All of this comes from Dave Ramsey and it is a wake-up call for everyone: 48 percent of seniors over 55 have some retirement savings, 23 percent have no savings but will have income from a pension, 29 percent have no savings and no pension.

I know you can use every excuse under the sun, but do not plan on living well on Social Security alone. Yes, you put Junior through college, now take care of yourself. Plan for your future. Start studying about Roth IRAs.

If you have a mortgage, check your interest rate, if it is over 5 percent, check on getting a 15 year loan at 3 percent or adding extra to your payment each month. If you have credit card debt, pay it off and stop the 21 percent bleeding of paying three years on that coat you bought two years ago.

Go buy some Dave Ramsey books, he is the best at teaching you to take care of your dollars. The little dollars add up over time to thousands of dollars.

I have read all of Dave’s books and wish I had them 40 years ago. They would make great presents to give for all occasions.

The bad news is that this is not taught in school or at home because people do not talk about money, and they should. Your retirement is still your priority!

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Think yourself to …

Think yourself to a great day, a great job, a paid for house, a wonderful family and a blessing coming your way. Whatever you keep putting in your mind will happen to you.

Get up each day thanking God for all the blessings coming your way. Proverbs 23:7 says, “That as a man thinks, so is he.”

Are you excited about your future? If not, why? Your mind is your best asset or your worst enemy. Like your computer, you must put good things in to get good things out. You can never in life move higher than the thoughts that go into your mind each day.

My dare to you is for the next 30 days to get up read something positive and say positive things that will happen to you and your family. What will it cost you? Nothing, but what can it gain you? Everything better!

I dare you to say, “I am healthy, I am blessed,” each morning and thank God for everything you have to be thankful for.

One of my friends is sick. He told me the other day if he died now how blessed he was that he had a great, healthy family that he loved and how he had lived a very good life. To me, that says it all!

He is not bitter, he was praising God for all the blessings that he has received. I bet he will get well and be blessed some more. I dare you to take inventory and count your blessings!