Foreword
“Begin with the end in mind” is an old saying, but it is as true as ever when it comes to planning. Planning for what? What is the end? What is the desired result? What is the goal? If you cannot answer these questions, then you are spinning your wheels and wasting valuable time.
This is true no matter what you are planning for. How many times have you been in “planning” meetings or have worked on business or personal plans? People spend enormous amounts of wasted hours planning how they are going to do something without knowing what the end is or why they are doing it in the first place. If you don’t know the “why,” your planning won’t pay off.
You need a driving purpose that is bigger than just getting there. It has to include the journey as well. Think about how many times you have started anything and stopped in the middle.
The classic Gone with the Wind recently celebrated its 75th anniversary. It was originally published by Macmillan Publishing Company in 1936. It sold for $3.00. It took author Margaret Mitchell 10 years to complete the masterpiece, typing chapter after chapter. But the first chapter she typed was the last chapter of the book. She began with the end in mind. Everything that followed had a purpose.
Having a purpose is a key element of any kind of plan. That is especially true when that plan involves money, which almost every plan does sooner or later. So it follows that creating a financial plan requires a vision and a purpose.
When it comes to money ...
