Haven't achieved doesn't equal will never achieve - there's plenty of time left, at least for me, and I'm happy with my results so far, which may very well exceed Glenn Beck's in the long run, or George Soros', or anyone you could name. I wouldn't group me with you, from what I can see of how you've come at this with me on this thread, and your profile. Do you still believe that Osama bin Laden isn't really dead?
High risk doesn't necessarily equal high reward. Those who buy an index fund and just hold it usually come out ahead of frenetic, risk-hungry day-traders, for instance. Another example would be the difference between those who bet on favorites in horse races consistently, or those who consistently bet on the biggest long-shots in the race.
You must be one of Eric Holder's people.
“High risk doesn’t necessarily equal high reward.”
I think you are speaking of a different topic in discussing trading and investments vs. ‘betting the farm’ on a venture/business. Example: a friend owned a small busiess that was successful. However, he decided to move on and wanted to sell to a specific man that worked for him. The man did not have the capital and would not take out a mortgage on his house to complete the transaction. It was more that he was willing to put on the table, and so he declined. Later, he did buy a similar business at another location, but that was quite a while later.
Another example: you may know the story of the founding of Colorado as a state by the Silver King, H.A.W. Tabor. He made his fortune by grubstaking people who were exploring the silver finds there. He provided tools out of a hardware store he’d started after exploring himself without much luck. Actually, he’d come by wagon train from Maine. The entire venture was betting the farm for him, and it paid off—until the US switched to the gold standard, when he lost everything, except for the Matchless mine. That, and the story of the love triangle with Baby Doe, is the source of the saying, “Hold on to the Matchless, Baby Doe.” She did.
My overarching comment here is to compare the difference between the business affairs of the individual and the spirit of entrepreneurism. In Beck’s case, he already knows what it means to lose everything. He also has a vision for his ideas and is willing to put his money where his mouth is, considering that his vision deals directly with national heritage and values. In addition, he now has earned the ability to have the resources to create that vision and help a number of people in the process with jobs,information and purposeful recognition that American exceptionalism is worth fighting for.
It’s a different mindset than wanting to make a lot of money in investments. Like the man said in “Citizen Kane,” “It’s not hard to make a lot of money if what you want is to make a lot of money.” Today that may not be as true as it might have been then, but that’s a different sentiment than what Beck is doing, which is high risk, the reward for which is dedicated to all of us citizens and the country.