As we seek to create a stream of income, we often find ourselves lost in the Money Maze of Life. Important intersections are navigated by random choice or chance rather than by logic or careful research. The tragic result is that we often find ourselves in dead end jobs or high risk, low return business endeavors. The purpose of this article is to provide a few helpful ?sign posts? to guide you.

Consider your starting point. People enter the Money Maze at many different stages of life. The tools with which you enter the maze will depend upon your life experiences, education, background and world view.

Consider your finishing point. Before racing into the maze, it is very important to stop and carefully consider where you want to exit the maze. Your immediate needs and goals will vary depending on your age, lifestyle, family situation, and personal ambition. Whether you are just out of school or middle aged, this is the most critical step of all. In generations past, the most common goal was to ?get a good job, put in 30 years, receive the gold watch, and then retire with a pension.? However times have changed and retirement benefits are less secure. Moreover, recent generations prefer flexibility and freedom over promises of future security.

Of the many finishing points in life's money maze, the most coveted is passive residual income. Residual income results when we invest effort for a period of time and then income continues without additional effort. An example would be an author who invests effort to write a book and then continues to receive royalties. Passive residual income is truly the key to future time freedom. Consider your first choice: employment verses owning your own business.

When you choose to exchange hours for dollars, there is always a limit to how many hours you can work in a day. Advantages to owning your own business can include: unlimited income potential; being your own boss and freedom to choose your co-workers; flexible work schedule; tax advantages and building equity. Owning your own business also opens the door to leveraged income. This means that you make money on other people's efforts. An example would be a real estate broker who makes a percentage of each realtor's sales. If your goal at the end of the maze is passive residual income, then the choice at this intersection would definitely be to pursue your own business.

Consider your second choice: franchised or traditional business verses direct sales business. Franchises and traditional businesses come with a high investment, high overhead, employee hassles, and administrative costs. Direct sales (also called referral marketing and one on one sales) is an exploding trend because of the lower start up costs, lower overhead, and the advantages of working from a home office. Direct sales is also open to any individual regardless of education or experience. For these reasons, direct sales is this author's strong recommendation.

As you continue to face maze choices regarding direct sales companies with which to partner, consider the following recommendations:

Choose a well established company with a proven track record over a new start up company. Nearly 95% fail in the first 5 years.

Choose a company with a consumable product or continuing service over a company that offers a one time purchased product or service. This ensures residual income.

Choose a company related to the wellness industry. This market is driven by 78 million baby boomers in their peak earning years who dictate economic trends.

Choose a company with in house manufacturing. This allows for higher quality, dependable supply, protected formula and a higher net payout in commissions.