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.

Like it or not, the Federal Reserve's actions (and sometimes just words) hold tremendous sway over the stock market and the economy. Their influence over the markets birthed the saying, “Don’t fight the Fed.” Recently, they released a statement about what they believe to be the future of their monetary policy in support of their stated goals: maximum employment and price stability. This post will examine what it means to investors in the coming year.

My wife turned to me and said, “I wouldn’t know what to do if you died.” I had just gotten off the phone with my father who was simultaneously mourning the sudden loss of his brother and trying to sort out his finances. Talk about a wakeup call.

With so much recent focus on this country’s all-too-regular debt ceiling drama, I want to spend a moment to make a proclamation: debt is not a bad thing.