Believing the media's nonsense is disempowering. After all, why strive to succeed if you can't win? All that is required to reach financial independence is the right knowledge - regularly offered right here - and disciplined action over time. Disciplined action? That means the willingness to maximize your income, live within your means, save regularly, invest smartly and let your money compound uninterrupted. (That means resisting the temptation to spend it along the way.) This does not require you to live like a miser, spend like a cheapskate or forgo many of the fine products and services available in our amazing economy. For example, someone who invests $500 a month in a Roth IRA and earns nothing more than the 10% average annual return of the S&P 500 will have $1 million - tax-free - in 30 years. Own your home instead of renting - and don't pull out the equity and spend it - and you will have several hundred thousand dollars more. You don't have 30 years? Save more and/or get to work earning a higher rate of return. Again... the key is to follow a smart and disciplined plan. If you have a specific financial goal, you can use a compound interest calculator to see exactly how much you need to save and invest each month. Why do so few of us take even this initial step? We weren't taught basic financial literacy in high school. Our family and friends didn't know enough to tell us what to do either. And so many of us live paycheck to paycheck, spending more during the good years and less during the lean ones, but with no actionable plan to achieve financial freedom. That's a shame because the principles of wealth creation are widely understood. That doesn't mean, however, that most Americans understand them. My own goal is to change that. In a series starting this week, I'm going to lay out the paint-by-numbers steps that anyone - Black or white, male or female, old or young - can use to achieve their most important financial goals. I'll offer the blueprint. Your job is to take that actionable information and turn it into a life-changing reality. With the right information and a prosperity mindset - something else I'll share here - it's not just achievable. It's an enjoyable challenge. And, as with so much in life, it's as much about the journey as the destination. Good investing, Alex | 
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