Money, Money, Money, Money....MONEY!!!

With the financial disaster we are in the midst of, I find myself evaluating and re-evaluating my financial plans and goals.  I love that song by Pink Floyd, "Money", but not for the lyrics.  The lyrics are about greed and how we misuse and mismanage money.  I recently read an insightful article on money from street.com titled "10 Reasons Why You Are Not Rich".  I thought I would share a bit of this article with you.  I put it in green for the color of money!

"Many people assume they are not rich because they do not earn enough money.  'If I only earned a little more, I could save and invest better' they say.  The problem with that theory is they were probably making that same exact argument before their last several pay raises!  Becoming a millionaire has less to do with how much you make than you may believe.  It's how you treat money in your daily life."

Here are a few of the reasons why Street.com supposes you are not rich.  I believe there is much truth to this list:

• You care too much about what your neighbors think
• You are not patient
• You spend too much time trying to make a quick buck
• You flat out ignore your finances and financial goals
• You care too much about how your car may be a reflection of you
• You lack financial diversification
• You started planning too late (I still believe later is better than never)
• You refuse to learn (this applies to new things as well as from your mistakes...credit)
• You spend money on things you don't use
• You don't truly understand value
• Your house is too big (Utahns are extremely guilty of this)
• You don't take advantage of opportunities 

I am not perfect either.  I still have a lot of area to cover in the next few years.  There is a lot of truth to this article.  I find it is right in line with many of the principles taught by Thomas Stanley in his book, "The Millionaire Next Door".  A great read.  It really helped me understand that anyone can achieve a level of financial independence at any income level by simply adjusting their daily habits involving money and how they view the filthy stuff.