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The
road to wealth is not paved with infomercials. Those wee-hour TV
staples would have you believe that you'll become "Fantasy
Island" rich by placing tiny ads in the classifieds, or by
buying up -- for no money down -- distressed property and selling it
for millions.
Unfortunately,
the only thing you're likely to get from watching those infomercials
is dark circles under your eyes from lack of sleep. If you actually
go to the seminar or buy the tapes, you'll probably just have more
debt.
The
truth is, unless you're lucky enough to receive a sizeable
inheritance, you'll need to navigate your own route to prosperity.
But while Bill Gates-style megawealth may be elusive, becoming a
millionaire is definitely within reach of those who start young and
develop the right habits. And anyone, at any age, can develop the
traits that increase wealth and decrease debt.
"You
can have money or you can have stuff, but seldom do you have both
early in life," says Jason Flurry, a certified financial planner
and president of Legacy Partners Financial Group, Woodstock, Ga.
"Part
of our culture is, 'Fake it until you make it.' Debt holds people
back. They buy liabilities and they make those payments forever.
Spend less than you make, live a modest lifestyle and don't live up
to every raise. Some people have spent their prosperity for the next
10 years and they've done it on credit."
It's a matter of choices
Flurry
isn't suggesting you decorate your home in plastic lawn furniture,
forego cable TV and dine on macaroni and cheese every night. But do
you really need to buy a car that's so expensive that you must
stretch the payments out five or more years? Do you have to have that
50-inch widescreen HD-ready TV right now?
Many
people who choose wealth over "stuff" wouldn't consider
spending money on the "latest and greatest" because they
know their money can be put to better use elsewhere. Buying a
"liability" would probably cause them stress because they'd
rather buy an asset -- something that will appreciate over time and
give them a return on their investment.
Flurry
says he has a hard time getting some of his older clients to spend
their money.
"They've
been savers all their lives and the thought of spending $5,000 or
$10,000 on a vacation is ridiculous; it doesn't matter that they're
worth $3 million. They're really the last Depression generation and
it's burned in their memory that they need to squirrel away money."
Paring
it all down, we've come up with seven steps to becoming wealthy.
Remember, wealth is relative, it doesn't necessarily mean
"millionaire." The goal for many people is financial
independence, says Stewart Welch of The Welch Group in Birmingham,
Ala.
1. Develop a written financial plan
Saying
you want to be wealthy isn't good enough. You need to come up with a
workable plan and put it on paper.
"The
written plan forces you to do something," Welch says. "Calculate
what you need to earn and how to invest. The plan isn't just the
goal, it's the whole thing -- the dream, the goals, the options. The
options are scenario planning -- all the ways you can accomplish that
goal -- open a Roth IRA, contribute to a 401(k).
2. Save, save, save
The
end result of your financial plan should be systematic investment.
Get in the habit of saving money. Build an emergency fund in a money
market account so you don't have to raid the rest of your savings and
investments when there's an unexpected major expense. Make it a point
to save at least half of every pay raise.
3. Live below your means
Don't
be a walking billboard for overpriced designer clothes, shoes,
sunglasses or jewelry. Don't allow your house or car payments to be
budget-busters.
4. Lay off the credit
Some
people say that if you can eat it or wear it, don't put it on your
credit card. That's good advice, but take it further. Try not putting
anything on your cards that you can't pay off in two or three months.
You need only one or two credit cards. If you have a fistful, pay
them off. Remember, debt holds you back.
"It
reduces cash flow for other things, including investing," says
Welch. "If no one gave you money to borrow, you'd be better off
and the economy would be smaller. If they only let you borrow 75
percent of the value of your home, you'd be a heck of a lot better
off."
5. Make your money work for you
It
takes money to make money, but that doesn't mean you need a lot to
invest. Open an account with a mutual fund company that has no-load
funds and low expense ratios. Build a diverse portfolio and you can
reasonably expect to earn 8 percent to 10 percent annually on your
investments over the long haul.
6. Start your own business
In
the 1996 book The
Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy,
the authors state that two-thirds of the millionaires are
self-employed, with 75 percent of them entrepreneurs, and the
remainder professionals such as doctors and accountants.
"The
idea that most people inherit wealth is outdated. A lot is built
through businesses. Business creation is the No. 1 driver of wealth
in this country," says Zultowski.
7. Get professional advice
A
good financial planner can help you fill your portfolio with the
right investments and dump the wrong ones. You don't need to
relinquish control, but you do need to form a good working
relationship with someone who has expertise in this complicated area.
"About
76 percent of those surveyed are actively involved in the day-to-day
management of their financial affairs," notes Zultowski. "They
get involved; they learn about finances, they're not day traders.
They work with advisers but ultimately make their own decisions."
If
you can't afford to have a financial planner manage your money, many
of them will review your portfolio and make recommendations for a
one-time fee.
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