ddavidv said it for me.
I realise that bad stuff happens to folks. My family has been through bankrupcy because of means byond our control. We got out of it and learned a whole lot.
Wanna know why I'm not rich?
I don't have the drive that some of the rich folks do. I don't have it in me to work the long hours or go without a family or friends.
I also haven't had the "right place at the right time" thing happen to me which is a huge factor in being one of the lucky folks that has a chance to get "rich".
I'm rich in the fact that I don't covet what other folks have and that I've been fortunate enough to educate myself to make the decisions I have.
I dont' have "the answers" to investing. I've simply taken the time to educate myself before jumping in with both feet.
I came into the game late. I started saving and investing in my late-20's. If I had known what I could have if I started in my late teens, I'd be farther ahead by now.
I live a reasonable life, my wife's truck is a '96 and my car is a '95. I don't -need- a new car every five years so I don't buy one.
My house was built in 1975, I have a mortgage but the house will be mine eventually. I'm building equity and when I sell when I retire, there's some more retierment income.
I'm not rich, I'm an average working stiff who has to be careful with his money. I've got debt, all of it is from decisions I have made, some bad ones, some good ones.
The difference between you and I is the fact that I don't blame anyone for my situation or my decisions. I don't get angry because someone else had different opportunities than I did. That's life my friend, take it or leave it.
Jere, a really honest tip for your investing. Get yourself a copy of "personal finance for dummies" if you've had problems with investments in the past, it's a great starter book. After that move on to others. Educate yourself about your money and your financial situation. Don't buy stocks unless you can afford to lose a lot of money fast. Buy and hold, buy bond funds, gold and currencies and have a look at segregated funds.