Until the Enron debacle, you may have thought you didn't need to pay attention to your 401(k) plan.  As long as you were making regular contributions, and someone else was responsible for managing it, you could believe all was well. That approach is, and always will be, wishful thinking.

Unfortunately, it often takes a highly visible, significant event—like an Enron meltdown—to prompt us to re-examine what we are doing with our money.  The Enron disaster reminds us that we must be in charge of our own money, and that no one will ever care about our money as much as we do.

When it comes to making money work in their lives, I've seen all stripes of people succeed, and all stripes of people fail.  It's not so much the amount of money involved that's important, but rather the thoughtfulness of financial decisions that make the difference.  Those who pay strict attention to their money—and by that I mean see themselves as financial nurturers—are the success stories. Those who sit back and assume others will look out for their financial best interests are far, far more likely not to reach their dreams.

There are key personal and financial traits that distinguish those people who are successful with money.  The most common of these is a high level of involvement in one's personal money management.

A good place to begin that involvement is a company savings or 401(k) plan. These plans represent one of the most  important opportunities most of us will have to achieve financial freedom.  However, many of you are not taking full advantage of this unique opportunity.  Lack of education, lack of information, and a lack of confidence are often barriers to success with 401(k)s.

Most importantly, don't allow emotions like fear and doubt to get in your way.  Such feelings can cause you confusion when it comes to making the right choices.  Then, instead of trusting yourself and learning to navigate through sometimes confusing information, it’s too easy to trust others to make decisions for you that may not be best for your particular situation.

Also, don't let fear and self doubt stop you from participating in your company's 401(k) plan.  If you do, your money will never work as hard for you as you work for your money.  Give yourself the opportunity to reap the most you can from what you earn.

There's a tremendous payoff for getting more involved and more intimate with your money.  You will not only be on the road to accumulating wealth, but you'll feel better about yourself in the process.

Start today with getting more educated, and involved, in your 401(k). Keep current with your plan and keep current with your company as well.  How stable is your employer?  Has your 401(k) become too heavily invested with your company's stock?  Are you taking full advantage of stock options?  Are you watching the market, looking for the right time to divest some company stock and thereby protect yourself from market shocks or surprises?

 Some general suggestions:

• Study your company's sales for the past 6-12 months
• Look at the company's profits for the past 6-12 months
• Read up on your company and its industry
• Study the financial information provided by your 401(k) plan provider
• Ask questions about anything that’s not clear to you
• Keep current on the status of your 401(k) account

 Your efforts will pay dividends.  It's your money and your life that are at stake.