"Who will Watch the Guardians"?

There is a phrase in Latin that translates into english as "Who will watch the Guardians?" 

We are living in a time when it is hard to know who we can trust and what actions we can take on our own to create a secure future. Most of us have been increasingly disillusioned with the scandals and results for small investors on Wall Street.  There does not seem to by any liability on the part of top executives whose decisions result in the loss of billions of dollars in shareholders equity. The most common "punishment" is dismissal with a big, fat, multi-million dollar severance package often including a packed pension, full medical coverage, life insurance and even free secretarial and limousine service for a period of years! 

With all of the recent economic disasters in America and the related and interdependent economies of Europe and the World, it seems that we are headed for a long stretch of higher expenses and a lower standard of living in the U.S., with higher taxes to boot.  This will create challenges in our daily life and for our future planning.

For those in the  2% of Americans who have planned well and sacrificed to save for the future this means the devaluation of savings because of renewed inflation.

For the other 98% who have failed to plan and save adequately, it is time to make the hard decisions necessary to create a more abundant future. This means investing much more time and effort in planning for retirement and the future in general.  People will need to take control and responsibility for their own future success.  There is no question that this will be difficult, because it involves learning new things, making different decisions and even sacrificing some current self-indulgences.

For those prepared to make these changes a better, more secure future awaits.

Please note: The opinions expressed in this blog are not intended as either tax, investment or legal advice or opinions. One of the key elements of Self Directed Retirement Plans is that they make the plan holder responsible for all due diligence and investment results and for the correct legal structure of each investment. The use of properly trained, licensed and insured professional tax, legal and other appropriate investment professionals to evaluate each investment is highly recommended.