Many of us start off the new year by making New Year’s resolutions.  It’s a great tradition that has gone on forever.  Among the top ten resolutions each year are financial goals—such as getting out of debt or saving for retirement.  The beginning of a new year is the perfect time to think about how we’d like to improve our lives.

The first thing you should do is not to set your goals too high, because you are setting yourself up for failure. Your financial goals should take top priority. Carrying too much debt is bad for anybody.  You should  make a concerted effort to pay off all your credit card debt. Then you should consciously try not to pull out your credit card so quickly to pay for something. Think about this:  if you had to write a check or pay cash for it, would you buy it? You would probably think twice about buying it and probably not do it.

Saving for your retirement is also very important.  The more you put in, the more you will have when you need it.  Regular investing is the key. Social Security may not be there when you need it, and it doesn’t pay that much anyway.