Permission is granted to reprint this or any other articles on this page as long as no changes are made and the byline, copyright information, and the about the author is included. Please let me know if you use any of these articles by sending an email to scott@scottsumner.com NOTE: ALL of the following information must be included if you reprint this article: Do You Know Where You Stand Financially? by Scott Sumner Copyright (c) 1999-2001, Scott A. Sumner Recent times have proven to be pretty good economically for many people in Canada and the world, although finances continue to be a test. This requires an aggressive approach to the management of your own resources. Unfortunately, most people do not spend enough time at all thinking about their financial future. However, I feel that it's a very important factor to ensure that you will have the financial security you need to live a positive lifestyle. The first step you should understand is no one will do it for you. You are the only person that can improve your financial situation. This requires effort along with the right direction. Create An Exceptional Life: MIND, BODY, MONEY can assist you with discovering the right direction in an unbiased, professional manner. Money has always been a very important commodity , and there is no doubt that it can improve the quality of your life. I'm not saying money will buy happiness, because it definitely won't. However, money can improve life by providing security, and by helping us succeed in areas of endeavor that we choose, whether it be playing a sport, enrolling in a course, or achieving goals. Money can also help in times of medical problems, in providing our children with the best education, or in furnishing our home with some of the comforts of life. How much time do you spend on really reviewing money with the view to accumulating wealth over your lifetime? We have all thought about money and wished we could have something like a new car, a larger house, or a trip, but how much time do we really spend on thinking about our current financial position? How we can improve it or make it grow over the upcoming years? Very few people take time to really think about it, and unfortunately, it does affect the quality of one's life, especially in retirement years. Not giving attention to personal finances could lead to having a bank account with little or no available cash, rather than developing the strength that you need to provide independence. In addition to retiring, there are goals and financial requirements that we need right now. Most young people dream of getting married, raising a family, owning a home and providing their children with a good education. All of these goals have financial implications and require proper planning in order to accumulate the capital to accomplish them. It's my belief that we all have the ability to improve our financial affairs. The question is, how do we apply ourselves? With this approach to financial planning, I am certain we can. Next time we will take a look at making a snapshot of your current financial postion including all the pluses and minuses. About The Author: Scott Sumner grew up in Northwestern Ontario and is a graduate of Lakehead University's ( Thunder Bay, Ontario Canada ) Honour Bachelor of Commerce Program as well as York University's ( Toronto, Ontario Canada ) Master of Business Program. He founded North Superior Publishing Inc, a regional specialty publishing company almost 20 years ago in 1982. This company has published 10 titles in the areas of real estate, business, lifestyle, travel, golf, snowmobiling, automative and family. His book Create An Exceptional Life: Mind, Body, Money can help you look at ways to accomplish more in your life that you ever thought possible. It will start you on a process of living your life to it's fullest potential. Visit www.scottsumner.com