Fortune Cookie Money Advice: Could They Lead to Wealth?
Written by
David Nadelle
Edited by
Maria Concepcion
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It’s amazing where a few printed words can take someone. Fortune cookies are served throughout the world and taste like dry, vanilla-tasting wafer-y treats that contain mysterious sayings, proverbs and lucky numbers symbolizing luck, fate and all that is unknown.
Like horoscopes, fortune cookie wisdom is vague, but somehow, people interpret the little messages for confirmation and encouragement. A few simple words can change a person’s life. But can applying fortune cookie sayings to your financial plan help you achieve wealth?
Can Fortune Cookie Advice Lead to Wealth?
According to The New York Times, the cookies originated in Japan and are popular in Chinese restaurants everywhere but aren’t found in China. About 3 billion fortune cookies are made each year, most of them for consumption in the U.S.
Reader’s Digest notes many instances of people winning big money using fortune cookie lucky numbers. According to the Times, many winning national lottery tickets in Brazil in 2004 were traced to lucky numbers from fortune cookies distributed by a Chinese restaurant in the country.
Unfortunately, fortune cookies can’t predict future financial success, and as the “surprisingly accurate” examples that Reader’s Digest lists show, positive results are a matter of coincidence. That’s not to say that messages can’t provide guidance to the future and allow for manifestation.
Financial Inspiration at Your Fingertips
Often the words on the fortune aren’t predictions at all, but rather just something you need to hear. They can inspire you to start something new or words to remind you you’re on the right financial path. Successful people draw motivation from everything. Who’s to say you won’t from your next fortune?
The next time you crack open a fortune cookie, you won’t see a Warren Buffett quote about being “fearful when others are greedy and to be greedy only when others are fearful.” Still, you might see something that prompts you to review your retirement plan, start an emergency fund in earnest, diversify your portfolio or prioritize certain fiscal goals.
Overdue money resolutions for 2024 sometimes need a spark, which can come from anywhere, even from a 2.25″ x 0.50″ slip of paper. So, don’t be so quick to discard the message inside your fortune cookie the next time you visit a Chinese restaurant or order take-out. That next big financial tip or winning lottery numbers could be at your fingertips.
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