Saying you want to be wealthy won’t get you there. You must come up with a workable plan on how to become rich, put it on paper and then execute it. “The written plan forces you to do something; calculate what you need to earn and how to invest,” says Stewart Welch, founder of The Welch Group, a wealth management firm in Birmingham, Alabama. “The plan isn’t just the goal: it’s the whole thing,” says Welch. “The dream, the goals, the options.” The options require “scenario planning” — coming up with all the ways you can accomplish that goal, such as opening a Roth IRA or contributing to a 401(k), says Welch. Bankrate’s investment calculator can show you how much you’ll need to contribute and earn over time to reach your goal.
