This Guide is not how to "Get Rich Quick." It's not quick. It's how to make a large sum of money realistically. How anyone can do it; not just someone with amazing manip skills or a high staff rank.

You do not need to follow this Guide, it is purely optional. It is posted solely for members who desire to amass a lot of Wealth and are willing to sacrifice immediate pleasures and other shopping splurges. This is the method I have used to gain my personal Wealth, therefore this is my testimony.

If you are interested, I encourage you to read this Guide completely. Perhaps you could follow only parts of it, or all of it some of the time, or come up with your own methods based on this one provided.

This thread won't list you the boring obvious opportunities, like posting more, applying for staff, becoming a Monarch, being a Shop Owner. No, those things are covered in the Guide to Metaphysical and, frankly, I don't think you guys need to be told about them again. Even if you think what I'm about to cover is obvious, maybe it will have one sentence that you can put to use.

Whatever occurs, the content of this Guide could prove beneficial, so trudge on, Metans!

Invest in a Vault Account. They may not seem important to you, but they are absolutely crucial to this method. Vault Accounts will offer you two advantages: Monthly Interest and Savings. I shall cover both.

Monthly Interest: Every month, you receive Interest. This is, by default, 15% of whatever was in your Vault account on a random date from that month. This is added to your Vault account, thus giving you free money for really doing nothing. Yay for free money, right? People tend to take this for granted. After all, when you only have a few thousand in the bank, you only get a few hundred as interest, and it almost feels like nothing at times. But this interest adds up, and as you earn more money... thus you shall earn more interest. Trust me, once you have 20k+ in your bank, your interest begins taking on significant increase.

There is something people overlook, though, about this Monthly Interest deal. You have a default of 15%, but reaching 30% is only an item away. Doubling your interest doubles your income, which quickens how fast you reach that 20k+ mark, which is when the big bucks roll in. This item is called "Interest Upgrade." It is an item you can buy and apply to your Vault account for one month. All you have to do is PM a staff member before the Interest is evaluated and you'll earn 30% instead of 15% that month. You can also receive Permanent Interest Upgrade as a rare blessing by praying in the Ambrosial Mausoleum, which means your interest rate will permanently remain 30%.

Savings: Do not use your Vault Account as a purse. You should never, ever put money into your Vault account with the intention of taking it out later. Many people do this with the mindset that, hey, cramming the money in there while you can may help your interest, so why not? However, using your Vault Account as a wallet or a second form of Wealth does not lead to you saving any money. Members also tend to forget to deposit money in their Vault, letting it stand with little to no money and thus accumulate no interest. And, lastly, members sometimes make another mistake: they put every single penny they earn into their Vault.

The best way to make use of your Vault Account is to use it as Savings. First, pick an amount of money that you think is not extremely difficult for you to acquire, but is not easily attained, either. For me, this is $1,000. I will always keep this number in my Wealth. This money is for me to spend freely, no guilt. However, whenever I double my chosen number, meaning whenever I reach or surpass $2,000, I must deposit all my money until I have nothing but my number left. So if I reached $2,500, I would deposit $1,500, leaving just the $1,000 in my Wealth.

I do not ever, not even once, touch my Vault money. It doesn't matter if it's an "emergency," either, because it's easy to call anything an emergency. Instead, whenever I really want something, I force myself to work hard to build up my $1,000 to whatever amount I need. Once I earn the money, I can buy the item. Not only do I appreciate it, there's no guilt, and I haven't touched my Savings. So if I have my number left, which is $1,000, and I really, really want an item that costs me $1,700, I have to post, do contests, post freebies, and do whatever else I can to reach $1,700 in order to purchase that item. I do not Withdraw or use Debit.

Of course, everyone's "number" will be different. It may be $50, it may be $100. It's simply whatever suits you best. Likewise, if you sometimes dip into your Vault, that's your choice. What I do is remain abstinent from Withdrawing. What you do may be different.

Why do I do this method? Well, it ensures that I do have money for spending, which some people neglect. Why have money if I can never spend it? It also ensures I am saving up still and that my money is constantly collecting and accumulating rather than hovering around the same amount of, even worse, decreasing. Lastly, it forces me to appreciate the worth of money, since I have to work hard for it, and I am more likely to enjoy the profits of my effort.

Never underestimate small money. We all get bit by the lazy bug. I know, it makes life hard, doesn't it? Even worse, it makes earning money difficult. Filling out the form, posting it... it seems like a lot of effort for a few bucks, not even enough to buy the cheapest Agora items. So why do it?

Because it adds up. A lot. Sometimes making yourself do the small things have big results. Things like Word of the Week and Equine Trivia pay off! Be a returning customer to all contests. Strive to meet the monthly ones, like Active Character Rewards, and don't neglect the small ones.

Be a little cunning, too. For example, in Equine Trivia, you can answer every other question. You can also suggest questions and receive the same amount you'd earn for answering a question. So if you answer a question, then suggest a question, then answer a question, you've earned the amount of three answers while still following the rules. And suggestions are very easy. They can regard myths, famous horses, daily upkeep, any tidbit of horse knowledge! They don't have to be obscure. Just think of some basic questions.

Play to your talents. If you are decent at digital art, post some freebies. You earn $100 each freebie! Most artists are eager to get practice in but commissions aren't the only way to do so. And think outside of the box when you do this; for example, our member Grey offered to make Metaphysical a Promotional Video without any prompting. She did this of her own volition, playing to her talents. She did not expect to get paid, but Metaphysical rewards effort, and she received thousands for her innovation and effort. Sometimes coming up with ways to make money that aren't already on the site pays off, pardon my pun. After all, you can get paid for simple suggestions if they implemented in the site! So take chances.

Most members think the only way to gain money are contests that offer huge prizes, being a shop owner, or getting commissions. This isn't true. In fact, those ways aren't the best to earn money. Sometimes those methods are hard to come by, giving big chunks of money but not very frequently. Taking advantage of the smaller opportunities that are always there is a way to consistently earn cash, not wait around and hope for your next big hit.

When you are shopping, fight that lazy bug! Get some bug spray, seriously. You need to first compare prices. Just because one store is selling it for $40 doesn't mean another isn't selling it for $30. Don't accept the first shop you see. They may be counting on your laziness! Don't let them trick you, be sure to check out their competition. That'll teach them, right?

Next, haggle. Always barter if it's an option! And hit 'em low! I know you want to be friendly, don't we all? But you don't start bartering with a medium price. You start bartering with a bare-bottom price, something so low it's shocking. Then, when they retort with a slightly higher price, you're still getting the item for cheaper. If you start in the medium range and they raise the price, you're not getting the best deal that you could have. And, hey, just because you say a number and they reject it and say a different number doesn't mean it ends there. You say 20, they say 40, you say 30, they say 35. Maybe that's when you agree. You aren't being a difficult customer if you're bartering smart. Unless you are being difficult... yeah, don't do that. Be nice and friendly.

Lastly, did you know that you can barter items in the Agora? Yes, it actually is in the rules! If you can ever avoid spending money, and this is in any situation, not just the Agora, go for it! Use the items you have lying around, the ones you don't have any real purpose for, instead of your hard-earned cash. Returning to the Agora specifically, not all shopowners will accept items instead of money, but it is worth a shot. Maybe just a meek suggestion with an awkward "lol" to test the waters? I know you have it in you.

Everyone has excuses why they don't pray. It doesn't fit their character's personality. What if I get cursed? My dears, get over it. Praying is the single most beneficial thing you can do. And here's why: it's how you get somewhere. Let me give you the lowdown.

If you get a small blessing, which is an item, you can sell it or use it and save yourself the money by not buying it. If you get a rare blessing, you can equip it or sell it for a lot of money. Something like Immortality, Magistrate, and any other Rare Blessing or Divine Tear can easily get you $15k+ in the Auction House. Or perhaps you'll get Permanent Interest Upgrade, which we've already covered is quite useful.

So your character isn't the type to pray? Well, praying on this site is technically IC, but it's not very IC. It's more like... an IC OOC. The only reason any portion of it is IC is to satisfy the Prayer Rituals. You only have to scribble out a few sentences to complete the Ritual and the prayer is complete. Your character's personality really doesn't come into play here.

You might get cursed? All curses end in two weeks. It isn't that long to wait it out, not when the blessings are that good, and your chances are that high. Besides, curses are fantastic inspiration! They give you muse, something to post about, something to spice things up. Us roleplayers do love to screw with our characters.

And, of course, don't forget that certain items can always help you out. You can purchase Curse Free to remove any chance of getting Cursed. Or perhaps you'd like to invest in Doubled, which means you get two dice rolls instead of one, thus doubling your chances of getting something good. Better yet, couple the two together. Double the chance, remove the risk.

That Auction House is there for a reason. It's for people who want pure profit from something they have to offer or something they don't want. Or maybe they just want money more. Either way, get creative with what you sell! This isn't just for items and manips. Heck, sell your own character as a Captive! Sell an alliance with your Colony! Sell money! Sell your soul! No, wait. Not that. No one wants that. There are no restrictions on what you sell for a reason. It's so you can come up with something that you own. Not everyone has a rare item to sell or fancy manipping skills. Not that you need a rare item, anyway--if there aren't any Horns in the shops, that item just became desirable enough to sell in an Auction, even though it's only worth $30.

And, of course, it works in reverse, too. Take part in Auctions, using creative bids in turn. You don't always need money to win an auction, you just need creativity and awareness of what you might have to offer.