urselves unable to save adequately for our goals, we must consider that the problem may not be in our plan, but in our income levels. Sometimes it’s simply a matter of recognizing that goals may be unattainable without adjusting income levels. This might involve second jobs, or side businesses, orThis column has previously discussed “picturing the future that we desire”, and outlining a plan to achieve it. We mentioned that the plan must include goal-setting, measurement, and implementation. That implementation is this column’s focus.

Putting the plan into action is what implementation is all about. Its one thing to have goals, but without concrete steps to achieve them, they remain dreams. The last column discussed measuring the money required for each of these goals. Now it’s time to figure out how we’re going to put that money together.

Of course, the first step is the obvious one. We must have a source of income. This could be a salary, an endowment, or even a loan (although we’d normally advise against that last option). One might consider multiple sources of income. This protects against undue dependence on one source.

Assuming that some income exists, we can begin to make plans for saving. Based upon our analysis, we can determine how much must be saved on a daily, weekly, monthly, or annual basis to reach our goals. We can then consider if it is possible to grow the money fast enough to reach our target date.

If, in the end, we find ourselves unable to save adequately for our goals, we must consider that the problem may not be in our plan, but in our income levels. Sometimes it’s simply a matter of recognizing that goals may be unattainable without adjusting income levels. This might involve second jobs, or side businesses, or

on is all about. Its one thing to have goals, but without concrete steps to achieve them, they remain dreams. The last column discussed measuring the money required for each of these goals. Now it’s time to figure out how we’re going to put that money together.

Of course, the first step is the obvious one. We must have a source of income. This could be a salary, an endowment, or even a loan (although we’d normally advise against that last option). One might consider multiple sources of income. This protects against undue dependence on one source.

Assuming that some income exists, we can begin to make plans for saving. Based upon our analysis, we can determine how much must be saved on a daily, weekly, monthly, or annual basis to reach our goals. We can then consider if it is possible to grow the money fast enough to reach our target date.

If, in the end, we find ourselves unable to save adequately for our goals, we must consider that the problem may not be in our plan, but in our income levels. Sometimes it’s simply a matter of recognizing that goals may be unattainable without adjusting income levels. This might involve second jobs, or side businesses, or

he obvious one. We must have a source of income. This could be a salary, an endowment, or even a loan (although we’d normally advise against that last option). One might consider multiple sources of income. This protects against undue dependence on one source.

Assuming that some income exists, we can begin to make plans for saving. Based upon our analysis, we can determine how much must be saved on a daily, weekly, monthly, or annual basis to reach our goals. We can then consider if it is possible to grow the money fast enough to reach our target date.

If, in the end, we find ourselves unable to save adequately for our goals, we must consider that the problem may not be in our plan, but in our income levels. Sometimes it’s simply a matter of recognizing that goals may be unattainable without adjusting income levels. This might involve second jobs, or side businesses, or

s, we can begin to make plans for saving. Based upon our analysis, we can determine how much must be saved on a daily, weekly, monthly, or annual basis to reach our goals. We can then consider if it is possible to grow the money fast enough to reach our target date.

If, in the end, we find ourselves unable to save adequately for our goals, we must consider that the problem may not be in our plan, but in our income levels. Sometimes it’s simply a matter of recognizing that goals may be unattainable without adjusting income levels. This might involve second jobs, or side businesses, or

urselves unable to save adequately for our goals, we must consider that the problem may not be in our plan, but in our income levels. Sometimes it’s simply a matter of recognizing that goals may be unattainable without adjusting income levels. This might involve second jobs, or side businesses, or rather may require stepping back from the current situation entirely, and increasing employability through education or training. Furthermore, it might suggest that new, creative ideas should be considered. Alternatively, it might simply involve selling off unproductive assets. Whatever the case may be, the income level is a crucial part of any financial strategy, and one often overlooked by investment professionals.

Finally, once the income levels and saving decisions have been established, we turn to the final component: the investment strategy. The final strategy may include many different types of investments, and use many different types of methods, but in the end, it should always be focused on the goals.

For example, if the goal is to purchase a house in 1 year, investing in stocks may not be the optimal strategy unless you intend to take a great deal of risk. On the other hand, if you plan to purchase a house when you have earned enough money, but plan to remain flexible regarding the specific time, stocks may be more viable.

This brings us to the consideration of asset types. This is one of the most critical decisions to make. There are at least