In our experience, people usually don’t fail to achieve their financial objectives due to one particular reason. Instead, a combination of things causes them to fall short. Here are some common financial-planning mistakes:
- Procrastination
- Not having an emergency fund
- Living day-to-day (that is, not having any defined goals)
- Not enough long-term investments for retirement purposes
- Too little “financial” knowledge
- Not paying yourself first
- Too much debt
- Not investing in yourself
- Overspending
- Giving up or depending on someone else
- Having “all your eggs in one basket”
- Not having a will
- Too little insurance or wrong kind of insurance
- Doing things in an “all-or-nothing” way
I guess one of the reasons I can retire at age 50 is that I don’t think I’ve done any of the above. If any, I’ve probably done a little of the last one, but more with regards to eating than saving or investing. 
I did homework all morning and until about 3:00 in the afternoon, when Robert arrived with the ingredients for my Pistachio Nut Cake, which I made for Bill for his birthday.
Robert was also a dear in picking up Irene from the airport for me, while I finished putting the icing on the cake (literally!), and cooked some pizzas for us to have when they got to the house.
It was a fun, fun night at dancing. For once, more than three people actually dressed down to their underwear for “Underwear Night,” and Robert even won a raffle as a result of a donation.