Some of you will have REALLY BIG DREAMS, dreams that require you to make a LOT of money! If you want to be really rich, then keep on reading!

If you dream of being RICH, unless your name is Paris Hilton, you have to GROW your assets. There are many financial professionals who will be glad to take your money to tell you how to make more, but follow Oprah’s advice and ALWAYS sign your own checks.

Speaking of Oprah, according to Forbes Magazine (Feb., 2004), she is one of the 500 richest people in the world. Her assets are estimated to be 1.1 billion dollars. While many women are wealthy because their deceased father or husband left them a lot of money, Oprah made her money by following her dream. She started off very poor in Mississippi, so no matter what kind of situation you are currently in, you can be wealthy, if you want to be. It helps, if you are still a young woman, because it gives you more time to build assets.

The first thing you need to do before focusing on growing your assets is to create an emergency fund. This means you put enough money in savings to pay all of your bills for six months, in case you lost your regular income.

The following is an overview of ways you can use your money to make more money.

You can increase your chances of becoming rich if you train for and work in a high-paying profession that offers good benefits (and, save like crazy while not assuming you will always be able to make that much money).

If you are already working and you qualify for your employer’s 401(k) plan, you can grow your money by making the maximum contribution allowed. Your employer makes a contribution to your 401(k), and the amount they pay is based upon a percentage of your contribution. Some employers match a percentage of employee contributions. This is "free money," so maximize your contribution. Your total 401(k) amount is invested, usually in mutual and bond funds. Essentially, an investment means that you loan a business, a group of businesses, or the government some of your money, and they pay you a fee (interest) for getting to use your money. (Yes, this is the reverse of what happens when you use credit.) So, a 401(k) is a triple-hit homerun: you save, your employer saves for you, and all that money makes more money through investments.

You can loan your money to whomever you choose by investing directly in the stock or bond market. There is a catch! There is no guarantee that the company or other entity you invest in will actually make money. If they lose money, you may lose the amount that you had invested, so don’t try to grow your money this way unless you are willing to learn a lot about the institutions to whom you are loaning your hard-earned money. And, DO NOT invest money that you might soon need for living expenses or an emergency.

One of the ways some women grow their money is by starting a business. Women start 60% of the new businesses every year. While they don’t all make money, and some actually lose a lot of money, in most cases if you start with a good idea, turn it into a “business plan, work really hard, and grow the business slowly, you can make a lot of money, sometimes.