Save more!

The most important key to reaching your financial goals: saving.

You can't get good returns on money you don't save and invest. 

You may not be able to control inflation, tax rates, bond or stock returns, but you have complete control over your savings.

This point was nicely made in a recent Wall Street Journal article, "If You're Not Saving, You're Losing Out."

The last 15 years have felt like a wasteland for portfolio growth if you just look at market appreciation. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 and NASDAQ indexes are up are 4-5% annualized over the last 15 years. That doesn't look or feel like huge portfolio growth.

But, if you have been saving over the last 15 years, then your portfolio's growth probably doesn't look bad. In fact, your saving has probably caused more portfolio growth than investment appreciation or dividends. That's not a bad thing, unless of course you haven't been saving.

The easiest route to financial independence is through consistent saving. Getting great returns helps enhance the outcome, but the savings comes first, and contributes the most.

Nothing in this blog should be considered investment, financial, tax, or legal advice. The opinions, estimates and projections contained herein are subject to change without notice. Information throughout this blog has been obtained from sources believed to be accurate and reliable, but such accuracy cannot be guaranteed.