The airlines are bankrupt, the financial system is in shambles and governments are printing billions of dollars in worthless currency trying to prop up failed economies. It’s a time of great challenge. Yet a time of great opportunity…

Things that seemed like a safe bet just a few years ago are uncertain.

I knew the world had changed forever when I visited an eco-preserve in Phuket, Thailand last January. While waiting for a chance to ride an elephant through the rainforest, I got a chance to view a ”monkey training” show. What happened there was nothing short of amazing.

Monkeys were actually being trained to harvest coconuts from the trees – making human workers no longer necessary. Chalk up yet one more job on the endangered species list along with travel agents, video store clerks, autoworkers, and dozens of other occupations.

Could your job be next?

Bailout plans, real estate bubbles, government debt meltdowns, and lightning-fast changes in technology have made millions of jobs obsolete and changed the economy forever.

Safe is the new risky…

What used to be safe is now risky. People everywhere are saving their last bit of money and hoping things will go back to normal. That will never happen again. Finding a job at a big company and expecting to retire there is rare now. Some of the key jobs from 2015 haven’t even been created yet.

Playing it safe is the riskiest thing you can do in the new economy. People waiting for the stock market to rebound, the real estate bubble to reform or their government to save them are going to get slammed. Waiting and hoping are not viable plans. And leaving your prosperity to an employer or even the government leaves your future – and the future of your loved ones – at risk.

The worst is not yet over…

There are still thousands of sub-prime mortgages yet to come due. Many governments have spent billions of dollars, Euros, pesos and pounds in bailout packages that will have to be repaid sometime. Thousands of banks and other financial institutions have gambled with risky derivatives that are time bombs waiting to explode.

FORTUNE magazine’s cover story on derivatives called them “the risk that won’t go away.” Warren Buffett, one of the savviest investors in the world, had this to say about the subject: “Derivatives are financial weapons of mass destruction…time bombs, both for the parties that deal in them, and the economic system…The macro picture is dangerous and getting more so…”

Your wealth and future are at risk…

Despite all the government bailouts, bank write offs and corporate restructuring, there are still more financial shock waves to come. Consumer debt is skyrocketing. Government borrowing has to be paid back at some point. And a second sub-prime debt bomb is about to explode.

Even if you’re debt free, this black hole of debt threatens your own wealth. This crisis has been in the making for half a century. And it’s not going to go away overnight. Consumer dependence on easy credit has created another bubble that’s about to burst.

Millions more jobs will be lost. Millions more of retirement accounts will be vaporized. Millions more counting on Social Security and pension funds will be left in the cold. But you don’t have to be the next victim. In fact, it is during difficult economic times as these that the greatest opportunities to create wealth arise.

You can protect yourself and your loved ones. You can create financial freedom, and retire young, rich, and worry free. But you have to take charge of your own destiny and create your own prosperity. That is the secret to becoming free.

Creating wealth in the new economy…

There are plenty of opportunities to live well and even create wealth today. To succeed in the new economy, practice these four steps:

  • Avoid debt. We’re the most leveraged society in human history. You can’t borrow your way to prosperity. Live within your means and if you don’t have money for something, don’t buy it.
  • Create a cash flow business. In the new economy, cash flow is king. When you have cash flow, you can weather any storm, survive any downturn, and capitalize on any economic fluctuation. So keep your regular job or business, but supplement your income with a part-time, home-based business. Examples would be direct selling, network marketing, information entrepreneur or Internet marketing.
  • Invest your cash flow. Once you have your cash flow business in operation, put that money to work for you. There are countless bargains out there right now in real estate, the stock market and even traditional businesses. People with cash are in the driver’s seat. Take your cash flow and leverage it to create even better cash flow. Then you’re leveraging your leverage.
  • Train for the future. You can’t get a degree for the highest paying jobs of the future because they don’t exist yet. And no one can be certain what they will be. But we do know that people with technical skills have the best chance being relevant in the future. Check around for home study courses, seminars and continuing education classes in technology.

To really create wealth, when others are zigging you want to be zagging. Be a contrarian. While others are playing it safe, hoping for the economy to change, you must be bold and proactive. Take charge of your own destiny and know that times like these offer the greatest opportunities.