I remember my grandmother always telling me to watch my pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves. Have you ever heard of that expression? There are so many people today that don’t live by that philosophy. Why were people in the olden days more money conscious then they are today? Social Security is worse now than it has ever been. In the earlier years, they didn’t have to worry about getting their social security checks after they retired. Now, none of us know if Social Security will even be around.

A lot of people I know say I might not be here tomorrow so why not live for today. In reality people are living longer because of all the advances in the medical technology. So in my opinion, it is more important now then it has ever been to build your net worth! Will Social Security be around when you retire? I think that the government will do something to keep it in place. Otherwise, we will become a very poor country in years to come. No one really knows the faith of our Social Security plan. Most people today live from pay check to pay check. If there was to be any kind of hick up in their income stream, they would probably be in bankruptcy in a short time. I know that living in this state also causes marital stress for those of us that are married. Money has been proven to cause one of the biggest problems in a marriage. That is why it is more important now to build your financial wealth then it has ever been!

To figure out your net worth, take all your debts and add them up. Then take all your investments and savings that you have and add them up, and then subtract that from your debts. That is your net worth. Remember that assets are included in this. If you have a car that’s worth $10,000.00 and you owe $6,000.00, the difference is your equity. That would be added to your net worth. But remember that a car depreciates so your equity will change. You also do this for your house or anything else that you consider an asset. Take the time to do this and see where you stand financially. This would be considered your financial profile. It is a great way to keep track of your progress down the road. Later when you want to figure out your net worth, just pull your figures out from the first time and change the numbers. Hopefully, it will look better.

A good way to start to build your net worth is to start a home business. It is a great way to make some extra cash and it will also give you some great tax deductions. Taxes are one of the biggest financial burdens that we all face today and it looks like it will keep getting worse. Another great way to build your financial wealth is to join your retirement plan at work. Try to put at least 10% of your salary in your retirement plan every pay check. You will be amazed at how fast it will grow. I still feel that the power of tax free compounding is still the best investment going today! So start working on your financial profile and see where you are 6 months from now. Periodically check your progress so you know where you stand. I wish everyone happiness and success. Start investing in yourself today!