I find it only fitting that my first blog post is about the power of compound interest. Most people have heard of compounding and many probably understand it. I then ask myself, why do so few use it? It will make you wealthy. It will secure your retirement if you give it a chance. It will attract money to your account without you doing very much. Why then isn't everybody doing it?

It can't be because people don't believe it works. It's really a simple and provable mathematical formula. Is it because it's not some glamorous "get rich quick scheme?" Possibly. In fact it really is a "get rich slow scheme" when you really think about it.

I suspect the true reason that most people retire with very little is that saving money is really hard to do if you are not in the habit of it. We're not taught how to save in school. My parents didn't really stress the importance of saving to me.

What most of us Americans are exposed to is just the opposite. We are bombarded constantly with slick ads showing beautiful people driving the shiny new cars and wearing the latest fashions. It seems that everyone takes exotic vacations and stays at the poshest resorts.

Your sub-conscious mind is being constantly programmed to spend, spend spend! The companies who pay for these ads don't care about how comfortable you are in retirement. Most of them actually don't want to know who you are after you reach 50 - you're no longer in a major consumer demographic. And if you think Social Security is going to be there to lend a helping hand in any substantial way - think again.

So, it's up to you. As the English poet W.C. Henley so eloquently put it "You are the Master of your Fate and the Captain of your Soul." You have the power to control your thoughts and actions.

Every time you are tempted to pull out your credit card to buy something you probably don't really need, think about your financial security in later life. Visualize a comfortable existence without money worries. The clearer you can see it, the more it will be yours.