In Money Smart, I explain in detail how to successfully create your Spending and Saving Plan. As you have come to this advice subject I will assume you are having problems creating or, especially, sticking to your plan. To start, let’s summarize the actions you should have taken up to this point. You should have:

• clearly identified, in writing, what you want from your life;
• created a written Spending and Saving Plan that you follow and update monthly;
• followed the Rules of Money and the Rules of Spending Wisely;
• created at least a first version of your Retirement/Financial Freedom Plan.

Provided below is a brief list of actions to take now—in addition to those above. If you haven’t already done so, the following steps will further assist you in creating a successful Spending and Saving Plan:

• Read the advice topic on Planning for Financial Freedom as it will assist you in more clearly and effectively identifying what you want from your life.
• Take the Money Quiz and Opportunity Analysis as it is likely to identify a number of areas that can be improved.
• If you are having a problem with debt, read the advice topic on Getting out of Debt.

At this point I will assume you have done all of the above. If you have, and you still feel you need help, and haven’t been hit with a job loss or something like huge unexpected medical bills, I can only assume you are breaking too many of the Rules of Money, the Rules of Spending Wisely and, possibly, the Rules of Investing Successfully. Ask yourself, are you really being disciplined in sticking with your Spending and Saving Plan? Go back and re-take the self-assessment test at the end of chapter five in Money Smart. Then, for each rule you are breaking go read again what I had to say about that rule. This should take you less than an hour to do. After you’ve done this, if you share your life with someone else, sit down and talk things over. Your next step is to explain what’s been going on to someone you know and respect who has a successful personal and financial life. Listen carefully to what he or she has to say. I am confident you will end up hearing the same things I’ve been trying to tell you. By following the advice given here, you should now have a clearer understanding of what you need to do to get on the path to success, but you will only be successful if you work at it. Barring a job loss or big medical expenses, most people can significantly reduce their debts each month and/or save quite a bit of money if they really want to. The most anyone can do to help you is to give you the tools you need. The rest is up to you.