Making enough to live on is not easy. The media has stirred many folks into a frenzy with such dire recommendations as needing a million dollars to retire. Many are feeling desperate because they have not amassed the arbitrary million dollars. Statistics for how much the average person has saved by retirement are dismal, yet the scare tactics utilized by many otherwise well-informed individuals begs reexamination. One does not need a million dollars to retire. What is needed is a firm grasp of one's current financial situation, along with a concerted effort to build a plan based on present and anticipated future needs. It is not difficult; but it can be a challenge. This book is meant to demystify the process, and shed light on some components of financial planning that may have blinded the masses into a state of panic or futility. The author is no stranger to the vicissitudes of real economics. With a background that includes a childhood of austerity, then as a stranger in a strange land as a single mother, she has learned to adapt to whatever economic conditions she faced. In all of this she has come to appreciate the value of knowing how to succeed in making a living. She has put herself through university, and has learned the intricacies of personal finance. In this book, the author hopes to demystify the so-called experts' wholesale advice that is as arbitrary as it is pointless, without delving deeper into someone's situation. She is an accomplished artist, the author of 27 books with 4 in the work, an educator and public speaker. Her guiding principles are best seen in her acclaimed The Book of Values. She currently lives with her husband in Tampa, Florida.