The goal of financial planning is to build enough assets, by the time you retire, that the income earned from investments (including pensions etc.) will provide you with your desired lifestyle, without the need to get out of bed and go to work.

Simple, right? All other discussions relate to the strategies you can use to build your wealth to the point of Financial Independence or beyond. For true wealth, think about acquiring capital or assets beyond supporting your standard of living.

Amongst new investors just starting to build their investment assets, the focus is often on returns, ROI, fees and so on. But does this really matter? To what extent are savings impacted by the amounts saved? When do investment returns matter more than the rate of savings, (as a percentage of gross income) or the amount saved over time as your income changes?