What kind of relationship do you have with money? Is your money plentiful or scarce? Are you afraid to take risks with money or are you a high roller? The relationship you have with money is determined by your money personality which in turn is influenced by many complex factors.

There is only one way to create a lot of wealth (other than buying a winning lottery ticket) and that is to invest in assets that grow in value. That means investing in property, shares, or your own business.

It is now much easier than it was to spot a risky investment. On 1 March, 2010 it became compulsory for all non-bank deposit takers (including finance companies, building societies and credit unions) to have a credit rating from an approved rating agency such as Standard & Poor, Moody or Fitch.

The year 2008 will long be remembered as the start of the Global Financial Crisis which was triggered by defaults in sub-prime lending in the US and a downturn in the housing market.

2009 will probably go down as one of the most difficult years in Mortgage and Property terms. Many Brokers shut shop and Lenders made things very difficult for those with small deposits and the self employed.

One of the fundamental principles of managing money is that time and money are inextricably linked. People who are successful at creating wealth are those who understand the connection between time and money and use it to their advantage.

One of the key lessons we learn in life is that it is important to save. There is a big difference though, between what we learn and what we do and many people find saving difficult.

Retirement is seen to be the ultimate but somewhat elusive goal that we all aspire to and for which financial planners chide us that we must be well prepared.

You will no doubt be aware that Moneymax has attracted considerable attention in the media over the last two weeks as a result of two key events: the publication of the Consumer Magazine report on financial advisers …

There’s an old saying – ‘the higher you go, the harder you fall’. If you are following a strategy to build your wealth quickly, you have a much higher risk of things going wrong and potentially of losing everything.

Wherever you look these days you find promoters of ‘get rich quick’ schemes or motivational courses aimed at changing your mindset in a way that will supposedly, as if by magic, attract wealth into your life.

So you didn’t win millions in the big lottery, but then neither did several million other people who during the last week poured enough money into the prize pool for retailers to notice a dip in their sales.