How The “Life-Force 8” Destroys Your Finances

Do you know the “Life-Force 8?”

They’re eight desires that all humans have. I first read about this concept in Drew Eric Whitman’s excellent marketing book, CA$HVERTISING.

The Life-Force 8 are biologically programed into us.

And these desires have keep humans alive for centuries.

But, the Life-Force 8 can also be detrimental.

Especially when it comes to making complex financial decisions.

Below are all eight Life-Force 8 desires, and how they can cloud people’s judgement.

1. Survival, enjoyment of life, life extension — One of the most lucrative affiliate and direct marketing niches is rarely talked about. And that’s “Survivalist” content. Glenn Beck is estimated to have earned an extra $4 million per year (during the height of his popularity) from his personal blog that urged visitors to buy gold. Similarly, mail order companies will repackage $1 cans of ham or tuna and rebrand them as “Patriot’s Feast Survival Rations” for a 500% mark-up. Of course, the Life-Force 8 survival desire isn’t just regulated to goldbugs and doomsday preppers. Most of the recent crypto scams pitched themselves with imagery of the US Dollar collapsing, “Have Fun Staying Poor,” global famines, and other vivid scare tactics.
2. Enjoyment of food and beverages — The fancy restaurant scam. Once you boost your income, it’s easy to fall for this trap. Essentially, you equate “expensive” with “good.” Not all nice restaurants are a rip-off (obviously), but certain establishments expertly market themselves to draw in the nouveau riche and overcharge them.
3. Freedom from fear, pain, and danger — If the first Life-Force 8 motivator is about about not dying, this one’s about not putting yourself in a situation where you will die. To give a mundane example, think carbon monoxide detectors. People worry about their homes filling up with carbon monoxide when they sleep, suffocating themselves and their loved ones. So, they buy a carbon monoxide detector. And the problem’s solved! In finance, penny stock and day trading gurus usually hit on this pain point. “How would you like to never worry about money again?” “Imagine paying all your bills, without any stress.” On the consumer side, this…