We all, to a greater or lesser extent, have an idea of our dream lifestyle. So how, as a nation, are we faring? To find out, the Financial Planning Association of Australia (FPA) commissioned a survey of more than 2,600 people from around the country. The resulting Live the Dream report provides an insight into the extent to which we are collectively living our dream life and, more importantly, reveals key habits and characteristics of those who are already doing so. What’s the dream? Of course, everyone has a different concept of a dream life. However, across all age groups, three definitions topped the list: • having the lifestyle of my choice; • having financial freedom and independence; • having safety and security. More specific aspects ranged across travel, family time, career and hobbies. Are we living it? Overall, just on a quarter of those surveyed are ‘definitely’ or ‘mostly’ living their dream. That may in part be due to the fact that most Australians are in the workforce and haven’t yet reached a point of true financial independence. Nonetheless, it reveals that there is a sizeable gap between the lifestyle that most of us are actually living and the … Continue reading The secret to ‘living the dream’