Most of us want to be physically fit, but very few of us are. The same holds true with financial security. As my father (and many others) used to say, "A lot of people want to go to heaven but no one wants to die to get there."

Almost all of us have our own "lotto moment." We make decisions about money that will either give us long term security and happiness or bring on pain and regret.

Abraham Shakespeare should have been on top of the world. In 2006, he won $16.9 million in the Florida lottery. Last week, they found his body buried five feet deep under concrete.

I've watched many people get in trouble with upside down car loans, second mortgages or high interest rate financing. Credit keeps many people from living within their means. Then a friend told me he was buying a large house.