Not so fun facts: • By 2015, 77 million Americans will be over 50 years old and only approximately one-third of them will be able to retire. • During the economic boom in 1997, the average net worth of the richest 1 percent of families was $9.7 million, while the bottom 40 percent’s average net worth was $3,000. So if your net worth is $3,000, and you spend $3,000 each month in living expenses, you only have one month of living stored up for when you get ill, lose your job or encounter an emergency. Work to get 10 percent in a savings account for rough times. A practical action plan for successfully building a savings account is to set aside 1 percent in savings, 1 percent for tithing, then up it to 2 percent for savings, two percent for tithing, etc. Baby steps are better than standing still!