Start investing today Published April 9, 2013 By Col. David Pollmiller 436th Operations Group Commander DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- Giving investment advice is generally risky, but I'm going to venture out onto that limb. I, along with many professional advisors will tell you the most important thing is to start early, maintain a steady contribution and then watch your investment grow over the long haul. It's tough, it takes patience and commitment and it doesn't synch with our cultural norm for instant feedback. But, there are no short cuts or work-arounds to this basic advice. So, start now and invest in our nation's most valuable asset...yourself! You are the most potent and capable weapon system ever developed. You deliver humanitarian aid at home and around the globe. You enforce and maintain the peace in troubled regions. You deliver the tools to defeat our enemies and protect our nation. Individually, you are a powerful force. When unified with others of your kind, your force is overwhelming. Yet, you are still in constant need of maintenance. Just as we regularly invest our resources to repair, modernize and maintain our equipment, you also, must invest in repairing, modernizing and maintaining yourself. The Air Force calls it Comprehensive Airmen Fitness. More simply, invest in you. Small contributions to your own well being can add up to a windfall over the long haul. Make the choice to invest in yourself: read a book for leisure; start an education program that enhances your career and prepares you for life after military service. Actively participate in athletics or fitness for instant stress relief and long-term health benefits. Strengthen your relationship with family and friends; or nurture and build your spiritual health. Our Air Force spends billions of dollars and thousands of hours maintaining equipment each year...isn't it worth an hour or two each day to maintain yourself? There is always risk with financial investments. You typically have to give your monetary wealth to someone else and hope they can make it grow. No one, however, can take better care of your intrinsic wealth--your health, your time, your talent--than you! When you invest in yourself, you're guaranteed a positive return on investment. I don't see the completion of my military service as the end. My eye is on the horizon to many more decades with family and friends. And, I want that life to be the same high quality it has now...mentally strong, emotionally fulfilling, physically sound and spiritually centered. In the short term, you may not see the growth indicators of your daily investments, but every contribution adds to your personal "wealth". The run you took in the morning gives you the energy to get through the day. The book chapter you read at night can improve your writing, give you new ideas for tomorrow or bring you one step closer to a second career. The time you spend with your spouse, children or friends can ease the stress of the day and help you focus on what is truly valuable in life. You are our nation's greatest asset, now and always. And just as we maintain our military hardware, you must maintain yourself. Work is never "done", so don't wait to finish before you take the time to invest in yourself. Invest early. Invest often. Invest a little or invest a lot. Do it for your fellow Airmen, or your friends and family, and definitely do it for yourself. Every investment counts...and you will be better for it.