Ho Ho Hold on a minute.. it’s only 8 days until Christmas.. and only a couple of weeks until 2020.. (I don’t even have 20/20 vision anymore ☹).
A new year, a new decade – the question is, do you have the same, or do you have different financial problems heading into 2020?
In life we are always going to have problems. But the good news is that problems don’t have to be bad…they can be GOOD! In fact, you should focus on making GOOD problems (they’re more fun than the bad ones).
It comes down to the problems we decide to have for ourselves. We like good ones such as:
- Where do I spend that extra money that I saved over the year?
- Where do I invest my money?
- I have to pay more tax than last year because I earned more this year
- How do I reduce my capital gains?
I think you get the drift…
So anyway, we wanted to discuss a couple of points in this finance blog to help you transition into 2020 as smoothly as possible.
1. Finishing off the year
It all starts with a healthy review of the last 11 months, measuring against what you set out to achieve… (no matter how big or small) when the year began. You may have made some new-years resolutions, or perhaps had a goal in mind such as a holiday for the end of the year.
- Did you achieve what you set out to?
- Did you exceed or fall short? If you fell short, what can you do to make sure you achieve your goals for next year?
- Were your goals right at the time of setting them?
- Should you do things differently, and who or what can you leverage? Think of who is achieving what you want to and ask for help!
2. Setting goals for the year ahead
Once you have completed a review of 2019, it’s time to have a go at creating goals for 2020. We like to use a monthly planner so you can slot goals into each month and create pathways to making them happen. Like most things in life, it’s the journey that’s important. Create the right pathway, focus on the tasks, and the results will happen. And don’t forget to review your goals and reward yourself for even the smallest of wins. This will help you build the momentum you need to be successful.
We suggest taking the following steps to ensure you have the best opportunity at achieving what you set out to for 2020:
- Start at the end.. what is it that you want to achieve?
- Ask yourself.. is it realistic and achievable?
- Don’t set goals that will stress you out!
- Break down the goals into easy, bite size chunks
- What tools do I need or what do I need to learn?
- What are likely obstacles or road blocks and how do I get around them?
It’s really important to not be hard on yourself when you have a set back. It’s more likely going to happen than not. So expect it to, and remember to reset and go again!
HTA would like to thank you all for a wonderful year, and wish all of our clients a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
