As people struggle with losing their jobs - or even the threat of losing their jobs - combined with an almost overnight evaporation of wealth, financial planning as we know it becomes the least of their worries. Therefore,it would be in the best interests of financial planners and advisors to pay attention to a new paradigm in effect for realistic and successful financial planning.

The question now is what to do about it. Most people would agree that the government,primarily Barnie Frank,Chris Dodd,and Treasury Secretary Paulson and the major financial institutions (Bear Sterns, Lehman Brothers,Merrill Lynch,CitiBank,Freddie Mac,AIG,etc)are at fault here, and were the situation not so severe its attempts to remediate the problems would almost seem comical. None of this is funny of course and is in fact very serious as we the people will be paying for their gross negligence for years to come. Sadly, Congress is filled with economic and financial idiots who have not learned one thing from the history of the Great Depression and are repeating the identical mistakes which will push our country into Great Depression II.

Even in the ramp-up to the current situation, we are all familiar with the problems most Americans had managing their finances. Overburdened with debt and with insufficient income to support it, most people could not control their money because their money controlled them. The financial meltdown has made this situation even more acute. Borrowing to try and maintain pace with their lifestyles, people became even more burdened with debt and often did so with declining incomes as well.

There is however a solution. The new paradigm is for people to obtain the practical hands on financial education they never learned in school so they can take control of their own finances.(Of course, Congress will refuse to participate.Once people learn that the management of their own finances is not complicated, they will automatically gain confidence in their own ability to trust the person who has the greatest interest in their affairs - themselves. When people understand that creating wealth is the combination of business income and investing wisely, they will appreciate the significant contribution online marketing will make especially during these tumultuous times so that their survival is no longer an issue. Instead, people can focus on creating wealth and an abundant future.

We all know the principles of sound fiscal management. People must learn and apply sound financial principles such as living within their means, being debt free,and invest wisely for the future. But when you can barely put food on the table, all of the sound financial advice in the world is moot.

The new paradigm in financial planning, Financial Planning 2.0, is to help people help themselves. Show them how to get the financial education they need and how to earn an income they have perhaps only dreamed about, and the entire financial planning model once again works.