This is a wake up call that anyone, at any time, can be hit and hit hard with the economic mess this country is in. To quote Dr. Irving Fradkin, the founder of Dollars for Scholars: "Only if people change their ways and become involved with improving situations and helping people around them will this nation have hope of recovery. We must not rely on the government to make all the decisions and changes. We are a democracy--We, the people, need to work together if the nation is to be restored."

A lot of Americans have been taught to look outside themselves for help. They’ve lost the ability to take control. They’ve put their financial future in the hands of others. It’s time to look within and realize that the only one you can depend on is yourself. You have the power and we have the knowledge to turn this economy around.

This is not our parent’s generation any more. Job security is a thing of the past. The old belief of one job one paycheck no longer stands true. Most American families are not even making it on two paychecks! If you work for someone else they dictate what you are worth and whether or not you will work next year. If you're in business for yourself, and don't have leverage, the economy dictates how long you will be in business. When you give up your right to choose how you will live - you lose who you are!