Well it's that time of year again and after the wild holiday festivities you've probably drained your wallet.



Don't fret over it after all it's a new year. What better moment then right now is there to make a change in your Financial situation?

Now before you swear changes to yourself that you can't possibley keep like I'll never go shoe shopping again; here's 5 resolutions you can proabably actually keep that will make a real difference in your future:

1. Earn A Earnings Increase- Even a reasonable 1% Paycheck Improvement over cost of living can improve your quality of life. Just make sure you don't just increase your spending habits.



2. Create an IRA-Most of us haven't yet created an IRA and we're missing out on great tax savings potential. The other advantage to an IRA is the ability to learn to trade for yourself. This is your oppurtunity to invest in what you want to invest in and with all the resources available now you may find yourself beating your favorite mutual fund.



3. Start Your Safety Fund-It's likely you don't have enough savings to get you to to your next job if you ended up unemployed. In fact most of us can't afford a simple car repair without diving into the credit cards. Building a 6 month savings will protect your hard work from getting wiped out when the unexpected happens. Also, you'll feel less afraid about taking some risk when an oppurtunity arises.



4. Read More Non-Fiction- First of all reading is one of the lowest cost per hour things you can do, but more importantly you will be filling your head with knowledge. Knowledge that you will find uses for in all aspects of your life besides your financial. I reccomend you at least try to read one non-fiction book a month.



5. Transfer Balances on Those Credit Cards -Even though the credit is tough these days, if you can get lower interest rate credit cards, DO IT!, and transfer balances. Then cut those high rate cards.

No matter what New Year's resolutions you choose I wish you and your family the best in the New Year.