If you had to choose the greatest enemy of your financial security, where would you look? In the lineup as you look them over who would you choose? There are so many that qualify. Banks, credit card companies, persuasive advertisers, finance companies, and identity thieves, would all be in the running.

Banks because, while you are their customer, they do not have your best interests at heart. They hit you with all sorts of fees and charges for services which used to be provided free. They constantly bombard you with offers to go further into debt. Car loans, home equity loans and other lines of credit are pitched in every statement you receive. But, they are not your worst financial enemy.

Credit card companies love to add charges for many different errors on your part (and sometimes theirs). Late fees, over-limit fees, yearly fees, and returned check fees are just a few. They hike your interest rate if you looked cross-eyed on a Tuesday, or miss a payment (not just with them, but any creditor). Still, they are not your greatest financial enemy.

Persuasive advertisers love to get you to buy, buy, and buy. They have you pegged as far as your habits. They know your wants and desires. They have so much information on you, the fight isn’t even fair. Their ads make you feel good and pull all the triggers. Yet, they are not your greatest financial enemy.

Finance companies who charge rates that reach to the moon do you no favors when you walk in the door. Sometimes you don’t even need to walk in the door. They send you a check you can deposit in your account and thus take out a loan with them with out ever seeing them. They turn easy money into easy debt; easy until it comes time to pay the bill. Even here you will not find your greatest financial enemy.

How about identity thieves? They pilfer your financial information, and run wild with the accounts they set up. They rummage through your trash, set up scams, and flat out steal your info. They definitely qualify as real lowlifes. Never the less, they aren’t your greatest financial enemy either.

So how do you find your greatest financial enemy? You go look in the mirror. This is the person you really need to watch. This is who gives into all of the credit offers in the mailbox. This person watches the television and reads the magazines; then responds to the ads that are displayed. It is this same person who is careless with their financial information or falls for the scams.

This is the man or woman who spends more that they make. This person refuses to save any money. It is this person who doesn’t invest for the future. This is also the person who doesn’t educate themselves in matters of money. This is your greatest financial enemy.

It is this person who ruins all your dreams. It is also this person over who you have the most control. Do not look anywhere else for the cause of your financial problems. You are in charge and you are accountable.

You need to take the time to investigate all matters financial. You need to educate yourself concerning money, credit, debt and its uses. You are the one who needs to curb your spending. You are the one who needs to establish a plan for your savings and in turn your future. Your greatest enemy is in the mirror, and so is your greatest help and friend. Depending on who or what you see determines what you need to change or what you need to keep doing.

(c)2005 David Wilding