Introduction

The dawn of a new year sees many people setting new year’s resolutions such as losing some weight or giving up smoking.
Similarly, the beginning of a new year is the ideal time for setting financial goals, and here are four practical ways you can kick your year off to a great start.

Introduction

Another year is over - how was it for you? Did you achieve everything you’d hoped?

Are you better or worse off financially than you were this time last year?

With a new year in front of you, what can you do to make the most of every moment?

We’ve put together a guide to get you started and plan for the year ahead, a quarter at a time.

Introduction

Financial planning is, by its nature, forward-looking. What counts is where you are now and what you do in the coming months and years. That said; there’s good reason to pause and take a look over your shoulder to see how far you’ve come. Why? Because taking stock of what you have achieved so far can spur you on to even greater things in the future.

Don’t have a financial plan? In that case it’s well worth looking at what you may have missed out on, and making a resolution (why wait for New Year?) to do something about it.

Introduction

Most of us take for granted that we have to get our car serviced regularly. It’s not something we look forward to, but we know we have to do it - or it will let us down when we most need it. A regular review of your financial plan is just as important – and for the same reason

Introduction

Almost every year we see dramatic changes to our superannuation system, interest rates, the stock market and the property market.

All of this emphasises the need for regular reviews of your financial strategy and your investment portfolio. A full review should take place on an annual basis and cover such topics as:

Description

As we move towards the end of yet another year and ponder how fast the last 12 months have come and gone many of us find ourselves thinking about the coming year and our aspirations for the future.

A financial checklist is an excellent tool to check on how you are progressing towards your goals and to also help identify any specific areas you might need to focus on in the immediate future.

The key issues to consider are: