How to Build Wealth

Building wealth is technically easy, but many find it to be practically challenging. This is understandable, with all of the distractions that everyday life throws at us. The solution to this problem is as simple as taking an active interest in your personal finances. You must become genuinely interested in securing your financial future. A sound wealth-building plan that will lead you to a comfortable early retirement is not hard to implement, no matter what your current situation is. After all, how many things are more important?

Well, many would say that living for today is just as important, and that saving for their kid's college education is of primary concern. I couldn't agree more! Those things simply must be handled. But they needn't compromise a well thought-out wealth building strategy. In fact, the success of such a strategy is in no small way dependant on those other important things also being taken care of. Everything in your financial life must integrate well or your progress will surely suffer.

The critical components of an organized financial plan that focuses on building wealth are as follows: First off, an emergency fund must be in place for life's unforeseen circumstances. A good figure is 3-6 months living expenses. Secondly, spending and consumer debt must be under control. Get those credit cards paid off and don't carry balances on them. Third, automatically be building savings through traditional investment vehicles. Max out contributions to your 401K or an IRA account, have automatic deductions made into a college savings account. Finally, allocate a steady monthly stream into an aggressive investing account that seeks to make 30% annual returns or more. This can be done manually or by having a managed trading account.

OK, so your first question undoubtedly has something to do with, "How much?" How much is it going to cost you now, how much are you going to get back, and when? A compound calculator can help answer those questions. It's all up to you of course, but the important thing is that you make regular monthly contributions into an investment vehicle that is earning an average 30%+ annual return, and is compounding monthly. If you can't free up enough from your existing income, then start a new part-time business.

Consider that an account size of just $700 with a $300 additional monthly deposit will become over $432,000 in 12 years with a 30% annual rate of return. This figure disregards tax consequences, but such a feat could be accomplished inside of a tax-protected vehicle such as an IRA or the American Skandia variable annuities (which allow aggressive mutual fund trading). A $10,000 starting account with $500 added monthly will be worth over $1.8 million in 15 years time if averaging a 30% annual return.

The number one objection I hear when presenting this concept is that a 30% annual return isn't possible to earn. That is simply not true. You can achieve this by learning aggressive trading strategies, some of which are allowed inside of tax-deferred accounts. There is a lot to choose from, so you should go with something that appeals to you. Some examples include: Market timing strategies, option trading strategies, swing trading, and covered call writing. As a last resort you can always go with a managed account or a trading advisory service, but shop very carefully if that is your chosen vehicle.

The other big objection is that there just isn't enough income available to make that kind of monthly deposit commitment. Fortunately, that situation can be fixed by a combination of reducing your expenses and increasing your income. If you are straightening out your finances first, as described at the beginning of this article (which is a must), you will find ways to do this. If necessary, you can start a new part-time business that you can run by spending just a few hours a week at your computer terminal.

The bottom line is that you can build wealth in your lifetime if you have a mind to. You have to make it a priority, and commit to the effort. I have just shown you what to do, now you need to get organized and start doing it.