrying about whether you can afford latte today or not.
2. Products - The wealthiest people have something to sell.  You may beed to start selling a service (i.e .bookkeeping, grass cutting, etc), but eventually you want to sell products that don’t require your ongoing time (i.e. books, courses, packaged goods, etc.)
3. People - If you’re trading your time for money, you soon realize that there are only so many hours in the day.  You need to have people working for you in order to have a real, scalable business
4. Property – Wealthy people own assets that they generate income from.  These assets could be in the form of stocks, bonds, annuities, real estate, etc.

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Have you ever dreamed of seeing yourself on the big screen, and the fame and fortune that might come along with it? It may seem like an impossible task to get noticed or “discovered” in tinsel town, but as it turns out, the fundamentals of success in entertainment aren’t that different from those in business.

In this episode, you’ll get to hear from star actor Lamman Rucker, a Pittsburgh native, who is perhaps best known for his role as Jill Scott’s love interest in the hit movies Why Did I Get Married and Why Did I get Married Too.

He was gracious enough to share with us the experiences that took him from the inner city to the big stage as a star in major film and television projects.

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Many of us feel as though we have a message that would benefit the world…if we could just get it out there.  Unfortunately, getting time on national media programs is no easy task.

However, with a sound strategy and persistence, it can absolutely be done.  Meet Mario Armstrong, a successful entrepreneur, digital lifestyle expert and frequent contributor to CNN, HLN, Fuse, The Today Show and more.

In this episode, Mario reveals the steps he took to create his national media exposure and shares how he handled adversity when the economy tanked in 2008.

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NOTE: I am participating in a compensated campaign to promote Pittsburgh Public Schools We Promise program. I am a strong supporter of mentoring programs, therefore all opinions remain my own. #IAmWePromise #PPSMentorsMatter

You Should Be a Mentor

Are you a talented, experienced professional with many life lessons learned that could be of benefit to others?  If you read my blog, my assumption is that you are.

As such, I’d like to make a strong suggestion that you should be a mentor.  Especially if you are in the Pittsburgh area.

There are a number of African American male students in the Pittsburgh Public Schools that could use advice from someone life you!

Not quite convinced?  Check out this week’s special Money #MentorMonday video for the top 3 reasons that you should become a mentor.

Remember All of Those Mistakes YOU Made?

When I talk with clients about financial mistakes they’ve made in their lives, I hear one statement over and over again:

Here’s your opportunity to make sure that other young people don’t have to utter that statement.

The Media Isn’t Going To Do It

Have you watched TV lately? Our young men need to see more people like you in the flesh, because according to the media, you don’t exist.

Everyone Can Use a Cheerleader

When I was very young, my parents and my teachers made me feel like I was smart. I’m not sure if they were lying to me or not, but I believed it. They gave me confidence and a sense that great things were expected of me. Those feelings drive me to this day.

Spend some time mentoring a few young men and you can inspire them to do things they’ve never dreamed of.

Interested? Here’s the next step:

If you’ve ready to share your knowledge, expertise and encouragement with young African American males with great potential, please take a look at the Pittsburgh Public Schools’ We Promise Program, and initiative designed to ensure that these young men become eligible for the Pittsburgh Promise.

Eligibility for the Pittsburgh Promise means that these young men can obtain up to $40,000 to fund their college education.  As you can see, there’s a lot at stake.

Head over to the We Promise Program fort more information on how you can get involved.

It will be beneficial for you, and priceless for the young men.

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Welcome to the first episode of the Movers&Shakers Podcast! Movers & Shakers is an interview show where you’ll learn from, you guessed it, people who are moving and shaking in business, sports, entertainment, politics, etc.

In this episode, we introduce you to Jason SurfrApp. Jason is an extremely creative entrepreneur & social media expert who invented ways to sell the shirt off his back, and even his last name.

He is the creator of IWearYourShirt.com, BuyMyLastName.com and recently launched SponsorMyBook.com as a creative way to offer advertisers value as he releases his first book.

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Have You Learned Your Lesson?

There were a number of significant events that impacted our wallets in 2013.  Here are some of the lessons that we take with us into the new year.

1.  Diversify Your Income – The bankruptcy filing by the City of Detroit shows how dangerous it can be to rely on one employer for your entire financial future. Don’t put all of your retirement eggs in one basket.
2. Get Comfortable With Investing – All of the major stock market indices are up more than 25% this year.  Now more than ever, you are responsible for your own retirement. You must learn how to manage and grow your assets.
3. Commit to Lifelong Learning – You must continuously reinvent yourself to keep pace with technology and the changing economy.  As Blockbuster and Blackberry if they wished they had done the same.
4. Take Your Health Seriously – The Obamacare rollout, and its problems, highlight just how big of a deal health care is. The thing is, 75% of healthcare expenditures are largely preventable.  Take care of your health and you will lower your costs and increase your earning potential.
5. You Are Not Invincible – Unfortunate events can happen at any time.  Make sure that your life insurance and your important documents are in order.

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