Headlines such as this break my heart: “With $15 Left in the Bank, a Baby Boomer Makes Peace With Less.” But I predict that we’re going to see more and more like this in the coming months and years. That’s because the problems with retirement age people are bigger than anyone imagines.

This story is merely a collection of symptoms of the bigger problem. It’s the story of Kathleen Wolf, a woman trying to do the best she can. She has spent many decades living and working in Monterey, California. She built a very happy and prosperous life there. But with the subprime meltdown, her considerable wealth in real estate disappeared almost overnight. It didn’t take long for her bank balance to reflect that she had just $15.

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The other day a friend of mine approached me excitedly, saying, “I found the house of my dreams. It’s in foreclosure and the bank will sell it to me for a great price.”

“How good is the price?” I asked.

“Just before the real estate market crashed, the seller was asking $780,000 for the property. Today, I can buy it from the bank for $215,000. What do you think?” she asked.

“How would I know?” I replied. “All you’ve given me is the price.”

“Yes!” she squealed. “Now my husband and I can afford it.”

“Only cheap people buy on price,” I replied. “Just because something is cheap doesn’t mean it’s worth the cost.”

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Think about the most successful people you know.  Here are 17 things I’ll bet they’re constantly doing.

Think of the most successful person you know.  Maybe we’re talking about a work colleague or a mentor.  Maybe this is someone you knew growing up or in school — and you can’t believe how much he or she has achieved since then.

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