I normally spend the last week or two of December every year reflecting on what I have accomplished in the past year and thinking about what I want to accomplish in the coming year.  At the end of 2007, I looked back at the downward trajectory of my net worth during the year, and decided that continuing to do the same thing in 2008 was not a very good plan.  I made the decision to start a real estate investing business and to regain some level of control over my financial future.