No one starts out in life thinking they’re going to die or fail financially. Unfortunately, according to several studies, most do one or the other.

Of course, we can’t prevent premature death, or other forms of financial catastrophe. What CWA can do is help you succeed financially through good planning, including contingency planning, and then stay with you to help you keep your plans on track so your story is one of success rather than failure.

With the highly publicized problems of the Social Security system, personal retirement planning has taken on increased significance. CWA will consider your benefits under any pension, profit sharing or Keogh plans plus individual programs such as IRAs, deferred compensation, and annuities. We will help you understand your potential benefits under Social Security.

This analysis will be guided by three questions:

	Will your project retired benefits provide the standard of living you desire?
	Are you taking advantage of the maximum tax deductions for contributions to retirement programs?
	Are the retirement dollars you have set aside earning the maximum yield consistend with your objectives and concerns?

 
In some ways, Financial Independence is another way to look at Retirement. Retirement is a loaded concept. Most people think of Retirement as something that will occur far in the future, something that requires lots of work and lots of investing. Some people who focus on Retirement are concerned only with increasing income and investments. People who focus on Financial Independence are just as likely to spend their energy looking for ways to reduce their current expenditures, to save money, to live cheaply. The lower your cost-of-living, the sooner you can achieve Financial Independence.

Financial Independence may seem like a pie in the sky ideal. It’s not. This is your goal. This is what drives you. This is what you’re trying to achieve. Of course it seems like a crazy dream: it’s your final destination. But if you don’t fix this in your head as something you want to obtain, you’ll never achieve it. In order to become Financially Independent, you must make the decision to pursue it.

Remember, the sooner you begin working on your financial plan, the closer you will be to attaining your goals for financial freedom. Take that first step today, with CWA.