To answer this, all you have to do is ask yourself if you plan on retiring at 65-67 or later just because that is what is expected of you. I’m guessing that you would rather “retire” earlier and then have the freedom to pursue your dreams before reaching this predetermined age. For some, this may be starting a second career, others may want to travel the world, and some of you may simply want to have the flexibility of working on your own terms. Whatever your dreams are, it doesn’t make any sense to begin to seriously plan for them in the ten or so years before you plan on retiring. There are plenty of steps you can take today that will position yourself for making the moves necessary to achieve your goals plenty of time in advance.

As a retirement planning counselor, I am often asked what kinds of books or resources are available to help people begin planning for the rest of their lives. I’m not just talking about money and investing for retirement, we do enough of that already. Many people are looking for much more — they are already maxing out their retirement accounts, they have paid off all of their debt, so there has to be some greater goal. Luckily, there are a lot of resources available to help you put things into perspective and begin thinking about what matters most in your life. So, I have compiled a list of 20 of the top books in this category that can, and probably will change your life and how you view retirement.

Don’t Retire, REWIRE: 5 Steps to Fulfilling Work that Fuels Your Passion, Suits Your Personality, or Fills Your Pocket by Jeri Sedlar and Rick Miners.

These authors provide an alternative to traditional retirement that recognizes the varied needs of individuals. Thanks to modern medicine, many people are living longer than ever and are able to continue working to otherwise contribute to society for years after what most people would consider retirement. This book is full of information, quizzes, and discussion to help you identify what your own personal drivers are and provides tips for creating your own optimum situation. Don’t Retire, REWIRE will force you to think about what you want to do with the rest of your life in a completely new way.

The Number: What Do You Need for the Rest of Your Life and What Will It Cost? by Lee Eisenberg.

We all know that money is an important part of life, and even more important if you want to live a comfortable retirement. Eisenberg, the former editor of Esquire magazine, bridges the gap between preparing financially for retirement and the importance of creating a life plan that identifies where the money will actually be spent. We always hear numbers and rules of thumb that allow you to estimate how much money you’ll need to have in retirement, and while a good start, they are only estimates. This book attempts to go beyond the money basics and emphasizes the importance of life planning alongside financial planning.

Life Launch: A Passionate Guide to the Rest of Your Life by Frederic M. Hudson and Pamela D. McLean.

Life Launch is a book for any age as it provides insight and road maps of all life stages from twenty to ninety. Stephen Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People gives this book high marks and says it “provides the tools for productivity approaching change during our adult years with confidence, vigor and excitement.” This book presents planning with a unique use of maps, or visual concepts that guide you through the various stages of your life. Life Launch will give your life passion and purpose.

Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes, Revised 25th Anniversary Edition by William Bridges.

Life is full of change, and this book has been in print for over 25 years helping readers cope with the change and transitions in their lives. Bridges describes the three stages of transition as: endings, the neutral zone, and the new beginning. Regardless of your age or financial position, you will experience transitions in your life, and this book can help provide the road map that allows you to navigate them.

Second Acts: Creating the Life You Really Want, Building the Career You Truly Desire by Stephen M. Pollan and Mark Levine.

Second Acts is another great book that is geared towards all ages. It doesn’t matter if you’re just starting out your career, or you’re winding down and look forward to retirement, this guide to reinventing your life talks about how to pursue your dreams. This book features many success stories from not only the authors, but from those of their clients as well. If you’re looking to reinvent yourself and create the life you really want, this book will be very motivational.

How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free: Retirement Wisdom That You Won’t Get from Your Financial Advisor by Ernie J. Zelinski.

Do you want to retire in your 30s? Well, this is the book for you. The author of this book did retire at age 30, even while still in debt. It doesn’t matter how old you are, you can retire at almost any age. The trick is finding what is more important to you and taking the plunge. It is up to you to make the most of your life, and this book provides a lot of motivation to steer you towards your goals and provide the inspiration necessary to take that next step.

The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander.

Anything is possible, and this book aims to change your entire outlook on life through illustrating possibility as an art. This national bestseller is written so that it is very easy to read and anyone can relate to the illustrations and situations that are presented. Not only does the book address making positive changes in your personal life, but it goes beyond that to describe changes that can be made in your professional life as well.

Too Young to Retire: 101 Ways To Start The Rest of Your Life by Howard and Marika Stone.

Everyone likes a good list, and this book delivers 101 ways to start the rest of your life. While these ideas are great, the book goes beyond just providing ideas for what to do with the rest of your life and discusses stories, exercises, and resources covering everything from money to wellness. One unique feature is the “try this” section at the end of each chapter. These small activities allow you to make progress towards your larger overall goals.

The Creative Age: Awakening Human Potential in the Second Half of Life by Gene Cohen, MD, Ph.D.

The Creative Age is chocked full of inspiring stories backed by medical and scientific evidence that illustrates the stages of life. There are many forms of creativity, and the book argues this basic human attribute increases with age. Dr. Cohen was also the director of the National Institute on Aging and founded the Washington DC Center on Aging. This book will help you develop your creativity and put it to good use as you continue to age.

The Mature Mind: The Positive Power of the Aging Brain by Gene Cohen, MD, Ph.D.

The Mature Mind is another book by Dr. Cohen that discusses the aging mind, but this one is more technical in nature and discusses scientific research on brain functionality and structure. Dr. Cohen also goes on to expand on famous research by Erickson and introduces developmental intelligence. This book brings good news if you’re worried that you will lose some of your cognitive abilities as you age since his studies show that older brains are even more flexible.

Now What?: 90 Days to a New Life Direction by Laura Berman Fortgang.

Laura is a life coach that has been successful in teaching people how to make major changes in their lives. The book is full of exercises that allows you to define your life and what inspires and motivates you. By identifying your talents, values, and needs, you can begin your journey to take your life in a new and positive direction in as little as 90 days. Each chapter contains more anecdotes and specific exercises, which help make the goals practical and tangible and the idea of change seem possible.

Repacking Your Bags: Lighten Your Load for the Rest of Your Life by Richard Leider and David Shapiro.

Repacking Your Bags focuses on achieving purpose, balance, and change. If you’ve ever packed your bags for a long trip, you know that in order to maximize space and limit wrinkles, you need to pack in a specific way. This book uses this metaphor to illustrate how you may have to unpack and then repack the bags of your life in order to maximize your life’s purpose. Repacking Your Bags will help you identify your own personal vision of the good life and design your life in order to live it.

Aging Well: Surprising Guideposts to a Happier Life from the Landmark Harvard Study of Adult Development by George E. Vaillant, M.D.

This book is a culmination of a Harvard study that spanned over 50 years and followed over 800 subjects. Aging is a complicated process that takes into account many social and physiological factors and this book discusses findings from the study so that you can age well. Aging Well is recommended for readers who are interested in learning about the quality-of-life issues of aging from the people who have the most to teach. A respected researcher, psychiatrist, professor at Harvard Medical School, and author of several books, Vaillant uses individual life histories to illustrate how social and emotional development is an ongoing process.

How to Create the Life You Want After 50 by Sara Brown Ph.D. and Joan Malling.

While the title of the book is discussing life after 50, you certainly don’t want to wait until then to read it. This book provides tips and resources for anyone who is willing to learn how to identify opportunities, needs, and desires in their lives and then create a plan to reach them by retirement. This book will help you create a step-by-step process that allows you to construct a plan now that will guide you into your later years and beyond.

The Second Half of Life: Opening the Eight Gates of Wisdom by Angeles Arrien.

As we approach midlife, many people begin to ponder what comes next. After years of establishing a career, starting a family, and finding stability in life, you begin to question what is in store for the second half of your life. This book provides a collection of teachings and stories from various cultures to help you navigate the “great crossing” that occurs at midlife. Angeles Arrien, Ph.D. is a cultural anthropologist, award-winning author, educator, and consultant to many organizations and businesses.

Looking Forward: An Optimist’s Guide to Retirement by Ellen Freudenheim.

Thanks to increased life expectancy, Americans are living longer. Most people can happily anticipate many healthy years to come, yet they’re often at a loss about what to do in this new phase of life. And many of them may have an unfulfilled dream or two they’ve never quite been able to shake. Author Ellen Freudenheim, a baby boomer, shares her generation’s uncertainty and excitement. In an engaging, encouraging tone, she tells readers how to successfully pursue everything from second careers to additional academic degrees to volunteer work.

The Power Years: A User’s Guide to the Rest of Your Life by Ken Dychtwald.

Ken Dychtwald is a well-known psychologist and gerontologist made famous by Age Wave, published in 1989. The Power Years is your step-by-step guide to “repowerment” and personal reinvention after forty. In this unique guidebook, the leading authority on aging Ken Dychtwald and award-winning journalist Daniel J. Kadlec combine their decades of cutting-edge research and reporting to reveal how you can make the Power Years the best years of your life. The Power Years helps readers envision and embrace this new chapter of life as they develop a carefully thought-out plan for personal fulfillment.

Retirement for Two: Everything You Need to Know to Thrive Together as Long as You Both Shall Live by Maryanne Vandervelde, Ph.D.

Many of us will head into retirement with a partner, so there is much more to planning for the future than simply trying to get what you want. Vandervelde discusses topics such as how to manage money within the relationship, dealing with different wants and desires, and even important medical and legal matters. There’s more to retirement than money – much more – and Vandervelde’s book can help you and your spouse understand just how different — and how much fun — life can be in retirement. –Ric Edelman, author of Ordinary People, Extraordinary Wealth.

My Time: Making the Most of the Bonus Decades After 50 by Abigail Trafford.

I know that many readers here still have many years until age 50, but don’t dismiss this book too soon. We are constantly developing as human beings, and Abigail guides readers through various obstacles that occur as we approach this age so that we can make the most of the years beyond 50. Thanks to the longevity revolution of recent decades, today’s 55- to75-year-olds are living and working longer and healthier than ever before. This generation is the first to experience the period of personal renaissance in between middle and old age-what Trafford calls “My Time.”

The Third Age: Six Principles for Personal Growth and Rejuvenation after Forty by William Sadler.

In the Third Age, Sadler conducted over a decade of research on people between the ages of 40-80 and summarizes the findings which identifies six principles of growth and renewal. Practically instructive and powerfully inspiring, The Third Age expertly guides us toward and through the second half of our lives. Sadler’s theoretical framework makes his advice more thought provoking than prescriptive, so this gracefully written volume is more challenging than many self-help guides.

Whether you rock out in a band after hours, create beautiful handmade jewelry on the side, or see yourself writing the next bestseller, the key to success lies within your ability to set the world ablaze by flooding the airwaves, surrounding colleges and universities, and the internet with your name.

By carefully following trends and making use of the tools provided to you, creating a web presence will be a snap. Singer/Songwriter, Colbie Caillat, launched her career by posting videos on her MySpace profile. Unaware how effective this act would be on her career, the twenty-four-year-old Californian became an overnight sensation. Here are a few ways to get people talking about the awesome things you and your friends do to increase your cash flow and have a little fun in the process:

• Add a customized signature to all your correspondence. Plug your blog, ETSY site, latest gig or project by updating this feature on all of your e-mail accounts and web profiles.
• Send out Tweets to your contact list on Twitter and encourage everyone that you know to do the same.
• Hold a monthly giveaway on your blog. Award handmade swag promoting your arts and crafts business to the winner. Offer a store discount to one subscriber on your mailing list.
• Visit a website like MOO or VistaPrint and create business cards that reflect your personality. List all pertinent details and contact information on the space provided for text. Carry a stack of cards with you wherever you go and hand them out accordingly.
• Upload videos and photographs of you and your entourage in action to YouTube, MySpace, and Facebook. Link to and embed the images on other websites, in online forums, and in posts to friends.
• Don’t forget to set up a LinkedIn account and begin networking with friends and co-workers. And Twitter is a great way to socialize in real time.
• Make customized t-shirts, buttons, and stickers promoting your website, service, or business and wear them wherever you go. Recruit a Street Team and have others help get the word out about your latest line of hair accessories, the hot new demo that you released or your amazing ability to create works of art using only recycled materials.

Small steps like these, when employed properly, can offer measurable results by generating interest in the things that you do when you aren’t seeking out new financial ventures or spending time reading the articles on this wonderful site. From Ohio to Okinawa, people around the world are proving that when it comes to success, there are numerous ways to be discovered by new “fans” daily.

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis, Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) has increased monthly since February 2010.   Since emerging from the “Great Recession” we are gradually allowing our spending habits to return. The same spending habits which got us in trouble in the first place. It has been foreshadowed that consumers will be adding $20 billion in new credit card debt this year, according to a Card Hub study.

How much is lost when we give into your impulsive emotions from our long-term financial goals?  We promise ourselves we will save our money, exercise, and change our diet when we are in an unemotional state.  But when the emotions pour out what we just promised is put off for another day.  When we see a new pair of shoes, or cell phone that we must have our promise to save is put off until tomorrow.  When we plan to exercise but rather sit in front of the TV to watch a new episode of our favorite show. We want to diet but the delectable dessert seems so much more appealing.  We give up our long-term goals for immediate gratification.

Most of our decisions occur during an unemotional state…basically, when you are clear-headed.    Even I succumb to my own vices.  My goal is to lose 10 lbs.  I promise myself I will cook my own food to cut back on eating out.  After work and the gym, my day is winding down around 8:00pm.  My emotions kick in and I no longer feel like cooking anything.  I’m tired and realize that cooking means cleaning dishes afterwards.  Instead, I opt for a quick fix at a great burger place 5 minutes from where I live.  A solution for me is to pre-commit by pre-cooking my meals and storing them in the fridge where they will be readily available.

By pre-committing you have set up a stepping stool to get you in the right direction. The key to pre-committing is to do it around your terms.  You know yourself best.  You have the opportunity to set up your own plan of action rather than someone else telling you what you have to do.  Of course, there will be times when you might veer off your own path, but the point is to get you in the right direction to avoid procrastination.  For example, I don’t always like to work out alone.  To commit in advance to my workout schedule, I will make it a point to exercise with a friend.

Saving is another issue we have as a consumerism society.  However, since the financial crisis we were clearly given the message: you are on your own.  You are on your own when it comes to creating your own financial security. You are on your own to building your retirement account and protect your family’s finances.  If saving poses a challenge, you can take advantage of automatic deductions for your retirement account and emergency fund.  I always use automatic deductions for building my retirement account, savings account, and other investments.  It’s easy, simple, and I’ve learned to live on less income.

Everyone procrastinates and it’s not a secret. Implementing mechanisms to put us on the right direction is a viable option.   Here are a few solutions to avoid procrastination:

• Pre-commit: setting up a plan
• Automatic deductions
• Get a dose of your reality by managing your finances.  Understanding how you spend your money will provide insight to better identify your financial goals.  For instance, you may realize (to your amazement) you spend $300 a month on dining out.  You goal is to set up an emergency fund.  By reducing your dining experience to three times a week, you could save $100 to put towards your emergency fund.

This guest post is by Ornella Grosz, a personal finance expert, speaker, and the author of Moneylicious: A Financial Clue for Generation Y. She blogs regularly at http://www.moneyliciousblog.com.  She has been featured as a financial expert on top hit radio stations across the country, CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, TheStreet.com,  AOL’s WalletPop and Daily Finance,CreditCards.com, and more.

Like many Americans, I have a New Year’s Resolution that involves physical fitness.  After all, one of the best investments you can make is to invest in yourself. I want to make working out a part of my daily routine in 2011.  There is one problem with this request, however.  As a full-time writer, I don’t always have time to go to the gym.  The obvious solution would be to purchase a treadmill or eliptical machine to put in my home but I have no idea what to look for in terms of quality and price.

I know that buying a brand new machine can be considered an investment but I don’t want to get stuck with something I never use.  Craigslist (http://www.craigslist.org) is a great resource for finding secondhand fitness equipment but I’m not always sure that the items being sold online are as good as they sound.  To be absolutely honest, I am 100% clueless when it comes to these things and that is why I’m glad that websites like EllipticalReviews.net (http://ww.elipticalreviews.net) exist. You can examine various different machines, search by brand, and see what others have to say about your choices.

A valuable resource for novices like me, the website offers reviews on over 50 brands and 300 models of exercise machines.  Now, how’s that for efficient?  I don’t have to jump from page to page to find an honest opinion of the Yukon Inertia ES3.5.  I can see how it rates with customers by clicking on its link, reading about the advantages and disadvantages of owning this machine, and formulate an opinion as to whether or not I want to purchase it.  This gives me plenty of time to think about my purchase without being completely blindsided by a salesperson.

Here are some things I think are important when looking for a good piece of fitness equipment:

• The item is good working order. Notice I didn’t say brand new.  Brand new stationary bikes and weight benches cost a lot.  Not every budget can handle big ticket items like a NordicTrack AudioStrider or a Body Flex Dual Body Trainer.  That is why it is important to test things out before committing to purchase them.  Plug in all power cords, make sure that the electronic reader doesn’t have a short in it, and that all pieces move smoothly and safely.  Also, make sure that the item hasn’t been recalled.  You can visit the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/category/sports.html) to see a list of Sports and Recreation Related Recalls.
• It has a heart rate monitor. Inexperience can cause unneccessary stress to your body when working out.  A heart rate monitor lets you know if the setting that your using on a piece of fitness equipment is right for you and your physique.  It will indicate whether or not you’re getting the most benefit from the exercise that you are doing and give you a guide as to where your heart rate should be for your age group.
• It is not noisy. I don’t like being distracted by loud noises when I work out.  I prefer a machine that uses magnetic fields because it is quieter than a mechanical system.  This allows me to focus on the task at hand without feeling like I have to listen to music.  It also allows me to work out in the early morning hours without disturbing other people’s rest.
• It is easy to repair and service. After reading a review, it is easy to know whether a particular model or brand can be repaired effortlessly.  Replacement parts can cost as much as the equipment itself and are often hard to find.  Secondhand fitness equipment, especially older models, can be hard to service.  Brand new machines come with manufacturer’s warranties which protect the consumer from unexpected damage.

Purchasing the right type of fitness equipment can help a person realize their fitness goals.  Before I run out and buy a treadmill, I am going to do my homework and get the best buy for my money.  Not only will this help me make exercise a regular part of my daily routine, it will also ensure that I get the most bang out of my buck in 2011.

How you value, spend, save, and invest money has more to do about who you are a person than you may realize. You don’t just develop good and bad money habits by chance. Instead, they are usually a result of an underlying personality trait or develop over the course of your lifetime due to your experiences and circumstances. Who you are and how you approach problems in other areas in your life will ultimately create your unique attitudes toward money.

Something as simple as your attitude toward money can have a significant impact on the financial decisions you make. What is a healthy money attitude? Here are a few questions you should first ask yourself:

• Are you a buy now and pay later kind of person or do you save now and pay in full later?
• Are you willing to wait or do you demand immediate gratification?
• Is your shopping out of control?
• Do you have trouble saying no to yourself, kids, spouse or others?
• Do you waste money on gambling?
• Do you spend too much on tobacco or alcohol?
• What is more important to you: buying something or watching your money grow?
• Do you avoid making a budget and just assume that if there’s money in the bank that’s good enough?

It’s possible to do almost everything right in regards to your finances yet have it all undermined by some unhealthy money traits. The questions above are just a starting point when looking at how you treat money. Many of these may apply to you, or maybe just one or two ring true. Either way, certain traits can have an impact on your overall financial success.

Whether you find yourself spending money when you aren’t feeling good about yourself or you simply have a hard time saying no to your kids, these actions can put your long-term goals in jeopardy. A lot of these issues may result in what seem to be just small expenditures. A few dollars here, ten dollars there, and so on. While they aren’t much in the grand scheme of things the real problem is that these behaviors can become habits. What may be small things now can evolve into a habit or attitude that can spiral out of control later in life.

Most of us simply try to place blame on our money problems based on circumstance. I don’t make enough. I got into debt years ago and now I have to deal with it. My house went down in value. The stock market stinks. You know the excuses and we all make them. It’s always easier to blame something else than blame ourselves. Sure, there are plenty of external factors that play a role in our financial situation but even those can largely be altered by our actions.

Blaming the stock market for not having much saved? Maybe it’s not so much the market’s fault but a factor is that you didn’t save enough when the market was down and only buy when things are doing good. Maybe you didn’t learn about asset allocation and took on too much risk. Or maybe you simply waited too long to even get started and now realize you can’t afford any losses. The key is that you shouldn’t beat yourself up over the issue, but you do need to take a hard and realistic look at some of the possible issues that put you into the position you’re in. Don’t take the easy way out and just blame something else, but take some time to look at your own actions and see if there is something you could have done differently to generate a better result.

Addressing Unhealthy Traits

This doesn’t mean you can’t buy things for pleasure and enjoy life and stick to an extreme budget, but what you need to do is recognize is when you are carelessly spending money for an underlying reason or doing something that is creating a bad money habit. For example if you go to the mall and shop when you are feeling depressed, that is an unhealthy trait. Not only are you spending money based on emotions but you are reinforcing this behavior subconsciously. You begin to attribute a sense of feeling good when you are down by spending money. This is a bad long-term habit to get into as it will lead to even more spending and likely force you to buy expensive things you really don’t need.

It is important to be honest with yourself and your habits. Many of these traits we aren’t even fully aware of. Don’t be discouraged if you find yourself with these unhealthy traits. They don’t make you a bad person, they just make it more difficult to reach your financial goals. Whether it’s a spending problem, lack of investments, or a bunch of credit card debt you racked up five years ago, there’s usually a bad habit or poor attitude that led to the result Like any habit they can be difficult to break so start slowly. Going cold turkey can be a sure way to become discouraged.

So you’re putting part of your paycheck aside for your retirement account, making more than the minimum payment on your credit cards, and spending less than you earn so you’re doing everything you can, right? Not quite. While all of these things are good habits to get into and will help you maintain a solid financial foundation you still need to have goals before you can sit back and relax. After all, what is the point of saving if you don’t know what you’re saving for? And it’s great you’re paying down that debt but do you have any idea when you should have it paid off, and even if you do, how do you know if that’s good or bad?

This is where setting goals come into play. Without financial goals you may be doing all the right things yet still have no idea what you’re trying to accomplish. When you aren’t following a specific action plan and trying to reach finite goals you often end up floating aimlessly over the years just doing the status quo. It’s still better than doing nothing at all, but many studies have been done over the years that show those who take the time to define clear goals are far more likely to succeed in reaching them. So, stop telling yourself l that you just want to pay down your debt, or put money away for retirement, or try to make a little more money at your job. Those are all things you want to accomplish but you need to put some specifics behind them.

What is a Financial Goal and How Are They Different from Dreams?

A financial goal is something you intend to achieve. A financial dream is something you hope to achieve. This doesn’t mean that your financial dreams can’t come true, but usually your dreams are a little more lofty and not all that likely. Dreams start with “I wish” and goals start with “I will.” You achieve your goals by setting a specific deadline, dollar amount, or task and t hen create a plan that you can follow to completion.

Consider these two individuals:

John

• wants to get out of debt
• would like to buy a house
• is thinking about retirement
• hopes to be able to send his son to college

Mark

• will be out of debt in five years
• will have a down payment set aside to buy a house in two years
• is putting 10% of his paycheck into his 401(k)
• has established a 529 plan and is saving $250/month

I probably don’t have to point it out to you, but is John or Mark the dreamer and who is more likely to actually reach their goals? Exactly, Mark has defined a very clear vision of what he wants to accomplish and how he can get there. If I had to guess, even if their financial situations and goals were identical Mark would be far more likely to reach his goals before John. It’s much easier to take action if you know exactly what you want and how long you have to get there.

How Your Values Determine Your Goals

Your core values and fundamental beliefs about what’s important to you will provide the basis for your goals. This is why no two people have exactly the same goals. Sure, everyone wants to save money and build wealth, but how much, how fast, and for what reasons will be different from person to person. Others will value being debt-free over an early retirement. Some will want to focus on buying a home and starting a family instead of traveling and so on.

Take a minute to think about what is important to you before blurting out specific goals and put them down on a scrap piece of paper. Throw out words or ideas that you value as a quick brainstorm. For instance, if I quickly put down a few things that I value and feel are important I come up with: family, education, independence, golf, entertaining, good food.  These are the things that make me happy and now that I’ve brought them out and started to think about them I can then begin to start putting down some concrete goals that reflect these values and ultimately help me achieve them. On their own they are far too broad of ideas to actually be goals themselves, so that’s why it’s important to take the next step.

Putting Together Your Financial Goals

Setting goals is a process and each one requires a few key pieces of information in order to be effective. The steps in creating your financial goals are:

1. Identify the goal.
2. Set a deadline for achieving the goal and be as specific as possible.
3. Estimate the cost of the goal, either in terms of time and/or money.
4. Break down the total cost into monthly amounts required.
5. Identify the specific actions or tasks you’ll take to reach the goal.
6. Track your progress.

Using a Goal Worksheet

One of the easiest ways to start developing your goals is to use a financial goal worksheet. This sheet highlights all of the important information required for each goal and allows you to get a nice visual picture of what you want to accomplish and how to go about it. Let’s start with a sample goal.

As you can see, the first part of our goal process is fairly specific. We want to create an emergency fund within 18 months. Now that we know what we want to accomplish and in what time frame, it’s time to put a dollar amount on this goal.

So, you’ve determined that you need to put $10,000 into an emergency fund in 18 months. So far we have a specific goal, how much it is going to cost, and how long we have to accomplish it. So, that allows us to calculate what it will take each month to make that a reality. Some basic math tells us that in order to save $10,000 in 18 months we’d need to put aside $556 each month. Now that we have a specific and realistic number to work with it’s time to outline how we can accomplish that.

This is where you get to go into detail and outline how you’re going to come up with the monthly commitment. For example, maybe you will cut back on a few meals out each month, drop the expensive premium movie channels, and open up a high-yield online savings account. Those were just some quick action examples and your action plan will be different depending on your situation. You can make this as detailed as you want, but the more specific actions you list the more likely you’ll be able to follow through and reach that monthly commitment, and ultimately your goal.

If you’d like to get started I have provided a copy of the financial goals worksheet for you to download.

Prioritizing Your Goals

Most of you will have multiple financial goals but limited resources. This often means you can’t fully fund every single goal all at the same time. That’s ok! Don’t get discouraged and take some time to prioritize your goals so you are putting your time and money to work in the most efficient manner possible. Once you have your goal worksheet filled out you may want to label each one as either a long-term or short-term goal. I usually like to think of long-term as anything beyond five years.

Once you’ve broken down your goals into long and short-term you can start to prioritize. Usually it’s best to take a hard look at your short-term goals first. That’s because shorter term goals tend to deal with more pressing financial concerns such as getting out of debt, building an emergency fund, or taking care of something that is somewhat urgent. As you can probably guess, it wouldn’t make much sense to fully fund your retirement account if another goal is to create an emergency fund and you don’t have a penny in savings. So, focus on your short-term goals first and put most of your effort into those that are most important.

Then you should begin looking at your long-term goals. Now, this doesn’t mean you should put your long-term goals on the back burner while you tackle all of your short-term goals first. Not at all. Instead you should just be putting a little extra money or time into your short-term goals while cutting back on your long-term goals for the time being. Remember, even if one of your goals may be something 30 years down the road you still want to maximize all of the time you have. So while you may not be fully funding that goal while you’re focusing on paying off your credit card debt in the next two years it might not be a good idea to abandon that long-term goal completely. There is opportunity cost associated with all of your goals so it’s up to you to prioritize what’s more important to you and make sure you’re maximizing your efforts.

The findings listed here are to be expected in our fast-paced environment.  Lack of financial resources and greater time constraints have people looking for shortcuts.  Men and women on tight budgets refrain from hitting the gym because they don’t want to incur the expense of a monthly membership pass.  Although it can be considered a wise investment in terms of benefits, there are fees to consider when joining a gym or fitness center.

Good health doesn’t have to come at a cost.  Ten of the easiest and most inexpensive ways to get physically fit include:

• Walking 10,000 steps or 30 minutes a day, five days a week. A pedometer worn on your waistband can help you achieve your goal no matter where you go. One thing I did this year was buy a membership to a golf course and plan on walking at least two 18-hole rounds a week. Each round burns over 1,500 calories!
• Eating a balanced diet that includes the appropriate amount of servings from each food group. Refer to the food pyramid below:



• Getting involved in a community-based or work-related sports team and go to every practice. You don’t have to be the best athlete to reap the rewards of doing drills or running around bases.
• Setting small, obtainable goals regarding your health. Keep a journal as a way of tracking your progress.
• Partnering up with a friend or colleague and combine exercise with socialization. Catch up with one another over a game of tennis and increase your endurance. This is something else golf can provide. The key is to avoid getting a cart and picking up a six-pack of beer while on the course!
• Maintaining balance. Resting up, drinking lots of water, and keeping a positive frame of mind will help you achieve your goals quicker.
• Having a yearly check-up with a physician. Prevention is always the best medicine.  A trained professional can help you create the type of work-out that best suits your physique and personal medical history.
• Eating at home at least five days a week. A Consumer Reports survey reported that “successful losers” choose home-cooked meals over convenience foods. We also have this going for us since we eat virtually every meal at home and use typically fresh foods, but it’s also just as easy to stray from the food pyramid when cooking at home if you aren’t careful.
• Reducing the size of your plates and eating less at every meal. There is no need to clean your plate when you are no longer hungry.  The Japanese people living in Okinawa eat until they are 80% full.  You can use this strategy too.
• Formulating lifelong habits that are not detrimental to your health and well-being. The time to give up your vices is today.  You can’t expect to lose weight or increase your life expectancy by drinking, smoking cigarettes, or bingeing on food.

The ticket to optimum health lays in your ability to balance personal and professional obligations with long-term goals.  By making slow but steady changes in your life, you can reap the rewards of physical fitness without tying up your time or breaking the bank.

Charissa Arsaoui is a freelance writer for ChickSpeak, Buzzine, DisFUNKshion Magazine, Student Stuff, and a guest contributor for Wisebread.  She loves thrift related topics and can spot a bargain a mile away.

When we explore our financial situation we’re almost always focused on ways to save money and invest the money we do have better. What is often overlooked is the importance of income as many of us take that regular paycheck for granted. Without income none of the aforementioned items will even matter. Outdated job skills or lackluster performance can impact income or even eliminate it altogether and if you haven’t taken a serious look at your job situation and skills you may find that you’re scrambling in the unfortunate event you do lose your job.

If you do not regularly monitor your job skills, performance and job security, you will likely have an unexpected problem at some point in the future. Business is competitive and if you aren’t living up to your expectations or find yourself in an industry that is declining it should be no surprise that you could potentially be without a job. When that happens it can take many months to find replacement employment.

Job Skills

Start by taking a look at your job skills. Would you hire someone with your job skills to do the job you’re doing? Are you current with computer and other technical skills required for your job? Do you need more training? Does your job require specific certifications? Your career isn’t static and the tasks you need to complete are always changing. Your employer will generally offer basic training required to do the job but above and beyond that it may be up to you.

Some employers even offer reimbursement for outside training so that is the first place to look. Other times it may be out of your own pocket and you need to consider the benefits of additional training. Would obtaining that certification or touching up on certain industry skills make you more valuable to the company? These small improvements to your skill set may be the difference needed to keep your job during a downsize or losing it to a new college graduate who is current with the latest skills.

Job Performance

This area can be a bit subjective, but take an honest look at your performance. Put yourself in your supervisor’s chair. What kind of review would you give yourself?

• Do you show up on time?
• Do you do all that is asked of you?
• Is your work completed by the deadline?
• Do you put in an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay?
• Do you cut corners?
• Do you like your job and does it show?

Job performance is more than showing up, doing what is required without messing up, and then going home. If you are familiar with the movie Office Space you probably remember the manager at the restaurant requiring the servers to wear a certain amount of “flair” on their uniform. The manager regularly addresses Jennifer Aniston’s character for wearing only the minimum and encourages her to wear more like her co-worker. She later proclaims that if he wants everyone to wear 38 pieces of flair to just make the minimum 38.

The point is, yes you can only do the minimum and still maintain your job, but is that really what you want to do? You don’t have to be over-the-top and obnoxious about doing more than the minimum like the waiter with a million pieces of flair but your boss will notice if you do a little bit more. At the same time,  you will also be noticed if you are known for just doing the minimum when the company is looking to cut costs or introduce new talent.

Job Security

This one can be harder to examine but it is important to understand your true employment situation. Are you working in an industry that has been facing hard times recently? Are you in a rapidly expanding industry? Aside from the broad economic aspect take a look at your individual employer. Is the company operating at a profit? Is the company local, national or global? What are your chances of advancement within the company?

These questions can paint a picture of how secure your job actually is. Clearly there will always be unforeseen circumstances that can make even a seemingly secure job become obsolete, but by understanding where you stand can give you an edge in spotting potential troubles before they become a reality.

Have a Backup Plan

You need to have a backup plan in the event your source of income is drastically reduced or eliminated completely. What this means is to have a course of action established to minimize the impact of this situation as little as possible. The first thing you should be concerned with is your emergency savings. Ideally you would have enough money saved up to continue paying the bills for a few months with little or no interruption. Unfortunately this isn’t always the case.

Next, have a plan for getting back to work as quickly as possible. Keep your resume updated. The last thing you need in the event of a job loss is spending the better part of a week trying to write a new resume from scratch before even being able to apply elsewhere. Being prepared will allow you to get into the hunt for a new job as soon as possible.

Finally, it is important to maintain contacts. Keep the numbers of old co-workers or acquaintances that could have an inside track to open positions. These people could be your best resource when it comes to finding a new position. They know you and what you’re strengths are and can be great referral sources. One good resource is to sign up on LinkedIn where you can create a professional profile, search for employment, and stay connected with old co-workers so you can network. If you’d like, you can find me on LinkedIn and we can connect.

Did you know that being organized can actually save you money? If you’ve ever forgotten to pay a bill on time you know how much that can hurt your wallet. Could be a $20, $30, or even $40 late fee. Had you simply been organized and knew when to pay the bills it could have saved you money. And don’t forget organizing your financial documents. When it comes to doing your taxes, buying a home, or making any other large financial decision it will save you a lot of time and money if you’re organized. Luckily, getting organized is easy and you can do so for free.

Here are a few to try today:

• Remember the Milk.  Members of the site can upload To-Do lists, sync them to their Google calendar, and share tasks with friends and family members.  Access your lists from your phone or update them via Twitter.

• Evernote.  Appropriate for school, business, and personal matters, the service allows users to capture web pages, store wish lists, and keep meeting notes together in one place.  Find items easily through the use of keywords, titles, and tags.

• Group Tweet.  Members can take an ordinary group Twitter account, privatize Direct Messages, and send them to colleagues without the threat of someone outside of the circle obtaining personal information.

• 4 Shared.  Store up to 10 GB of your favorite music, movies, and photos in a virtual drive that is accessible from any computer.  Sort and organize items into folders for future use without paying a dime.

• Birthday Alarm.  With 50 million members worldwide, the service gives users access to over a hundred free birthday cards as well as party planning tips and invitations.  Never forget an important milestone again!  In addition to birthdays, members can request reminders for anniversaries, holidays, and events.

Being disorganized can cause you more grief than happiness.  The key to an organized life is persistence.  Simply incorporate the systems that are listed here into your daily routine and see what kind of progress you make.  It’s likely that you’ll free up more time than you’ll know what to do with and can use it to research other methods that you can use to further simplify your life.

Charissa Arsaoui is a freelance writer for ChickSpeak, Buzzine, DisFUNKshion Magazine, Student Stuff, and a guest contributor for Wisebread.  She loves thrift related topics and can spot a bargain a mile away.

Apart from sex, money is one of the leading causes of stress in a marriage. When couples fight about money it’s not only bad for the marriage, but it can also lead to bigger financial problems as well. One of the problems is that one person in the marriage may be completely in charge of the daily finances while the other may completely unaware of what’s going on.  When you are married or dealing with shared finances both parties need to take an active role in dealing with the family’s finances. It is not fair to place the entire responsibility on one person’s shoulders and this extra burden is sure to leave to arguments.

It isn’t just about avoiding arguments. Yes, having shared responsibilities may reduce stress, but what happens if the person normally in charge of the finances were suddenly no longer to manage them? Maybe it’s an injury, or even worse, death? What happens to their spouse who has never had a hand in the finances before? As if the death of a spouse isn’t difficult enough, now they are at a complete loss when it comes to simply paying the bills.

Start With Simple Tasks

It’s common for one person in the relationship to handle the checkbook or to monitor daily balances. Whether it is because this person is better with numbers or has more time to keep up with the task, when only one party is privy to this information it can quickly lead to a disagreement when questions come up regarding the status of the finances. Begin by making sure both people are on the same page with day-to-day finances. This doesn’t mean both people need to sit down and work out the checkbook or enter data into Quicken together, but both parties do need to have regular access to this information so they are on the same page.

Tackling the Big Purchases

While it isn’t likely that in a marriage one person will go out and buy a car or a boat without first consulting their spouse, but these larger purchases are still an area for added stress in a relationship even if they are openly discussed. Again the problem comes when one person isn’t fully aware of the financial situation. If one person handles most of the budgeting and day-to-day finance issues they are fully aware of their family’s situation and may know whether or not they can afford the big purchase. But what happens is the spouse that is not as involved in this aspect of the finances will have a false sense of what they can or can’t afford. Maybe they freak out thinking that their financial situation isn’t as good as it is so they fight about spending too much money. Or maybe they have this feeling that money is abundant and wants to buy a new car without realizing how tight money is. Either way, you can be sure there will be a heated discussion about this.

When deciding on a large purchase it is crucial to take some time to make sure each person fully understands where the finances stand and what the purchase would mean going forward. If you need to, sit down and go over the budget item by item, clarify the current balances in all of your accounts, and understand what bills or expenses will be coming out in coming months. With both parties in agreement on the true state of their finances they can go into making a large purchase without assumptions. There is no quicker way to an argument when one person thinks they can afford a $30,000 vehicle while the other knows they can realistically only afford a $15,000 vehicle.

Hold Regular Family Money Meetings

Think of your family finances like a business and hold regular meetings. You don’t need to set aside hours of time or put together fancy reports to have a successful meeting. All it takes is spending a few minutes a week together to make sure everyone is aware of what is going on. Make it a point to spend at least a little time once a week going over the immediate financial issues and then try to have a monthly time set aside to review longer term issues. Don’t stop with basic budgeting and cash flow discussions. Use those monthly meetings to go over longer term goals such as retirement plans so you don’t end up broke, college savings, and other financial goals and dreams.

I’m sure you’ve been here before. How does it feel when your spouse springs something up on you at the last minute? For example, have you ever had a situation where your spouse tells you about a birthday or baby shower gift that needs to be purchased tomorrow for the event this weekend? If you’re living paycheck to paycheck this can be a stressful nugget of information. Nobody likes surprises when it comes to spending money that wasn’t budgeted. A quick talk once a week will identify these types of expenditures before they become a surprise and will not only allow you to budget better, but probably keep you from sleeping on the couch over a $50 argument.