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Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes -- Envision your life 10 or even 20 years from now. Where do you plan to be? What are you doing and with whom?

Most of us between the age of 35 and 50 years hope to be retired to some degree in 15 to 20 years or less. We see ourselves living on retirement funds enjoying life and family. I have never had a client tell me they see themselves penniless or sick. Yet, these same clients fail to have a full plan.

They may have a retirement fund at work and other investments but how are these performing? Did you plan a financial foundation? What does your Wellness Investment program look like?

Many people tell me they don?t have a financial foundation program or Wellness Investment program in place. Regardless of age and health it is never too late to start planning. It is better than no plan at all. In this article I will give you 2 of the 21 most important Wealth Connection Steps I offer in my online course.

Ask yourself, how does wealth connect to your health? Does it at all? Today most people would agree that finances play a part in how we feel. Lacking funds can add stress to one?s life and play a major part in your health. Ill-health can rapidly eat away at savings if you do not have a wellness plan other than health insurance.

In fact, I advise you rethink health insurance. What I mean by this is that it is what it says it is. Health insurance is for ill-health issues. Only a few ?health insurance? programs are wellness insurance.

Health insurance also dictates the kind of care you can receive. Wellness insurance on the other hand is still an emerging system. A few companies do offer these types of plans and we do not endorse any insurance company as my job is to educate you a bit and you must look at what is right for your specific needs.

The wellness insurance programs I have seen work like this. The self employed or business can purchase these programs. They have major medical benefits for hospital and sometimes prescription drugs. They also have a ?fund? where part of your premium goes that earns interest. That?s right interest. You can use this money for any type of care you desire including alternative medicine of your choice. Any funds you don?t use in a given year stays in your personal account earning interest year after year. At a certain age you can take this money out and use it. I have seen accounts that reach 30k and more. Why buy health insurance you do not use?

Step One

Look into Wellness Insurance programs. Only purchase from a known insurance company. One whose name you have heard of in the past that offers regular polices as well. It is buyers beware market so do your research.

Step Two

What amount do you personally put into your saving account each week? Most people say I have it drawn from my paycheck. This is not what I mean. Think about how much you spend each day on simple things like coffee or food. Can you spare $5.00 per week? I have only met one person who said they couldn?t even save this much. Six months later this person who didn?t become a client phoned me and said they had been doing it and it really worked. Here?s the plan short and sweet ? I go into more detail in my online program. Contact my office for more details of how to receive a free 7-part on line e-course.

Each week whether you have your paycheck direct deposited or not; have as much as you can afford withdrawn from your account and placed in a savings plan at an investment firm like Charles Schwab. Use who you wish and make sure they have an automatic withdrawal program and that the funds go into a savings program.

Every quarter double the amount you are putting in. If you find you really aren?t missing this money from your daily life; double it every month. Don?t be surprised if you start looking forward to saving and adding more to how much you ?put away? each week.

Once this account is equal to 6 months income we move this money into a different type of account I go into future foundation steps in the online program. But we keep putting funds into the savings.

What happens is we have at the base a 6 to 9 month savings account earning a bit better than a bank savings account. Next level is a certain type of money market with the same amount of funds earning a slightly higher interest rate, and so on up through Our Wealth Mastery program.

Point in fact, recently ?Today on MSN? offered a glance at the habit of millionaires. Simple foundational planning won hands down.

Bonus Tip

Invest in your wellness. Visit an alternative doctor like a NCCAOM licensed acupuncturist. This ensures you are seeing someone who has completed an accredited program at an Oriental Medical College. Many acupuncturists are licensed through medical doctor or chiropractic programs. These programs lack in training and number of hours to meet. Make sure your practitioner is an active member of The National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Even if you love your doctor, choose a NCCAOM acupuncturist for this job ? after all would you take your child to a gynecologist just because they deliver babies?

Or if you own a Porsche would you take it to a Honda dealership just because you also own a Honda. No, we take our loved ones and possessions to the experts. Do the same with your health.

Why do I suggest an acupuncturist? They are trained in wellness care and health care. Oriental Medicine practitioners know how to work with all types of illness and keep you well. Plan ahead even if you feel great get an evaluation now and follow a wellness program so that you continue to feel great into your golden years.

A wellness program may simply mean visiting your acupuncturist and massage therapist one time each month. Add up the dollars you save by not getting sick. Invest this savings in your financial foundation.

If you have health issues, think how you will be in 10 years from now if you keep ignoring and minimizing your health, using drugs or having surgery without exploring other options. Acupuncture is virtually painless and offers greater relaxation than even massage.

Dr. Debra Novotny L.Ac D.Hom ND www.enhanced-living.com

Here's how to find out: If...

* you have absolutely no outstanding debts of any kind

* your investments are such that you can easily live off the earnings without ever touching the principal,

* you have complete control over your time, giving you the freedom to enjoy your income with your family and friends,

* where your stress levels relating to financial concerns are virtually eliminated.

...then you are financially independent.

(above list -modified - courtesy of www.acrisp.com)

If you're not, the first step to wealth is to believe that you can achieve it. Believe that you deserve to be wealthy. Desire it and then state your desire to be free of financial worries. Write it down - declare your intention to yourself and the universe. Get clear on your goal: is it just to become debt-free, just to get by financially or is it to be financially independent and free. In other words, is your goal to become wealthy?

Next step is to find out the things that are keeping you from being financially free. Do you spend unneccessarily? Are you in debt? Are you ignorant of what to do? Financial illiteracy keeps many people stuck in a rut when it comes to managing their money. Bad money habits and mindsets do the same too. You must sort these issues out in advance otherwise you might sabotage your efforts and lose whatever wealth you acquire (think of those unfortunate lottery winners you've read about).

Then you need to plan action steps to take you from where you are to where you want to be financially. Think of investments, building your assets, creating multiple income streams etc. Learn about these different wealth-building strategies, pick one that suits you and get to work on it.

Replace harmful attitudes and habits relating to money with helpful ones. Educate yourself on financial matters. Find out how to make your money work for you instead of spending your whole life working for your money. Seek professional advice from a financial advisor if you need to, but do something today to move you towards your financial goal.

The whole time be determined and disciplined about your decision.

Take things one step at a time. With a clearly stated goal, the right information and a well-thought-out plan of action, you will eventually become financially fr*ee.

Dr Kem Thompson is a Wealth & Success Coach, Speaker, Author. She teaches individuals how to create wealth with integrity, and achieve true financial freedom. Financial freedom starts with financial intelligence, so begin your education by signing up for the FREE newsletter, 'Reset Your Wealth' here: http://www.resetyourwealth.com

When you purchased your home, you most likely got a fixed interest rate mortgage with a 15 or 30 year term. These are the most popular mortgages in the industry. Even in the summer of 2004, when the interest-only or simple interest mortgage loans became popular, the average American stuck to the fixed rate. You see, the fixed rate offers security to conservative people, and the average American home buyer and home owner is a very conservative person.

Today, it's time to ignore that conservative nature and throw out that fixed rate mortgage. If you have a home, no matter when you purchased or refinanced your mortgage, you now need to refinance your fixed interest rate mortgage to an adjustable rate mortgage.

Now, before you begin to panic and start calling me all kinds of unsavory names, read on, and you'll see why an ARM is actually a cash goldmine, and you need to start panning for this gold immediately.

When I was originating loans fulltime, I could barely get the word ARM out of my mouth, before the customer would say, ?Oh no! I don?t want an adjustable mortgage. I?ve heard how the rates change and your payment skyrockets, and some people actually lose their homes. No, no, I don?t want my rate to change.? Of course, once I illustrated the thousands of dollars they would save in just a few years and quashed all of those myths about loan payments ?blowing up,? most of them decided the ARM was not the ?devil loan? it?s made out to be.

But why risk an adjustment of your rate, you may ask, when you can have it fixed for the life of the loan? The answer is twofold and quite simple. The first part is the most important, and that is the average American either sells or refinances his or her home in four to seven years. So, if the chances are that you?ll sell or refinance in five years, why fix your rate for 30 years at a higher interest than you can get on an ARM?

The second reason to get an Adjustable Rate Mortgage is because the interest rates are so much lower than fixed rates. And since these great rates are fixed for a particular period, five years on a 5-year ARM and three years on a 3-year ARM, there really is no risk, at all. Again, in most adjustable rate mortgage programs, the interest rate does not adjust monthly or yearly (although programs with these types of adjustment periods do exist at much lower rates).

For example, as of publication of this article in 2004, the 30-year fixed rate mortgage was going for around 5.75%, and a 5-year Adjustable Rate Mortgage was going for about 4%. Suppose you?re financing $100,000. The 30-year fixed rate of 5.75% would give you a monthly payment of $583.57 (not including your taxes and insurance, which vary from state to state and county to county). The same $100,000 financed at 4.0% interest yields a monthly payment of $477.42. The difference in these two payments is $106.15. This is $1,273.80 each year, and $6,369.00 for five years. I can hear you saying, ?Wow, that?s hard to believe,? but these are real numbers and real savings. You may be saying, ?Sure, but the rates change.? This is true, but the difference in the fixed rate mortgages and the ARMs is almost always the same, regardless of what rates the market bears, so you?ll always save a ton of money in the difference in these two payments.

The numbers are even more staggering if you finance $150,000. The fixed rate payment is $875.36 and the 5-year ARM payment is $716.12 ? a monthly savings of $159.24 and over $9,500 for five years. If you buy or refinance a home and finance $200,000 or more, you?ll save between $13,000 and $15,000 over five years, with the 4% rate as opposed to the fixed rate of 5.75%.

Bank that money and you can buy a decent car for cash, or pay for a year of college, or take a European vacation. Pretty powerful stuff, huh? Now, if you?re one of those people who is really into cutting into the term of your mortgage, and you can afford the higher fixed-rate payment, simply apply the difference back to the principal loan amount. You?ll build equity in your home very quickly, and you'll always have the option of paying the lower payment.

So, get your adjustable rate mortgage today, and start using your own personal goldmine.

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