We often make personal goals in the new year that involve undertaking change in your personal habits, health, and fitness. While you are refining your personal goals here are some personal financial goals for this year to motivate you to feel up-to-date and on top of your finances.

Are there any areas of your finances that feel ‘too hard’? Can you arrange for some outside help to sort them out? We help clients with lots of areas, consolidating complicated investments or superannuation accounts, reviewing existing financial  arrangements like loans, and simplifying complex subjects like retiring from work, investing for the first time, tackling life insurance or income protection for the first time. You can make a start by thinking about your future self. Where do you see yourself in a year and what would you like to have sorted?

When planning for a goal that involves spending your hard earned cash, it sometimes helps to talk about your plans and break it down into smaller steps. Buying an investment property can be made easier with some great advice. Break down your goals into small and regular steps, and an amount easier to deal with each time you are paid rather than a lump sum that seems unachievable.

If you haven’t already sorted out some ‘safety’ for your finances, it might be time to book an appointment with a professional to arrange your will, assign your power of attorney or guardianship, establish some strategies to protect your income or your family in case of something unplanned like an illness or injury.

Here are our top 5 tips to set some goals for this year.

• 1. Write them down – Writing goals down, or documenting your plans is a powerful process personally financially and professionally. The process of writing down your goals has a psychological impact on your ability to achieve them. They seem more real from the beginning.
• 2. Break them up into small steps – A sense of achievement for each stage can help you keep your motivation up.
• 3. Don’t aim too low – It can take away from your motivation if the prize of achieving it seems too small.
• 4. Stop making excuses or procrastinating.
• 5. Start doing