Outwit. Outlast. Outplay.

This post will discuss the Financial Strategies that we can learn from the hit TV Reality Show Survivor. c

This will be the 3^rd time that Russell Hantz has played the game of Survivor.  Aside from being the greatest player to ever play the game of Survivor, Russell Hantz is also a millionaire oil tycoon from Texas. He isn’t playing survivor a 3^rd time for the money. He has money. He is playing Survivor for the winning title of the Ultimate Survivor. Russell Hantz is playing the game of Survivor to win.

According to his biography on CBS.com Russell Hantz is” a self-made millionaire who built his business by working hard, speaking his mind and stepping on anyone who got in his way, Russell will do anything to win the game of Survivor.”    In my opinion Russell Hantz is the greatest player who ever played the game of Survivor because he applies his everyday business smarts to his Survivor strategy.

Here are some great financial strategies that we can learn from Russell Hantz as he plays the game of Survivor:

Be Loyal. Switching financial institutions for every new promotion and switching investments every time they lose money are both bad financial strategies because it can end up costing us more in the long term.

Think ahead. Russell always plans his next move and anticipates his opponents’ next move. Planning ahead for both the short term and the long term are both great financial strategies.  We should always have some sort of plan, budget, or goal that we are working towards.

Get rid of your enemies. Cut them out.  Negativity is not needed in finance or in our personal lives.  If we get rid of our enemies now, they are less likely to hurt us later.

Keep the strong players around. Keep good company.  People who are rich and successful tend to hang out with other people who are rich and successful.  Our allies should be people who share our goals and who have similar lifestyles.

It’s good to get advice. I believe that we should be honest and open about our money, our finances, and our investments. Whether we get advice from our friends and family or from a professional, it is good to be open about money and seek financial advice. If we have questions about money, the odds are that other people our age also have the same questions, or already found their answer.

Be Honest. Honesty is the best policy in life, business, and finance.  Russell is notorious for being brutally honest.  He tells his competitors exactly what he is going to do; his strategy is not a secret.  However, the other competitors still get mad and don’t vote for him to win even when he is honest and tells them exactly what he is going to do.  The first season that Russell Hantz played Survivor he even prepared his rival for their final speech.  He told her what to say to the jury to get their votes and win Survivor…and she did.

The reason Russell has never won the game of Survivor is because the jury of his peers votes on emotion and not on strategy.  The jury is upset that Russell got rid of them, even when he told them to their face that he was going to do it.  Russell is the best strategic player ever on Survivor and he deserves to win. We all could learn a few financial lessons from Russell Hantz on Survivor.

(Photo by PuuikiBeach)

Kristina Tahnyak

Tahnya is a Certified Financial Planner and former Investment Advisor turned marketing and communications professional She holds a degree from Concordia University, is debt free and currently works in the field of digital marketing.