After one or two sentences an internal alarm (God Bless it) shouted “Hey JT, focus up, I sense danger.” I quickly realized that this was not a legitimate phone call and I was being scammed. Fortunately, I realized this before giving any pertinent information, but it so easily could have been me.

The basic premise of financial planning is to create a roadmap for your financial future, which includes setting goals, identifying risks and opportunities, and creating a plan of action to help you achieve your objectives. It's about making the most of your income, managing your expenses, and building wealth over time. These are all tasks that sound easy, but many times it’s these priorities that we push to the side because we’re too busy or we feel that since it’s long-term planning, it can wait. The saying “time waits for no one” comes to mind with this thought process. It’s never too early nor too late to address this.

Those with a well-functioning crystal ball sold all their stocks, bonds, and cryptocurrencies at the beginning of this year. For everyone else, there haven’t been many places to hide. After last year’s tranquility, we are being reminded daily that investments can, in fact, decline in value. These periods can paralyze investors with fear, so it is a valuable exercise to step back and assess the situation objectively.

Get in shape. Save money. Get organized. Sound familiar? ‘Tis the season for examining your life and identifying ways to improve. As we are all aware, the problem is following through on our promises. This being a financial post, we will view each of those goals through the lens of your finances and propose methods to help you stick with them.