It makes me so sad to read reports that many households don’t have even $1,000 set aside to cover an unexpected expense. What’s so sad is that I know that must cause such stress. If you don’t have an emergency cushion, on some level you’re always worried about what you’ll do if one of life’s “what ifs” strikes. I know many of you want to have an emergency fund, but then you talk yourself out of it before you ever begin saving. Because you know you can’t just snap your fingers and have plenty saved up, or you think you can’t afford to start saving now. No more excuses. You can do it. You must do it. Here’s how to start TODAY.

A recent report that studied the 401(k) savings habits of millions of workers found that one in four of you are not contributing enough to your account to qualify for your employer’s maximum match. The average annual amount of money left on the table is more than $1,300 a year. That is nuts.

You know I love, love, love Roth IRAs. One of the prime reasons being that in retirement you will not owe a penny of tax on your withdrawals. That’s quite different from a Traditional IRA where every penny will be taxed at your ordinary income tax rate.

As a nation we set aside one day a year to formally celebrate our independence. When it comes to your money my hope is that you will make every day, not just July 4th, a day where you make conscious decisions that will help you build financial independence: a life where you are in control of your money, and not vice-versa.

Your Social Security retirement benefit is one of the most valuable pieces of your retirement plan. Not only will it likely account for a large portion of your income when you retire, but it also has an incredible feature: your annual benefits increase with inflation. Your 401(k) and IRAs don’t come with such a great guaranteed inflation-protection feature.