Building a successful financial plan can be confusing. As we construct a plan, we find that our financial lives have many scattered pieces, like a puzzle.

The pieces of that puzzle, the major financial issues they represent that each of us can expect to face during our lifetime, include:

A coordinated financial plan provides the framework for achieving financial security. There are steps to achieving this financial security and these steps in solving financial problems in today's world, take work. Two basic steps are involved:

• Step 1 ; in our complex, ever-changing world, expert help is needed. Trained professionals such as your attorney, CPA, IRS enrolled agent, life insurance agent, health insurance agent, securities broker, and financial planner are generally members of your team.
• Choose Your Financial Planning Team
• Step 2 Develop Your Plan; with the help of your team, the second step can be taken, that is, the development of a systematic, integrated plan for dealing with the puzzle and the steps that address your financial security.

This is called developing a financial plan. You can choose to ignore these problems until it is too late; or you can take steps to put the puzzle together and achieve your financial security. The most important step is the first one.