Be careful who you listen to. There is no single financial product or philosophy that is right for every situation. There are generally many ways to address your financial concerns. Remember all of us as professionals in the financial services industry, are trying to get your business, whether we are bankers, investment advisors, insurance agents or financial planners. None of us are truly unbiased. We are all trying to make a living. We all believe in what we do and we all believe that what we offer, is the best for our clients.

The question isn't who do you trust, or how do you find the best investment for your particular situation. For the majority of people, it is a question of starting a savings plan and sticking to it.... The best savings plan (investment), is the one that you start right now. One that you put money into every month, and one where you will leave the money there to grow. In the long run, it doesn't matter if you use mutual funds, savings bonds, IRA's, 401ks, cash value life insurance or stuff your money under the mattress. What really matters, is the amount you save, the length of time you save, how consistently you save and whether you leave it there.

General Tips:

• Almost everyone needs to establish a financial foundation of safe money, a minimum of 6 months of income for emergencies. Once this is established, then you can start looking at the other ways to save (invest).
  
• You should start saving TODAY, with as little as $10 per week and increase it as quickly as you can until you are putting away a least 10% of your income monthly.
  
• If you decide that cash value life insurance is a part of your savings strategy, then do not let any one convince you to drop or replace it. It is almost never in your best interest. While cash value life insurance isn't the investment with the best returns, it may be one of the best long term investments for many of us, because while protecting our families, it forces us to save on a consistent basis.
  
• Recognize that all Mutual Funds and Variable Products involve risk. No one can guarantee that the money will be there when you need it most. Plan on no more than a 8% annual return over the long term. There are over 1500 growth mutual funds available. Very few of them have a long term history (30 years or more) of performance that is over 8%. No one can predict the future and no one can tell you which funds will be the best performers over the next 30 to 60 years.
  
• Find an experienced financial professional that will take the time to review your entire situation. Unfortunately, today most financial professionals (even fee based planners) tend to focus on one very limited area. Find a financial professional that will take the time to get to know you, your situation and will make recommendations based on what you really want and need.
  
• Be very careful when listening to well meaning friends, relatives, and other non financial professionals. They mean well and they may think the know about insurance and investments, but in general they will give you poor advice for your situation. Remember, no matter how good or how much you trust your accountant or attorney, they are not trained financial professionals.
  

Call or email me today to get your Free copy of  "Living Debt Free And Truly Wealthy" based on the 'Found Money Management™' Concept.
 

Yours in Success,

Nathalie Vaiser, FMM