Green Thumb: The Right Way To Count Your Pile of Money
The latest government figures show that Americans are socking away less for our futures than during any other sustained period since the Great Depression.</br></br>That sounds alarming.</br></br>However, a close look at how the government calculates personal saving suggests the number may be incomplete. Affluent Americans, especially, ought to be figuring their own savings differently -- counting important things that we'll add up below. Once you do your own math, you'll have a clearer snapshot of where your wealth really lies, and a strong foundation to use as you build your financial plan.</br></br>First, a bit about the government figure. This month, the Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Analysis put the nation's personal saving at negative $116.6 billion for December 2006.</br></br>To get that number, the bureau starts with after-tax disposable income then subtracts "personal consumption" of all sorts.