Let's start from the beginning. Many people do not reach their financial goals for one simple reason - they just do not have a plan. In many cases, they do not even understand what they want tin the first place.

The first thing you may want to change is your mindset and attitude. Start thinking like a financial planner, even if you are not one. This change in attitude alone can make a big difference to how you handle your financial affairs. You may have already heard - 95% of the population in this country (in fact, perhaps every country on this planet) will be poor and broke by the time they reach their retirement age. Sad fact, but the numbers do not lie.

What seems to be the problem? Obviously, it is the lack of a financial plan and lack of good financial planning advice. And the first bit of good financial planning advice is that you should actively manage your own finances. Try not to leave it to a financial planner totally. They are good at what they are doing, that is, to work out your financial plans and give good advice on financial products and services. However, the responsibility lies with yourself to actively manage your own investment portfolio to achieve the highest return possible. Of course, this should be done within the context of your own risk appetite.

Here are some financial planning advice on what you need to take note of when drafting out your own financial plan. Take some time out to list out the things that you want in life. These can include major items such as the type of house you want, the type of car you want to drive, the places you want to go for vacation and so on. They should also of course include the usual expenses that are incurred each month.

Once you have all these expenses (major and minor) listed out, you will have a good idea of how much income you need to fund all these items. Don't forget about savings and investment as well. Some thinking should go into whether all these expenses are necessary at all. If not, they could perhaps be better used for growing your savings and investments.

Here is another thing to note. Financial planning advisers can be great partners when coming to your personal financial planning. Their financial planning advice may not always be free (remember - the "no free lunch" adage still rings true), but the professional ones may be worth spending time and money with. But like I mentioned earlier, you still hold the responsibility to actively manage your own financial portfolio.

Simply getting in touch and working with a financial planner can help you sort out your financial affairs quickly. However, it is always better to be financially educated as well. Being financially well-educated allows you to make good and profitable investment decisions. All rich people and the financially independent know at least something (if not a great deal) about investment and making money.

Give it some thought. Almost all the rich and wealthy are financially well-educated themselves. This enables them to spot great investments on their own. Also, the majority of them are very conscious and clear about financial statistics. If you endeavour to be one of them, the quick way to do it is to "role-model" them. Get actively involved in your own money matters and be conscious of where your money is going or coming from. This one piece of financial planning advice could prove very profitable to you.