>> January 2013
Creating Successful New
Years Resolutions
Peter Locandro, Principal
Happy New Year to you all.
Another year has now arrived - many New Year
resolutions were made and unfortunately, many
New Year resolutions have probably been broken
already.
New Years Resolutions You
Can’t Afford To Break.
Now that the New Year is ahead of us, it is time to
revisit your resolutions for the upcoming year.
With a fresh year comes a fresh approach to your
finances; we have a few resolution ideas that will
get your New Year off to a financially sound start!
>> Pay off your credit card. Many banks offer 02% interest on balances transferred for the first 6
months. Take the time to transfer your credit card
balance to save you hundreds in interest.
>> Create a list of financial goals. Did you float
through 2012 paying bills and getting by but not
having anything to show for it? Set yourself some
goals for 2013. Do you want to pay off a certain
amount from your mortgage? Save for a holiday?
Build up your superannuation? Pick your goal
then set out a plan to achieve it by the end of the
year.
>> Build a super superannuation. New Year is a
reminder that none of us are getting any younger!
Make this year the year you sort out your
superannuation. Check out
www.ato.gov.au/superseeker to find your lost
super. Rollover your funds into one account to
save on fees. It is a great time to assess your
superannuation, find out wether an industry fund
or a self managed superannuation fund is a better
for you. Contact our team if you would like
someone to review your superannuation with
you.
>> Start a savings account. It can be hard to break
the routine of living paycheque to paycheque.
Start a separate savings account with a direct
debit from your wages to provide you with a
hassle free savings plan. Nominate a weekly or
fortnightly amount you think you can spare.
We’re On The Air!
Have you tuned into our new radio program
“Finance & Money Matters”? Listen on 97.7fm
or www.3ser.org.au every Tuesday between
9-11am for up to date topics and discussions.
“Resolutions are meaningless without means to
instantiate them. Resolve means to have an
assertive and firm action to do something” (Alan
Weiss).
It’s not too late, but every person should have
goals or objectives that have been written down
that they would like to accomplish; both
personally and professionally. Personal goals may
include running a marathon, or maybe losing
some weight.
Business goals may include to grow your business
revenue by 10% or to increase your product
range.
There are no right or wrong resolutions; no
resolution is too big or small – focus on what is
important to you!
“
Quote of the month
“ Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for
tomorrow” - Albert Einstein
With all resolutions, I recommend 3 courses of
action: UAR
JAN
Y
1. Schedule the elements you need in your
calendar today – it is extremely important to put
aside time to give you every chance of making
your resolutions happen.
Reminders
2. Have someone hold you accountable – by
telling others or writing your resolutions down will
give you more chance of success.
>> 21 January
- All monthly
activity statements to be lodged and paid.
3. And then be sure to apply the daily discipline to
do it – what needs to happen to make them
happen?
By doing all of this, your resolutions will lead to
improved performance and the right desired
behaviors. Otherwise, they’re less likely to occur.
Are you betting on long shots or are you setting
yourself up for continued success?
Did you realize that if you wait until the 1st
February 2013 to implement the resolutions that
you made that more than 8% of 2013 has passed
you by – you have already wasted more than 8%
of 2013 by not implementing!
The New Year should bring a fresh new beginning,
new hope, new opportunities and another chance
of implementing all the ideas that you know that
you need to be implementing to make you better
and make your business better.
“Happy Running”…
Upcoming Seminars
Wednesday 13 February –
Concerned About Your Superannuation?
Castello’s Berwick Springs Hotel (Berwick)
Tuesday 5 March –
Concerned About Your Superannuation?
Mulgrave Country Club (Wheelers Hill)
——————————————————
For more details about events, please see
our website, or contact Jasmine on
9547 5022
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Help Kids Make Money Count
Herald Sun—November 2012
As the kids head back to school it’s a great
opportunity to teach them about money and how
to spend it. It is really about decision-making such
as whether to spend, to save or to give. And you're
never too young to learn.
Giving kids the power to understand money and
finances empowers them to make good decisions.
>> Early years
With increasing online shopping and easy access to
credit, learning about money and finances needs to
start at an early age, well before school. Even very
young children, including pre-schoolers, can learn
the value of money and saving for small goals.
Congratulations
ZJL Partners Tip
We wish to congratulate both Michael and Amy
who celebrated their wedding days during the
Christmas break.
Resolutions are meaningless without means to
instantiate them."Resolve," means to have an
assertive and firm action to do something.
Schedule the elements you need in your
calendar, have someone hold you accountable,
and apply the daily discipline to do it. Then
resolutions become improved performance and
desired behaviours. Otherwise, they're less likely
to occur than your choice on a given spin of the
roulette wheel. Are you betting on long shots or
relying on sure shots? Happy New Year!!” -
Michael was married to Sharna on 15th
December while Amy and Brian celebrated their
day on 30th December.
All the best to the happy couples!
Alan Weiss
Working out what your child might want to buy and
then help set a goal for them to save or earn money
to pay for it.
Discuss how much they will need to set aside from
their pocket money each week to reach their target.
Pocket money is a great way to teach children that
money has to be earned that it doesn't magically
appear from an ATM.
> > Teens
Teens and older students are put under a lot of
pressure, not just socially but also financially.
We need to set them up as early as we can to learn
about money.
The way to teach kids is to give them the
information and then let them make decisions
around it. Let them see or experience the
consequences that their decisions produce.
>> Young adults
Many young adults are prone to making the same
financial mistakes as their parents. However,
explaining how the mistakes were made and talking
about the consequences can help them avoid
similar mistakes of their own. Parents should be
open and share those examples.
Discuss with them first-time purchases
contextualising the conversation around a real-life
purchase.
Important topics to consider include consumerism,
peer pressure, values, attitudes and personal
circumstances.
Examples of discussion points include car loans,
mobile phones, contracts, credit cards, impulse
buying, household and living costs.
Australia Day
ZJL Partners will be closed on the
Australia Day holiday Monday 28th
January and reopen at 9am Tuesday 29th
January 2013. We apologise for any
inconvenience caused.
Are you following
Peter’s blog?
Check out
therunningaccountant.wordpress.com for up to
date post on small business.
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Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to ensure that the
material in this newsletter is free from error or omissions.
However, ZJL Partners shall not accept responsibility for
any injury, loss or damages incurred by persons acting or
refraining from action as a result of material in this
publication. We therefore recommend that our formal
advice be sought before acting on any of the material
presented in this publication. The material in this
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