To be financially secure and independently wealthy, is something we all desire, as not to stress and struggle with not knowing if you have another paycheck coming, or if you enough money to buy food, pay your rent or mortgage, and support your family. If you are lucky, talented, or privileged enough to advance to college and receive your degree, you should be on the right path to succeed financially. If, however, you weren’t academically proficient, or you weren’t talented enough to get into college or a trade school, you are going to have to get into the work force as an entry level employee, working for a company or corporation, and hopefully move yourself up the ladder. Whatever job you end up in, your habits and your work ethic, will either be your best friend or your worst enemy. Without a formal education, it is upon you to realize that you will need to work harder and think smarter to succeed in this world, but the good news is, you can accomplish your goals and your desires if you focus, put your mind to it, stay positive, and plan your future one small step at a time. With any job, one of the most important factors that matter to an employer is that you are regularly on time to work, and that you seldom if ever call off of work, most especially during your probation period. You can be a well like and productive employee, but if you are always late, you will be looked at as a second-class employee. Another important factor and just as important is your attitude. A friendly, positive attitude is everything to an employer. An employer has to see you and work with you every day, and they want someone who can take their work seriously, professionally, and yet have a good sense of humor, a positive attitude, and the ability to get along with co-workers, and also to take direction well. If you can master your attendance and your attitude, you have won the battle, and you will succeed. When it comes to now acquiring wealth, remember the saying, “It’s not how much money a person has or how much they make, it’s how much does a person own.” We are not talking about liquid wealth, we are talking about secure wealth, like ownership of land, or property. One of the greatest investments of secure wealth, is real estate. Home ownership is the key to becoming independently wealthy. One of the ways to get involved in your investment into real estate is through your employer. This is why if you do not have the ability to obtain a college degree, for securing a well-paying job, try to obtain employment with a company or a corporation that offers an employer matching 401k plan. Disregard anyone trying to convince people that the 401k plan is a high risk, as they are usually getting paid to enroll people into other types of investments. There are three pillars you must knock down to qualify for a home loan. First pillar, proof of income. You need to be on a W2 from the employer, not 1099. You will need to show two years of tax returns, preferably from this employer to show work consistency, and the amount you make in income will help determine how much of a loan you can borrow. Also, this employer will have the employer match 401k plan, to help you with your down payment. Second pillar, your credit score. Your credit score will also help determine what your interest rate will be, which will determine what your monthly loan payment will be. Pull your credit report and score from all three credit bureaus, and if you have anything derogatory on your credit report, contact the creditor holding the derogatory and make a payment plan to pay off the debt owed. Once the debt is paid, you can dispute the debt with the credit bureau to have it removed. Repeat this process until all of your debt on your credit report is clear. While you are chipping away at paying down any bad debt on your credit report, your 401k is growing exponentially. Third pillar, your down payment. This is where your 401k comes into play. Most people can afford a monthly payment on a house or condominium; they just have trouble saving for the down payment. What most people don’t realize is that you can borrow up to 50% of your 401k at any time without being penalized by the IRS. You never want to close out and take all of your 401k, for early or you will have to pay taxes and a 10% penalty for early withdraw. If you change employers, make sure they have a 401k plan and then roll over your plan to your new employer and let it grow. Now with your proof of income and tax returns, your good credit score, and your down payment, you are ready for the best investment of your lifetime. The equity (Profit) starts growing the moment you have the keys. After a couple of years, use the equity to upgrade to a more profitable property, or take out some equity and buy another property investment. That’s Capitalism! That’s the American Dream!