This "Financial Focus" column is prepared by Edward Jones Investments, headquartered in St. Louis. Jones includes branches throughout the nation, including Cape Girardeau and Jackson.

Most everyone would like to be a millionaire. Just look at one of last year's bestsellers, "The Millionaire Next Door" by Thomas Stanley. Unfortunately, too few believe they can achieve millionaire status.

Consider the example of a man preparing for retirement. He had worked hard, raised a family, lived well without extravagance and invested for the future. As the man approached his golden years, he thought: "Retirement would be a lot easier if I were one of those millionaires I read about." But as he began listing his assets, he was surprised to learn that he was a millionaire.

How did he do it? Most financial experts define a millionaire as someone who has $1 million or more in liquid assets, which includes cash, stocks, bonds, mutual funds and other securities. These can be sold immediately or provide regular income.

Other assets such as a home, business or collectibles are part of a person's net worth but hard to figure into a retirement plan for regular income.

Like this man, most people become millionaires because they plan for their future rather than spending big today. They reasonably project how much money they'll need at retirement to provide a comfortable living for an additional 20 to 30 years.

Self-made millionaires avoid high personal debt. Most have found they can be happy without overspending. This characteristic is what separates the people who live for today from those who will live well in the future.

As another example, a couple in their early 40s was planning to move to a large home they could well afford but didn't need. After some financial planning, they decided to stay put and funnel the considerable amount of cash they saved each year into investments. With reasonable returns, this alone should afford them a comfortable retirement.

Self-made millionaires establish specific investment programs and invest regularly. They don't waste time looking for get-rich-quick schemes. Most contribute the maximum allowed to retirement plans, IRAs and 401(k)s. They also allocate a percentage of their annual earnings to other investments.

These investments typically focus on consistency of returns rather than short-term theatrics. Blue chip stocks, high-quality growth stocks and stock funds are reasonable long-term investments that can make it through market ups and downs.

Finally, millionaires take interest in their investments. They watch economic developments and read respected financial publications. This knowledge helps them understand and analyze advice they receive. And the wealthy are generally willing to seek and listen to professional advice, asking questions until they understand the answers.

Becoming a millionaire is a reachable goal, but it demands hard work, determination and self-discipline. Would you recognize a millionaire if you saw one? Probably not. But then, you could be looking at a millionaire in the mirror. All you have to do is think, act and plan like one.

The Southeast Missourian does not recommend that readers buy or sell stocks featuredin this column, which is provided for informational pruposes only.