New Year Resolutions
By Sam Swift, CFA, CFP®
Happy 2017!
I’ve always been leery of New Year’s Resolutions—I say if you want to make a resolution to better yourself or your situation in some way, just start immediately. Nevertheless, we’ve always enjoyed marking arbitrary points in time as a society, so in that spirit I will have the same generic resolution I have every year: I resolve to be a better person to my family, my community, the world, and myself….and try to dial back that dozen cookie per day habit I picked up over the last month.
In case you couldn’t come up with any New Year’s resolutions, feel free to pick and choose from this financially tailored list. I, __________, resolve to…
- Get a will (especially because I have children!) and organize my estate planning documents
- Look into term life insurance if I have any dependents
- Save more than I did last year
- Stop watching daily market returns and start focusing on how my investments are positioned for the next five to twenty years.
- Make conscious choices about my spending—I won’t impulsively spend just because I can
- Focus on what I can control. There are many outside events that will affect my situation, but the one thing I can do is have a plan for how I react and adjust to my changing circumstances in a positive and productive way.
Good luck in the New Year! I hope it brings joy and fulfilment for you and your family.
