You most likely won’t get rich by working hard, although that will help.  You probably won’t get rich by saving your money and hiding it under your bed. You probably aren’t going to get rich overnight.  Your employer isn’t going to give you an extravagant salary just because she likes you, and Congress won’t send you a stimulus check big enough for a down payment on a house. Odds are you won’t invest in the ground floor of any up-and-coming company that goes public and makes you millions. I suppose all of these things could happen but are you really willing to put your financial freedom in the hands of chance?

It would be nice if I could show you some safe, easy, low-risk, get-rich-quick tricks, or say that one day things are going to just work out for you financially.  Or better yet, show you how to pick that great stock that will make you millions.  Unfortunately, there are no such tricks and anyone who says there are, probably doesn’t know what they’re talking about – or worse – is possibly lying to take advantage of you.

The fact is you are on your own.  The good news is that there are simple, safe, and tried-and-true ways to move from nothing to financial independence, generational wealth, or any other financial goal. The bad news is that it takes time, sacrifice, and plenty of action.  The fact that it takes time, sacrifice and action is why so few people are successful at it.  Most people want to believe there is some magical way to get rich that they have not yet discovered.  I imagine they look for these things to avoid having to do the hard work.    

Here is the truth, though: Accumulating financial wealth is a slow and steady game.  If you want to get rich, build generational wealth, or become financially independent, then you should plan to travel the long, boring road that the rest of us average everyday people have been traveling. That road requires you to do ALL the following things:

• Become a saver not a spender
• Invest your money to take advantage of compound interest
• Diversify your investments rather than putting all your eggs in one basket
• MOST IMPORTANTLY, YOU SHOULD: ‘
• And most importantly, (1) DO THESE THINGS, DON’T JUST THINK ABOUT IT.   (2) START NOW AND MAKE IT A LIFELONG HABIT