Wealth           How Financial Planning can make you Rich!       1.   Set measurable financial goals Set specific targets of what you want to achieve and when you want to achieve results. For example: Instead of saying you want to be "comfortable" when you retire or that you want your children to attend "good" schools, you need to quantify what "comfortable" and "good" mean so that you'll know when you've reached your goals.       2.   Understand the effect each your decisions Each financial decision you make can affect several other areas of your life. For example: An investment decision may have tax consequences that are harmful to your estate plans. Or a decision about your child's education may affect when and how you meet your retirement goals. Remember that all of your financial decisions are interrelated.       3.   Re-evaluate your financial situation regularly Financial planning is a dynamic process. For example: Your financial goals may change over the years due to changes in your lifestyle or circumstances, such as an inheritance, marriage, birth, relocation or change of jobs.       4.   Start planning as soon as possible. Don't delay your financial planning. For example: People who save or invest small amounts of money early, and often, tend to do better than those who wait until later in life. Thus, by regularly reviewing your finances early in life, you will be better prepared to handle life's changes and emergencies.       5.   Be realistic in your expectations. Financial planning is a common sense approach to managing your finances. For example: We cannot change our situation overnight; it is a lifelong process. Remember that events beyond our control such as inflation or changes in the stock market or interest rates will all affect our financial planning results.