One of my favorite people, Ronald Reagan, exuded confidence and optimism - two things that have long been characteristics of American people, but seem to be in short supply today.  Even in the darkest days of the 1980's, he had the vision that those were not days of darkness and fear, but of that time being "Morning in American Again."  I don't know about you, but I am tired of being inundated with the gloomy and fatalistic prophecies of this being the end of America, of the World, of Capitalism, of everything that is good and just, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.  I choose not to attend the pity parties that seem to permeate the airwaves, the newspapers, the coffee shop talk, etc. 

Life is so much better when we choose to live it in a positive, optimistic, enthusiastic manner, and I choose to do that.  I choose to throw off the cloak of gloom and doom and dark thoughts.  I choose to look forward to the future with hope and optimism.  I have made up my mind to view gold as a bright shiny metal that can be made into beautiful pieces of jewelry and not something I will have to eat in the future, as it will be the only thing left.  I have made up my mind to smile and to have a brightness to my disposition that leaves all those I meet better for have crossed my path.  I choose to look for the good in all people.  And I choose to thank God for all the blessings He has brought into my life.

Please join me, and Cuba Financial Group, and let's transform this world by being a positive influence to the small space that we occupy within it. 

Most Young Adults Aren't ... And They Could Pay A Painful Price.
How bad is financial illiteracy today? So bad that your adult children may be at risk of making some serious financial mistakes. Recent surveys have shown that many young adults are not only wayward financially, but also pessimistic about ever becoming wealthy.

Young women at particular risk.

A 2006 OppenheimerFunds survey of women aged 26-39 found that 62% of respondents had no investment accounts at all, and that 67% were living paycheck-to-paycheck. In a 2005 Consumer Federation of America/VISA USA survey, 55% of the women polled between ages 25-34 had emergency savings of less than $500.

Surprising cynicism.

In 2005, the CFA and the Financial Planning Association undertook joint surveys that illustrated a startling expectations gap. In the FPA survey, most of the financial planners contacted felt that more than 80% of young adults could amass $250,000 in net worth over a 30-year period, and that about 50% could accumulate $1 million of net worth in the same time span. But only 26% of the young consumers the CFA surveyed believed they could amass $200,000 at any point in their lives, and only 9% felt they could someday accumulate $1 million.

A little knowledge can be dangerous.

Don Blandin, CEO of the non-profit Investor Protection Trust, commented that “the entry of most Americans to the securities market is by buying a product rather than understanding the process.” Too many young investors elect to fly solo into the stock market through the Internet; too many young homebuyers know just enough (but not enough) about mortgage and lease options. And then there’s the widely publicized case of 24-year-old Casey Serin (iamfacingforeclosure.com), now $2.2 million in debt as a result of what he didn’t know about real estate investment.Prescriptions in progress.

Prescriptions in progress.

The Ad Council and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants have started a national campaign, Feed the Pig™, to try and correct this dilemma (learn more by visiting www.feedthepig.org). The National Council on Economic Education has also helped launch www.TheMint.org to provide young adults with vital financial principles.