Introduction

No matter how dire your situation, there is hope. You can take control of your financial life and build a prosperous future.

I'm saying this from personal experience. I was raised in a coal camp near Clarksburg, West Virginia, the son of an uneducated miner. The tarpaper shack I called home had no running water. I lost the first joint of a finger when I played catch with a sharp piece of anthracite, a common pastime in a setting with few childhood diversions. My parents had no way to help me get an education or any start toward a prosperous adult life. I have faced poverty, disconnected utilities, empty refrigerators, and thieving business partners.

I am also the well-educated, prosperous owner of a financial planning firm, a loving husband, and a devoted father. I've earned the ability to enjoy my friends, my hobbies, my family, and the financial security I've created. I did it myself, and I am absolutely passionate about helping you do it, too.

This book is the culmination of my career as a financial planner. In it, I endeavor to share decades of knowledge and experience in both the nuts and bolts of planning and investing, which you can find in other places, and my thinking about money and life, which you will only find here.

At its best, I believe that good financial planning is synergistic. When you learn to set and achieve financial goals, you also learn a great deal about yourself: your priorities, your values, your beliefs about marriage and family, your professional ideals. When we align money with our deepest beliefs, we become much more able to lead lives that are in keeping with our values.

In that sense, this book is only partially about money. At a deeper level, it is about teaching you to find and bring out the best in yourself. Whether you're 26 and have tons of student debt, 40 and realizing that you will have two kids in college at the same time, or 60 and worried about retiring, there is help and hope for you.

Reacting to financial circumstances is what most people do. Retirement is five years away, and they wonder how they'll have enough money to live on, never mind enough money to travel to places they've always dreamed of going. Their child is due to begin college in just three years. How will they get the money they need to pay tuition and other college expenses? Or perhaps they hear about what someone else calls a great investment opportunity. How do they know whether it's a wonderful opportunity for them?

So many of us wait until the need for money or decisions is nearly upon us before we take action. It can be different for you. In this book, I will show you-as I've shown clients for 50 years-how you can achieve financial independence by making financial decisions proactively, not reactively. You have the ability to take care of yourself and your family, without waiting for any kind of miracle. I'll show you how.

Creating Your Financial Plan

The key is in creating a financial plan. An individual financial plan is a map, helping you navigate the complex, constantly changing world of finance. This book will guide you as you prepare your plan and put it into action. That will take time and effort, but it will also help you sleep better at night, undisturbed by worries and questions about money.

This book will help you create your own financial plan and will also tell you what a financial planner can do for you, how to find a good planner, and how to best work with that person when your search is successful. If you're a planner, it's my hope that this book will serve as a kind of mentor, showing you my thinking on a variety of issues, including what good financial planning entails.

If you already have insurance, an estate plan, investments, tax planning, a college fund, or a pension, you might think that your financial plan is already set. Think again. What you have isn't a financial plan. A good financial plan incorporates everything you already have and adds an objective evaluation of your current financial picture, your goals, and what it will take for you to achieve those goals. Pull all these things together in an organized way, and you have a financial plan.

A financial plan helps you understand what you have now, where you want to be, and how you will get there. It's personal, designed to map an individual path between your current position and your unique end goal. It's not your neighbor's retirement plan or one created by a computer algorithm.

Follow the lessons in this book, and you will learn to manage your money and your life so that eventually you can attain financial independence. Working will be an option for you-not a requirement.

How Does This Relate to Investing?

Financial planning is more than investing. Many people believe that choosing the right investments will put them on the proverbial Easy Street. But this isn't usually the way things work out. Most people react to each financial event, instead of planning ahead for their whole financial future. When they hear a hot stock tip, they buy stocks. When they hear gold is going up, they buy gold. But they never consider which investments will help them achieve financial freedom and when and how to buy. You will learn a step-by-step process for setting up an investing plan, as well as how to avoid common investment mistakes.

Are You Meeting Your Goals?

Throughout this book, I explode some myths about money, taxes, insurance, and investments, reminding you that taxes, rates of return, and other details are just that: details. It's easy to let them become short-term distractions from your long-term goal. You don't win this game by paying the least in taxes or getting the best return on your investments. You win by reaching your goal.

Let's say your goal is to save $1 million in the next 10 years. The first year, you put $100,000 in your savings account. The second year, you put $100,000 under the mattress. The third year, you hide $100,000 in the closet. Every year for 10 years, you put aside $100,000. At the end of 10 years, you've met your goal-and where you stashed the money, how much return you earned on it, or what taxes you paid on it don't matter very much.

Working through the financial planning process helps you find the money you need to meet your goals. When you have both goals and a financial plan, you will know when:

• You don't have enough money, and you must revise your goal or reach it later than you'd hoped.
• Or you have enough or more than enough money and can reach your goal on time or sooner than you'd planned.

You may not like what you discover. Your goals may have to change. But you'll know where you stand-and where you stand may be within reach of surprisingly high achievements.

Obstacles to Reaching Financial Goals

Along the way, you'll learn more about the obstacles that prevent many people from reaching their financial goals: taxes, inflation, death and disability, lack of a plan, ego, and leakage.

Federal and state taxes are said to be one of life's two certainties, and they're nearly always on the rise. Fortunately, there are ways to minimize the taxes you pay.

Inflation eats away at income. Those who don't plan for it can end up with less than they need. Inflation is one of the villains that can get people into financial trouble before they realize it. Even a tiny amount of inflation over time can affect your lifestyle if you don't plan properly. Consistent planning and saving can help you stay ahead of inflation.

Although no one likes to talk about them, death and disability can be devastating to a family that has not planned for these events. You may have estate plans, and you should have a will. Alone, however, these are not enough. What would your financial situation be if a disability forced you to stop work for months, years, or perhaps the rest of your life?

How would you cope as you watch your car being repossessed? How would you feel if your spouse had to work two jobs? Many find it uncomfortable or even painful to talk or think about these things, but you must. You will learn how to plan for death and disability, giving you a greater sense of security than you have now.

I've already mentioned that many people react to financial events as they happen, instead of creating a unified plan for reaching their goals. Without a plan, you'll have a much lower chance of success.

Ego is the hardest obstacle to overcome. Some people cannot reach their financial goals because their egos get in the way. They buy cars and join clubs to impress people. They live in houses they can't afford. Instead of planning for the future, they keep up with the Joneses today, a decision that keeps them from reaching financial independence. I'll show you what happens if you increase your lifestyle one year too soon. You'll be shocked by the difference one year can make in whether you reach your goals.

Leakage can be a hidden obstacle between you and your financial goals. Leakage happens when you don't reinvest your investment earnings to help you meet your goal. Did you spend your last stock dividend, instead of investing it? That's leakage, and it can really add up over time. If you save $5,000 a year and earn 10 percent annually, you would earn $500 the first year. It's so easy to spend that 500 on immediate needs and wants. If you do that, after 20 years you will have the money you put in: $100,000. But if you reinvest the...