Just How Gullible Are You?

And should you care?

Well, how hard do you work to make $500,000?

By Will deHoo
Founder, FoolProof

Without thinking—like breathing—most of us make hundreds of decisions based on gullible thinking every month.

The Gullibility Project shows you how to recognize your gullible decisions, stop them, and keep hundreds of thousands of dollars—literally—in your pocket.

Half a million dollars. Minimum! If you're a typical consumer, your gullible decisions will probably cost you about 25% of your lifetime income.

What's a "typical" consumer? Here's our definition: you have a bachelor's degree. Your lifetime income is the average for people with a bachelor's degree (about $2 million). You make about five purchases a day, have a limited supply of money and you're flying through life at a hectic pace. You're about 25-30 years away from retiring.

If you don't have a bachelor's degree, you're probably throwing away more than 25% of your lifetime income. If you have an advanced academic degree, you're probably throwing away a lot more than half a million dollars!

But whatever your income, the money you waste because of gullible decisions will be burned forever.

What does "being gullible" actually mean? We've broken it down into four common definitions.

• Too busy to think.
• Too trusting.
• Being careless.
• Easily tricked.

I'm guessing you don't like to think of yourself as "careless" or "easily tricked." But you're probably both. Most of us unconsciously and consistently allow ourselves to be tricked, and most of us react carelessly.

Examples: You laugh in response to a laugh track in a sit-com, even though the scene's not that funny. Or, you see one of your heroes as a pitchperson in a commercial. Even though you don't know anything about the integrity of the pitch, you trust your hero and therefore you trust the pitch. Bingo. If you're careless with your thoughts, you accept the pitch without knowing if it's truthful.

Which brings us back to the half million bucks you're burning. You can stop a lot of that waste if you learn how to recognize the four gullibility "traps" and stay away from them. And recognizing those traps is what the Gullibility Project is all about. Here's a quick summary.

The Four Gullibility "Traps"

1. Wants vs. Needs. Do you consciously and consistently make "wants" vs. "needs" decisions, even on small purchases? Here's a quick way to judge your "wants" vs. "needs" status: can you think of two or three times today you've stopped yourself and said, "Do I really need that? Or can I get by with a less expensive option?"

2. Impulse Buying. This is a two-part question: are you aware how many of your purchases are impulse buys? And if so, can you normally stop the impulse buy? A quick way to judge this: the last time you were in a store, did you, without thinking, buy items you hadn't planned to buy on that visit?

3. Advertising. Do you critically and consistently evaluate advertising? Don't kid yourself when you're thinking on this question. You may think you are not influenced by advertising, but few of us can consistently tune it out. We are all awash in advertising each waking moment, from musical themes to color schemes.

4. Quick Fixes. Do you fall for quick fixes? Sure, you probably don't fall for all the obvious quick fixes ("Flat Abs in Five Days!"). But do you fall for quick fixes like these? You're a bit short on money this week and charge your lunch on a credit card rather than fixing a sandwich. Another example: your idea of solving an upcoming major money crunch is to apply for a major loan.

The easiest money you'll ever make! Recognizing the four gullibility traps and building habits to stay out of those traps can change your financial future.

Blowing a half million dollars happens one dollar and one thoughtless decision at a time ...a bad habit.

You can train your mind to make money-saving decisions by habit too, without thinking—like breathing. That habit can start right now.

You're on the website that will show you how. The site's tools include:

• A great video on each of the gullibility traps.
• A test on each trap. Take it and weep! You'll determine how much money you're probably burning in each trap.
• Excellent additional money-saving resources.

What to do now:

• Watch the "Wants vs. Needs" video.
• Take the test and be dead honest with yourself! No one sees your answers.
• Check out our other resources and tips. Put the tips to work today!
• Then, work through the other tabs at the top of the page. Each tab gives you a video, an article, and more tips to help you conquer gullible spending.

You can do this!

Good Luck!
Will deHoo