The way to build your savings is by spending less each month.

Consider a 15- or 20-year fixed-rate mortgage instead of a 30-year, if you can afford the monthly payments - they may not be as high as you think.

Owning a home is a keystone of wealth - both financial affluence and emotional security.

In January we start saving money, getting out of credit card debt, funding our retirement accounts, and we're doing wonderful. Then, every single year like clockwork, starting in November, all of you fall into this trap that says, 'I have to buy this gift... I can't show up at this party and not have something for everybody.

It's impossible to map out a route to your destination if you don't know where you're starting from.

Imagine you waking up tomorrow and you can't get a bank account; you can't get a credit union account. Everything has gone away and you're now living in poverty.

Like your home's closets, your financial clutter needs an overhaul every now and again, and the payoff will go far beyond the psychic satisfaction of neatening up.