If you to be a millionaire

A true rich guy wont show their richness in front of others. Well at lest too much show off.

once a guy become a millionaire, there should no popping of champagne corks, no trips to the Continent, no quitting of jobs. The fact that the experience was so mundane speaks volumes, both about how millionaires are really created and what it means to be one.

you should not, for example:

• Win the lottery.

• Score a big win in the stock market.

• Inherit a huge pile of cash.

• Appear on any reality shows.

We can do, however:

• Make financial security a priority.

• Spend less than we earn.

• Save and invest regularly.

• Pay down our debt.

• Own a home.

• Maximize our incomes.

If you want to be a millionaire someday, I hope that this example -- and those of millions of others who have achieved this goal -- might provide some insights and inspiration for getting there.

First, though, let's deal with the obvious: a million ain't what it used to be. But that's nothing new. Except for brief periods of deflation, such as during the Great Depression, the generally rising level of prices has always chewed away at the value of a buck. That means you need $1.85 million today to match the buying power of $1 million in 1986, or $7.44 million for the equivalent of a million in 1956.

Still, reaching the million-dollar mark put us in the top 10% of all U.S. households. (The minimum net worth to join that 90th percentile, according to the Federal Reserve's latest Survey of Consumer Finances was $831,600 in 2004.) In global terms, we're near the very pinnacle of wealth when you consider that billions of people live on just a few dollars a day.

Of course, we live here in the good old U.S.A., where a million-dollar net worth may be "enough," or not. As a good article in "The myth of the $1 million retirement," some people need a lot less to say goodbye forever to work. Others, with more expensive lifestyles and expectations of living a long time, may need a lot more. Hubby and I have a bunch of long-lived ancestors as well as some costly goals ahead, so we're not going to retire just yet.

I'm confident, though, that the habits and strategies that got us to the million-dollar point will get us the rest of the way, regardless of what happens in the short run to the economy, the markets and real estate.

So here they are:

You've got to want it -- and plan for it

There are few accidental millionaires in the world. People who achieve financial independence, however they define it, make getting there a priority in their lives, according to Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko, authors of the groundbreaking book, "The Millionaire Next Door."

That doesn't mean you have to live for money, but you need a clearly defined goal and a plan to achieve it. If your goal is retirement, for instance, you might try MSN's calculator to see what you need to do to get there.

If you haven't got a plan, it's way too easy to lose your way: spending money on stuff that isn't important, taking on debt that's toxic rather than helpful, giving in to despair when markets turn against you. Having a long-term goal, and a long-term view, are essential to keeping your balance.