Film and Television World Life Record

Chapter 2 Making Money

To complete the mission and to live a better life in this world, Li Mu thought for a long time, and the only thing he could do was to make money first.

The couple was originally harmonious and their family was happy. The eldest son in the family usually maintained a good image and dignity.

Unexpectedly, faced with a series of unforeseen events and financial difficulties, everything was torn apart, revealing their most wretched side.

Su Mingzhe wanted a harmonious family life and tried his best to maintain the image and prestige of the eldest son, putting on a brave face even when he was not capable enough.

The changes in the extended family affected the immediate family, causing the couple's relationship to deteriorate rapidly.

All these changes have various causes, but the most important one comes down to "money".

Money can't solve all your troubles, but it can solve most of them.

……

Thinking about money, honestly earning a fixed salary is obviously not enough; it would take forever to achieve financial freedom.

We must take some shortcuts!

Li Mu began to think about what speculative opportunities and shortcuts he could take next.

It's 2019 in the real world, but it's only 2017 here. This timeline difference creates many shortcuts.

"Stocks," a word popped into Li Mu's mind, representing the most common form of speculation for most people.

After thinking for a long time, he shook his head helplessly and gave up.

Firstly, in reality, people don't know much about stocks.

Secondly, the two worlds are not the same, with significant differences in details. Many well-known companies in reality do not exist.

Or even if such a company exists, its development may differ from that of real-world companies, being either better or worse.

The stock market is ever-changing; even the slightest difference can cause stock prices to rise or fall.

Trying to speculate based on dubious information can easily lead to trouble.

Lottery: Not to mention that Li Mu doesn't remember the winning numbers, even if he did, they might not be the same.

Gambling: It's also unreliable. For example, the 2014 World Cup champion was not the same one that Li Mu remembered.

……

After thinking for a while and trying his best to find speculative opportunities, I suddenly heard my colleague next to me exclaim in surprise: "BTC has risen again today, breaking through the $2500 mark. Cryptocurrency is too hot this year."

……

This sentence gave Li Mu a flash of inspiration. He remembered that in November and December of 2017, the price of BTC reached a new high, approaching $20,000 per coin.

Although it later fell sharply, it was also a good opportunity for speculation.

In just two or three months, the return was six or seven times.

Thinking of this, Li Mu immediately began searching for relevant information and trends, comparing them with some articles he had read in his memory.

Surprisingly, they were almost identical, with the trends being basically the same.

He immediately became excited; this was a great opportunity.

With great excitement, Li Mu logged onto Coibse, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, in the United States, to familiarize himself with the buying and trading of virtual currencies.

It was then discovered that BTC was not the only virtual currency on the platform; there were actually dozens of them.

Li Mu suddenly remembered an article about cryptocurrencies that he had read when he was bored, which focused on the market trend in the second half of 2017.

Among them, BTC, which increased more than tenfold throughout the year, was not the one with the highest appreciation; in fact, it only ranked in the middle to lower range among dozens of cryptocurrencies.

In the second half of 2017, driven by market trends, all cryptocurrencies experienced a surge in prices, especially in October and November, when the price increases were almost linear.

Among them, Ripple saw the highest increase, rising more than 360 times throughout 2017.

Litecoin, Dogecoin... all saw their prices increase by more than 100 times throughout the year.

For those with a small amount of capital, it is more suitable than BTC for speculative purposes.

……

With the goal set, the next remaining condition is: where will the money come from?

Speculation also requires capital!

Although Su Mingzhe and Wu Fei have good salaries, their family expenses are also high, including housing, car maintenance, raising children, and daily household expenses.

As a result, she hasn't saved any money over the years. The few tens of thousands of US dollars she has are in Wu Fei's hands, used for family emergency expenses.

Li Mu had no chance of getting the money, nor did he want to get his hands on it; it was the foundation of his family's daily life.

……

The most valuable asset in the family is the house. Over the years, it has appreciated significantly due to the booming real estate market across the United States. Currently, its market value is around $68.

However, the house is also mortgaged, with $12 still outstanding in mortgage payments.

With no other channels for raising funds, the only option left is to focus on housing.

Selling is out of the question; I can't get past Wu Fei. The only option is to mortgage it.

I just don't know if it's possible to use it as collateral while there's still a mortgage.

……

Afterwards, Li Mu consulted with professionals online and found that it was indeed possible.

Many banks now offer mortgage refinancing services, especially the banks where you would normally get a mortgage, making it easier to apply.

It mainly depends on the market valuation of the house and the amount of remaining mortgage payments.

As long as the risk is low and the profit is achievable, many banks and financial institutions in the United States can handle mortgage refinancing.

In this regard, Li Mu prefers to go through financial institutions.

Banks are also good, with lower interest rates, but the review process is stricter, the procedures are longer, and the credit limit is not high.

Although financial institutions offer higher interest rates, their approval process is more lenient, the procedures are shorter and more convenient, and the credit limits they grant are generally higher than those offered by banks.

Given this rare opportunity, the interest earned is negligible compared to how many opportunities you'll miss if you join even a day later.

……

Time was of the essence, so Li Mu contacted a reliable local financial institution and booked an online appointment for an in-person viewing and property valuation this afternoon. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

Wu Fei also has a job, and she has to pick up her daughter from daycare after get off work in the evening, so she's not at home and isn't afraid of running into her.

After dealing with these matters, my tense mood finally relaxed a lot, and I started to handle the work at hand according to my memory.

Unexpectedly, in a short period of time, Su Mingzhe quickly mastered the knowledge about computers in his mind and easily got started.

……

In the afternoon, I took half a day off and accompanied the financial institution's salesperson and the professional appraisal agency to walk around the house inside and out and take some photos.

A specific price assessment will be conducted based on the location and condition of the property, which will serve as the basis for the loan amount.

Subsequently, Li Mu provided photocopies of his and Wu Fei's personal information, property ownership certificate, employment certificate, and bank statements for the past six months.

Everything is normal and meets the requirements. The salesperson from the financial institution is also quite satisfied.

Li Mu and his wife have a good income and own a high-quality property, making them a relatively desirable client.

At his request, he said he would expedite the mortgage loan process and, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the loan would be disbursed within a few days.

Chapter 3 Layout

A few days later, the process was completed and the loan was officially disbursed!

A professional real estate appraisal agency hired by the financial institution valued the two-story villa at $65.

The loan amount also exceeded Li Mu's expectations, reaching as high as $34.

If it were a bank, not to mention how long it would take to complete the process, the maximum amount would be around $20.

Choosing a financial company, even though the interest rates are a bit higher, is still quite worthwhile.

In the past few days, I have already registered an account on the exchange and used my spare change to conduct more than a dozen small-scale transactions, and I am now familiar with all aspects of it.

……

Furthermore, Li Mu discovered some interesting financial instruments.

In the United States, where the financial industry is highly developed, the reach of finance has extended to every corner. As the largest virtual currency exchange in the United States and the world, it generates tens or even hundreds of billions of dollars in trading volume every day in the current hot market.

Major financial institutions and banks naturally wouldn't let this market pass them by, and various financial leverages targeting virtual currencies have emerged accordingly.

What is a lever? The famous ancient Greek scientist Archimedes once said, "Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world."

To put it simply, it's about using a small investment to achieve a large return.

For Li Mu, who has a good grasp of the future market trends of cryptocurrencies, this is the most suitable tool for him.

This was also the only speculative opportunity he had truly seized in the last two years.

If you miss this wave of market activity, you're unlikely to catch the next one.