Up to this point, our articles have focused on your current financial situation, on knowing from where you are starting. Now we are going to take you to the other extreme—where you want to end up. Where you are going is almost as important as your starting point. It gives you a destination, a target, a place on which to set your sights.
If you think about a successful business, you can be very sure that behind the scenes there is a successful business plan, one that was put in place when the organization was born and one that is centered on a Vision. The company will have laid out in this business plan where they want to be in 1 year, 3 years, 5 years. They will know what their ultimate goal is in very specific terms. They won’t just say they want to be the best. They will say that their goal is to be at the top of the Fortune 500 list in 5 years.
Think of your financial life as a road trip. You know from where you are starting—New York. You know where you want to go—sunny Miami. Now that you have your starting point and your destination, you can plan how you will get there. You can plan it in stages and you can even stop to see some of the sights along the way. You can travel as quickly as possible or you can take the scenic route.
This is the same as your financial journey. In the past few issues, we have helped you determine your starting point and now we will help you figure out your destination or your Vision. Then you will have what it takes to make your plan.