Introduction
To start building wealth, most people simply need to change their mentality. 
MoneyDecisions101 will open your mind to help you focus on your financial future.

Lottery, slot machines, sweepstakes, whatever... the average person dreams of becoming rich. Millionaire status. What would you do? Quit your job, travel the world, go shopping? The sad reality is... it is not going to happen. Not that way. You would have a much better chance finding gold in your backyard. Truth is, every time you waste your money on the lottery, those slot machines, and other unnecessary items when shopping, you put yourself farther and farther, from financial success. Why? Because you are wasting your money on things that do not help you financially! Every dollar you waste on the slot machine, makes you poorer, and someone else richer. You have nothing to show for your spending. You are defining a true consumer, throwing your money away.

Time is money. Everyone has heard that phrase, but have you ever really given it any thought? If not, you are about to learn the most important lesson in your life! Let me repeat... time is money... the most important lesson in your short life!

One day after thinking about a friend wasting his money on cigarettes, I thought... what if he could give up smoking and invest his money instead? So, being an Engineer, I ran the numbers... and became shocked at the results! I was so shocked, I layed awake at night, realizing that almost anyone could be rich, if they could open their damn eyes!

There is one major key factor to becoming rich... time. You cannot sit around and wait. So, the earlier you decide to have financial success, the better chance it would happen. And there is two other factors... compounding interest and investment persistence.

"Compounding interest is the greatest mathematical discovery of all time" -Albert Einstein

Do you think Einstein, is incorrect? Well, let me open your mind by showing you a sample investment:
 

Investment Example
Initial deposit = $1000
Interest rate = 5% compounded annually
Deposit = $20 per week = $1040 per year = 1 pack cigarettes per day
So, start with $1000, then take less than $3 per day and put it into an investment account for 40 years.

CONSIDERATIONS
The 5% APY rate may be high or low, depending on the investment. Stocks have been historically about 9% average annual return, while CD's range up to around 5% or more, depending on the economy. Other investment returns can be much higher.
 

Year	Balance	Interest (APY%)	Earned per year	Deposit
0	$1,000.00	5	$50.00	$1,040.00
1	$2,090.00	5	$104.50	$1,040.00
2	$3,234.50	5	$161.73	$1,040.00
3	$4,436.23	5	$221.81	$1,040.00
4	$5,698.04	5	$284.90	$1,040.00
5	$7,022.94	5	$351.15	$1,040.00
6	$8,414.08	5	$420.70	$1,040.00
7	$9,874.79	5	$493.74	$1,040.00
8	$11,408.53	5	$570.43	$1,040.00
9	$13,018.96	5	$650.95	$1,040.00
10	$14,709.90	5	$735.50	$1,040.00
11	$16,485.40	5	$824.27	$1,040.00
12	$18,349.67	5	$917.48	$1,040.00
13	$20,307.15	5	$1,015.36	$1,040.00
14	$22,362.51	5	$1,118.13	$1,040.00
15	$24,520.63	5	$1,226.03	$1,040.00
16	$26,786.67	5	$1,339.33	$1,040.00
17	$29,166.00	5	$1,458.30	$1,040.00
18	$31,664.30	5	$1,583.21	$1,040.00
19	$34,287.51	5	$1,714.38	$1,040.00
20	$37,041.89	5	$1,852.09	$1,040.00
21	$39,933.98	5	$1,996.70	$1,040.00
22	$42,970.68	5	$2,148.53	$1,040.00
23	$46,159.22	5	$2,307.96	$1,040.00
24	$49,507.18	5	$2,475.36	$1,040.00
25	$53,022.54	5	$2,651.13	$1,040.00
26	$56,713.66	5	$2,835.68	$1,040.00
27	$60,589.35	5	$3,029.47	$1,040.00
28	$64,658.82	5	$3,232.94	$1,040.00
29	$68,931.76	5	$3,446.59	$1,040.00
30	$73,418.34	5	$3,670.92	$1,040.00
31	$78,129.26	5	$3,906.46	$1,040.00
32	$83,075.72	5	$4,153.79	$1,040.00
33	$88,269.51	5	$4,413.48	$1,040.00
34	$93,722.99	5	$4,686.15	$1,040.00
35	$99,449.14	5	$4,972.46	$1,040.00
36	$105,461.59	5	$5,273.08	$1,040.00
37	$111,774.67	5	$5,588.73	$1,040.00
38	$118,403.40	5	$5,920.17	$1,040.00
39	$125,363.58	5	$6,268.18	$1,040.00
40	$132,671.75	5	$6,633.59	$1,040.00
	$140,345.34

RESULTS
After 40 years, you would have over $140,345 in your account! Imagine that! Just from NOT wasting your money on a pack of cigarettes per day! Also note that in this example, at year 14 and beyond, the interest earned per year exceeds the yearly $1040 deposit. That is when you know your money is working harder than you are! Now, imagine if you could cut more wasteful spending and invest $30 per day... you would have 10 times the money in the above example and therefore would become well over a millionaire in 40 years!
 

So how does this compare to just saving, without the investment interest?
Well you would have 1000 + (1040*41) = $43,640.00, which is much, much less than $140,345.34! Wow!

Now, you know why I lay awake at night, realizing the most important lesson in my short life. The key to financial success.
Simply start as soon as possible, investing all the time. The investment time period is the most important, while being persistent (keep investing!). Don't waste money. Put it to work for your future. Time really is money.
 

This is shocking, yet fairly simple. So why doesn't everyone invest and become rich?
Unfortunately, most people today, have the REVERSE working against them, in the form of bad credit card debt!! I don't know why, but most people live a lifestyle beyond their financial means. They try to appear more successful than they really are, mainly to impress others. Any extra cash burns a hole in their pocket, usually being spent wastefully, instead of on a useful product or investment. Also, think about it, how can everyone be rich? That is not possible. Hot without cold? Night without day? One defines the other... you cannot be or define rich, if someone is not poor. If everyone was financially rich, who would flip burgers? Who would even work a job at all? It cannot happen. Be happy that there are poor people... otherwise products would not get produced and services would not be provided. Truth is, however, many more people could become rich, if they really learned and practiced the information you just read, instead of waiting for the big winning lottery ticket...