This week, the theme is financial resolutions for 2020. 

Each day this week, I’m giving you ideas on how you can adopt a financial resolution for 2020. 

Today’s financial resolution for 2020 is: a learning new years resolution. 

Too many of us go most of our lives without understanding the basics of finance. They don’t teach this stuff enough in school, and since most people view money as a taboo subject, it doesn’t get talked about in our homes either. 

The old adage is true: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

What is the one area of money, personal finance, investing, or retirement, that if you knew more, it would make a difference in your life? If there is an area that you struggle with financially - spending, budgeting, investing, managing money with your spouse, debt - that’s probably an indication on where you can focus your learning to have the most impact. 

Why not do something about your knowledge gap by reading a book, taking a class or a course, or going to an event or conference. You could even watch videos on YouTube for 20 minutes a week on a specific topic, and be eons ahead this time next year in your understanding of the money topic that is vexing you the most right now. 

The key is to pinpoint an area of your financial life that you struggle with the most, and commit to learning more about it in a deeper way. 

The more you know, the easier it will be to take action, find the best path, and stop struggling with the money issue you’re struggling with the most right now. 

That’s it for today. Thanks for listening. Tomorrow, we’re going to recap the week and I’m going to give you a little preview of next week’s theme. 

My name is Ashley Micciche and this is the One Minute Retirement Tip.

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Tags: retirement, investing, money, finance, finances, financial planning, retirement planning, saving money, personal finance, wealth management, money tips, fee only financial advisor, financial planner, financial podcast, retirement podcast, financial independence podcast, new years resolution financial goals, financial new years resolutions 2020, financial goals for the new year, how do you set financial goals for the new year, money tips 2020

This week, the theme is financial resolutions for 2020. 

Each day this week, I’m giving you ideas on how you can adopt a financial resolution for 2020. 

Today’s financial resolution for 2020 is: a debt-reduction new years resolution. 

Whether you have high-interest credit card debt, a car loan, a business loan, or a mortgage, reducing or removing the burden of debt is one of the best things you can do for your financial health and your stress in 2020. 

Here are some ideas for resolutions to reduce your debt in 2020: 

• Make a debt payoff plan using a system like the debt snowball or the debt avalanche method to systematically tackle your debt
• Target a specific debt to payoff, make a plan to pay it off, and put the plan into action
• Begin setting aside $50-100/month into emergency savings, so you’ll be less likely to go into debt in the future
• Learn how to use an amortization 
• Commit to taking on no new debts in 2020, and make a plan for what you’ll do to prevent you from caving on your no new debt resolution.
• Cut up your credit cards on January 1st. 
• Pick 1 month in 2020 where you spend no money on nothing but the essentials. Take the money you save and use it to pay down debt and boost your emergency fund. 

That’s it for today, but before you go, would I be correct in saying that your retirement is perhaps the most important financial decision you’ll ever make? You want to get it right. Well, so do I. For the last 12 years, I’ve been helping clients just like you make the transition into retirement. If you want to talk one-on-one with me about whether or not you can retire, head on over to truenorthra.com, where you can book a 15 minute call with me, at a time that’s convenient for you. The call is confidential, free, and I promise to help guide you on whatever is weighing most on your mind right now regarding your retirement. So head on over to truenorthra.com and book a call today. 

Thanks for listening. My name is Ashley Micciche and this is the One Minute Retirement Tip. 

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Tags: retirement, investing, money, finance, finances, financial planning, retirement planning, saving money, personal finance, wealth management, money tips, fee only financial advisor, financial planner, financial podcast, retirement podcast, financial independence podcast, new years resolution financial goals, financial new years resolutions 2020, financial goals for the new year, how do you set financial goals for the new year, money tips 2020

This week, the theme is financial resolutions for 2020. 

Each day this week, I’m giving you ideas on how you can adopt a financial resolution for 2020. 

Today’s financial resolution for 2020 is: a giving new years resolution. 

John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople in the late 4th century, and an influential figure in the early Christian Church once said in one of his sermons: “The most pitiable person of all is the one who lives in luxury and shares his goods with nobody.” 

If we’re being honest with ourselves, most of us would probably admit that we aren’t giving enough. What are the causes that you care about the most? How can you use the resources you’ve been given to lift others up?

Because money is a limited resource, when we use it in one way, it prevents us from using our money in another way. That’s why it’s so important that we’re intentional with saving, spending, and giving, because intentionality keeps us from squandering our resources and using our resources for more than just our own needs and wants. 

Here are a few ideas to help you formulate a giving resolution for 2020: 

• Give 1% more of your income in 2020
• Pick a cause or a charity to support, and support them with a consistent, monthly donation
• Automate more of your giving. If your giving tends to be sporadic and inconsistent, then one of the best ways you can put a giving resolution into action is by making it automatic. Charities love this too, and most will allow you to set up an automatic transfer each month. 
• Every month, call your local food pantry, clothing distribution center, or homeless shelter and find out what they are in most need of, then go out and buy what’s needed. You can even multiply the giving by collaborating with your friends, family, or your church. 
• Consider giving more of your time and talents through volunteer work, and make it a regular part of your week or month.

Whatever you decide to do, I encourage you to find one concrete way in 2020 that you can be more generous and use your resources for the greater good. 

That’s it for today. Thanks for listening! My name is Ashley Micciche and this is the One Minute Retirement Tip.

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Tags: retirement, investing, money, finance, finances, financial planning, retirement planning, saving money, personal finance, wealth management, money tips, fee only financial advisor, financial planner, financial podcast, retirement podcast, financial independence podcast, new years resolution financial goals, financial new years resolutions 2020, financial goals for the new year, how do you set financial goals for the new year, money tips 2020

This week, the theme is financial resolutions for 2020. 

Each day this week, I’m giving you ideas on how you can adopt a financial resolution for 2020. 

Today’s financial resolution for 2020 is: a resolution to plan. Ugh, that sounds so boring just saying that...plan. But good planning is the key to success in any meaningful endeavor, especially with your retirement. 

Planning involves setting a goal and then sketching out the steps you’ll take to meet that goal. Planning is essential to help you make better decisions through focused planning in 2020. Without a plan, it’s easy to get distracted and derailed with shiny little objects. 

Let’s go through a quick example on how you can use planning as a financial resolution in 2020: 

• Start by targeting a specific financial goal (like paying off your mortgage or retiring in 3 years) and sketch out the first 3 steps to take in making progress or achieving that goal. Using the example of paying off your mortgage: 
• • Step #1 would be gathering the information about your current mortgage (interest rate, loan balance, etc.) 
  • Step #2 would be entering that information on a loan amortization table which you can find for free online. 
  • Step #3 would be deciding on an extra payment amount or a target date for paying off your mortgage and entering that into the amortization table to figure out how long it would take to pay off your mortgage with an additional payment, or how much that payment would need to be to pay off your mortgage within a specific targeted timeline.
  • Step 4 would be deciding on an extra payment amount and taking action. 

Paying off your mortgage is just one example, but I think it provides a nice illustration for the planning process. One of the big benefits of planning is that it breaks up a seemingly overwhelming task - paying off your mortgage - into bite-sized manageable steps. With a good plan, before you know it, you’ll be making consistent progress on those goals that are most important to you. 

That’s it for today. Thanks for listening. My name is Ashley Micciche and this is the One Minute Retirement Tip. 

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Tags: retirement, investing, money, finance, finances, financial planning, retirement planning, saving money, personal finance, wealth management, money tips, fee only financial advisor, financial planner, financial podcast, retirement podcast, financial independence podcast, new years resolution financial goals, financial new years resolutions 2020, financial goals for the new year, how do you set financial goals for the new year, money tips 2020

This week, the theme is financial resolutions for 2020. Can you believe it’s already the dawn of a new decade?! Heck, I’m still waiting for the fallout from Y2K...and that was 20 years ago!!

Each day this week, I’m giving you ideas on how you can adopt a financial resolution for 2020. 

Today, is one of the most important and impactful financial resolutions you can adopt for 2020 - A resolution to save more. 

Most Americans aren’t saving enough for emergencies or for retirement, and as a result, about 40% of us couldn’t cover a $400 emergency without putting it on to a credit card. 

So if you’re like most people, you could benefit from a saving more. The key with saving more is to boil the frog slowly by starting where you are. Here are a few ideas for some saving financial resolutions for 2020: 

• Save 1% more in your 401k in 2019
• If you have no idea how much of your income you’re saving right now, start tracking that. That could be a resolution...just start tracking. 
• Save an extra $100 each month that’s earmarked for emergencies
• Target a savings goal as a % of your income. For example, if you’re saving 3% of your income right now, your resolution could be to bump that up to 4 or 5% of your income in 2020. 
• Start a mad money account. Go to the bank and open an account that’s just for fun spending and start putting money into it each month. That way when you want a new pair of shoes or impulsively decide to head to the beach for the weekend, you can just tap into your mad money account, guilt free. 

That’s it for today. Before you go, though, if you haven’t already left a review in Amazon or iTunes for the One Minute Retirement Tip, can I ask a favor of you to go do that right now? It just takes a minute and it helps to spread the word, and helps other people find this podcast.

Thanks for listening. My name is Ashley Micciche and this is the One Minute Retirement Tip. 

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Tags: retirement, investing, money, finance, finances, financial planning, retirement planning, saving money, personal finance, wealth management, money tips, fee only financial advisor, financial planner, financial podcast, retirement podcast, financial independence podcast, new years resolution financial goals, financial new years resolutions 2020, financial goals for the new year, how do you set financial goals for the new year, money tips 2020

Welcome to a new week and a new theme here on the One Minute Retirement Tip! 

This week, the theme is “Financial Resolutions for 2020”.

I’m sharing with you 5 financial resolutions to improve your life in 2020. Although I’m not a big fan of new year’s resolutions, I do like the idea of a fresh start to the new year, and it’s arguably the best time to reflect on your life currently, decide what needs tuning up or a complete overhaul, and get to work creating more purpose and fulfillment in your life!

Healthy finances are like the WD40 of life. Without a firm financial footing life can be pretty rough. While money doesn’t lead to happiness, in the absence of money and financial security, life can get pretty miserable. If you’re a listener of the One Minute Retirement Tip, you probably already get that, so I won’t spend too much time convincing you of that this week. 

So this week, I’ll share with you a variety of financial and money resolutions for the new year, and while I don’t recommend that you adopt all of these, because that would be overwhelming, I challenge you to adopt at least 1 of the financial resolutions that I’ll present to you this week, and make it part of your non-negotiable goals for 2020. 

That’s it for today, thanks for listening. My name is Ashley Micciche...and this is the One Minute Retirement Tip. 

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Tags: retirement, investing, money, finance, finances, financial planning, retirement planning, saving money, personal finance, wealth management, money tips, fee only financial advisor, financial planner, financial podcast, retirement podcast, financial independence podcast, new years resolution financial goals, financial new years resolutions 2020, financial goals for the new year, how do you set financial goals for the new year, money tips 2020

It’s Sunday, which means...It’s recap time! 

The theme for this week was: How to have a more frugal (and a more joyful) Christmas

Christmas doesn’t have to be a mad dash through the mall to overspend on gifts. Instead with a little effort, you can save a lot of money this Christmas, and bring more joy to the season by focusing on sentimental gifts and spending more time and less money with those you love the most. 

Here’s what I covered in each episode this week: 5 ideas for a frugal Christmas: 

1. Something heartfelt and homemade
2. A Video letter 
3. Secret Santa
4. Trimming your list of people and trimming your budget
5. Start a frugal tradition

Hopefully after listening to the One Minute Retirement Tip this week, you are inspired to cherish this season, slow down, and spend less, and start new frugal traditions that will bear fruit for your relationships and your wallet for years to come. 

If you missed any of these episodes or if you want to revisit any of them, you can find them on iTunes, Spotify, or Google Play by searching for the “One Minute Retirement Tip with Ashley”. 

Tomorrow, we are starting a brand new theme: Financial Resolutions for 2020. Another year is coming to a close and it's a good time to think about how to start fresh in the new year. So next week I’ll be sharing with you several types for financial resolutions to help you make progress on your journey to retirement. I’ll also share with you the criteria you’ll want to set for each resolution you make, to help you stick with your resolution beyond January. 

That’s it for this week! Thanks for listening and I hope you have a blessed Sunday! 

My name is Ashley Micciche and this is the “One Minute Retirement Tip”.

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Tags: retirement, investing, money, finance, financial planning, retirement planning, saving money, personal finance, wealth management, fee only financial advisor, financial planner, financial podcast, retirement podcast, financial independence podcast, frugal christmas, frugal christmas 2019, no cost christmas gift ideas, christmas on a budget, christmas, christmas 2019, christmas gift ideas, christmas traditions

This week I’m sharing with you my best ideas on how you can make this Christmas a frugal and a more joyful one. 

Today, is frugal Christmas idea #5 - Start a frugal tradition

If you normally go out to a fancy brunch, spend $100 each on your girlfriends, or if you break the bank every year buying lots of gifts for your children or grandchildren, here are some fun, frugal traditions you could try this year instead:

1. Drink hot cocoa, then walk around the neighborhood to look at the lights
2. Host a Christmas cookie exchange
3. Celebrate with a Christmas movie night, complete with popcorn and candy
4. Volunteer somewhere as a family
5. If you have little kids or grandkids you’ll be spending time with during the holidays, snuggle up on the couch with a stack of books and read Christmas classics. 

Time spent with family, friends, and those you love most is so much more meaningful and memorable than giving them stuff, and if you’re thoughtful about the activities and traditions you do together, you can be frugal at the same time!

That’s it for today. Thanks for listening. Tomorrow, we’re going to recap the week and I’m going to give you a little preview of next week’s theme. 

My name is Ashley Micciche and this is the One Minute Retirement Tip.

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Tags: retirement, investing, money, finance, financial planning, retirement planning, saving money, personal finance, wealth management, fee only financial advisor, financial planner, financial podcast, retirement podcast, financial independence podcast, frugal christmas, frugal christmas 2019, no cost christmas gift ideas, christmas on a budget, christmas, christmas 2019, christmas gift ideas, christmas traditions

This week I’m sharing with you my best ideas on how you can make this Christmas a frugal and a more joyful one. 

Today, is frugal Christmas idea #4 - Trim your list and trim your budget. 

If you sit down and write out all the people you plan to buy Christmas presents for this year, how many people are on that list? Is there anyone on that list that should be downshifted to a card or a Christmas letter? 

Are there siblings, friends or co-workers on there where maybe you could go to coffee or do a group lunch in lieu of exchanging gifts? If you broach the subject with them and say you would rather spend some quality time together instead of exchanging gifts, what are the odds that they too, will be relieved? 

Trimming your list of people to buy gifts for will naturally trim your budget, but it’s also important to set a realistic budget for Christmas with the list of people that remain. Setting a budget is vitally important even if you can afford not to, because it will prevent materialism from taking over this Christmas. And if Christmas tends to plunge you into credit card debt after the holidays, even more reason to trim your list and set a budget that you...and your bank account...can live with. 

That’s it for today. Thanks for listening. My name is Ashley Micciche and this is the One Minute Retirement Tip. 

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Tags: retirement, investing, money, finance, financial planning, retirement planning, saving money, personal finance, wealth management, fee only financial advisor, financial planner, financial podcast, retirement podcast, financial independence podcast, frugal christmas, frugal christmas 2019, no cost christmas gift ideas, christmas on a budget, christmas, christmas 2019, christmas gift ideas, christmas traditions

This week I’m sharing with you my best ideas on how you can make this Christmas a frugal and a more joyful one. 

Frugality doesn’t have to stifle your enjoyment of Christmas. Actually the exact opposite it true. By keeping our wallets tucked away it forces us to be creative and focus more on relationships and spending quality time with the people we cherish the most. 

Today is Frugal Christmas Idea #3 - Secret Santa. 

If you don’t know what Secret Santa is, it’s where you and a designated group of people exchange Christmas gifts anonymously. Each member of the group is assigned one other member to give gift to, with a budget set. 

I am very excited - like bursting at the seems excited - because this year on both sides of my family, we are doing Secret Santa. So instead of buying presents for like 8 people, I only have to buy a gift for 2 people - one from the Secret Santa we’re doing with my family, and one with the Secret Santa we’re doing with my husband’s family. 

By doing Secret Santa with our families, it cuts down the number of gifts I’ll be buying this year by two thirds, and instead of stressing trying to find gifts for everyone in my family, I can just focus on finding something extra special for my 2 secret santa recipients. 

I highly encourage you to consider this in your family, especially if the overflowing amount of presents and consumerism in your family has taken over. You’ll save a boatload of money and stress by keeping it simple with Secret Santa. 

That’s it for today, but before you go, would I be correct in saying that your retirement is perhaps the most important financial decision you’ll ever make? You want to get it right. Well, so do I. For the last 12 years, I’ve been helping clients just like you make the transition into retirement. If you want to talk one-on-one with me about whether or not you can retire, head on over to truenorthra.com, where you can book a 15 minute call with me, at a time that’s convenient for you. The call is confidential, free, and I promise to help guide you on whatever is weighing most on your mind right now regarding your retirement. So head on over to truenorthra.com and book a call today. 

Thanks for listening! My name is Ashley Micciche and this is the One Minute Retirement Tip.

----------

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Tags: retirement, investing, money, finance, financial planning, retirement planning, saving money, personal finance, wealth management, fee only financial advisor, financial planner, financial podcast, retirement podcast, financial independence podcast, frugal christmas, frugal christmas 2019, no cost christmas gift ideas, christmas on a budget, christmas, christmas 2019, christmas gift ideas, christmas traditions