The Start of Your 2009 Financial Makeover

The Start of Your 2009 Financial Makeover As another new year approaches, many of us are reflecting on 2008’s accomplishments. We are also reflecting on things that we would like to change in 2009. For most American’s this consists of making the same New Years Resolutions year after year, most of which will be abandoned by March. According to www.usa.gov, the top five new years resolutions are: 1. Lose Weight 2. Manage Debt 3. Save Money 4. Get a Better Job 5. Get Fit I would say all five of these resolutions sound pretty appealing to me and probably to most other twentysomething-aged women I know. Because I’m a huge advocate of setting realistic goals and sticking to them each year, I’ve decided to start a series to help Career Girls readers break these vague goals down into bite sized pieces. The first series will be about managing debt and saving money. Now let me put out a disclaimer. I’ve always had a huge fascination with Personal Finance and money. This is why I studied Finance in college and am pursuing my CFP in 2009. BUT, I must admit that part of my interest is rooted in the fact that I have not always been the most responsible lady with my money. Sort of like the overweight girl who says she knows that eating crap food every day is wrong and working out is right, I know that spending too much and saving too little is wrong. Yet somehow our emotions, desired lifestyle or temptations get the best of us and we do not listen to the logical black and white of what is right and wrong. Rather than sitting here and telling you things you already know that will never help you change your habits and behavior, I’m going to take it a step further and give you real tools and facts, along with some emotional boosts to get you in better financial shape in 2009. I promise to be honest and real and follow my own advice. I think that facing our financial situation is sometimes the hardest part of getting started, especially since we are women. Many women have the idea that a prince will come and take all their money problems away. Others have grown up in families that did not discuss money, and now that they are in the real world they have no clue what to do so they keep spending more than they earn and hoping that things will eventually work out. I know I’ve probably lost a handful of readers by this point in the post, but for those who wish for more freedom, confidence and power in life it really does start with getting your finances in order and understanding how this whole money thing works. So let’s get to it! That way in a year from now, we can have less debt, more savings, and sleep better at night knowing we are on the right track to achieve our life goals.