The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Its as true with saving money as with anything else.
These days, weve been frightened into thinking we must save thousands of dollars immediately. Most of us simply cannot do this, and the media does us no favors when it makes the situation sound so hopeless that we might as well give up.
Financial planning should be focusing on real people, people who have trouble saving, people who really need the help that instead seems geared towards the wealthy.
As a result, many of us think that if we can only save, say, $10 a month, then it isnt worth it. Not true! Once you sock away that $10 and realize that youre still okay, youll realize you can put away a little more.
Maybe you increase it to only $20 a month, but thats $240 a year, plus the interest youll receive for putting the money in a savings account or money market. You only need $250 to open an IRA, and thats a worthy goal.
Even if you stick with $10 a month, thats $120 a year, and if you think that isnt much money, you can probably afford to put away more.
The best part of this technique is that you get into the habit of...