If you believe some of the world’s greatest investors, such as Benjamin Graham and Warren Buffet, it’s not investments that cause people to lose money; rather, it’s people who cause people to lose their money. What is meant by that is investing with sound principles and intelligent practices will always have a greater likelihood of success.

For over 200 years, family businesses have been at the core of wealth creation in America. Family business founders take the leap of faith to launch their business venture, often risking everything, and then spend their waking hours to realize their vision.

This is the story of two friends – one, we’ll call Randy, who, at age 25, recognized the importance of starting a retirement savings program. The other is Peter, same age, but he couldn’t seem to see beyond his need for more immediate gratification – wanting to experience the kind of life style enjoyed by his more highly compensated friends.

The decision to go forward with your plans to start a family is a joyous one, but it can also lead to increased stress especially if your financial house has not been child-proofed. Considering that, on average, the cost of raising a child now exceeds $300,000, there’s little margin for error for most young families that have other important financial goals to achieve.

Today’s retirees are finding that retirement requires at least as much psychological and emotional preparation as it does financial preparation. So, retirement planning needs to include a thorough assessment of human assets and liabilities along with an assessment of financial assets and liabilities.

Let’s state up front that you don’t need a credit monitoring service to stay on top of your credit status. For people who are diligent and deliberate in monitoring their own credit, they can do so by accessing a free credit report from each of the credit bureaus once per year.

The need for retirement planning didn’t really exist until well into the 1970s. Up to that point, people worked until age 65, spent a few years in leisure through their life expectancy which was about 69. Many retirees of that era were able to coast into retirement with a cushy pension plan.

A recent survey by HelloWallet has reignited concerns over the future state of retirement in the U.S. The survey reveals that 25 percent of people holding funds in a 401k or an IRA have dipped into them, and not just in a small way.  Even more alarming is that the funds are being accessed through straight cash withdrawals rather than loans.

Warren Buffet has made no secret of his successful investing strategy. “Buy into fear” he says, “Buy when everyone else is selling”. For most, average investors that may be much easier said than done. Perhaps if we all had a few billion dollars in the bank, we might be able to muster up more courage and take some more risks.

At a time when many Baby Boomers are approaching their retirement years with grave concerns over their income sources, the late night pitches for reverse mortgages may look quite appealing to some. As with any financial strategy, especially those that involve the equity in your home, they should be carefully weighed against your needs, concerns, and priorities.