Before you can start your journey to financial literacy and well managed personal finances, first establish your financial goals. Without describing the finish-line or pit stops, exhaustion and frustration will soon loom over future personal efforts, thus lessening the chances of follow-through when a money crunch occurs or important financial decisions are made. Establishment of goals should be motivating and lie as an incentive to maintain regular participation and adhesiveness to the path of achieving those goals. Don’t just establish large goals that are only realized at the end of the year/term. Provide periodic benchmarks to check your status and to allow for small victories…end zone dancing is allowed. Make sure that goals are realistic and personal. Developing goals based on other people’s thoughts and wishes are a great way to abandon a task. Make sure the goals will affect you and that there is a real degree of selfishness in the achievement of at least a component of the goals to insure inner-self motivation. Even though the new year resolutions starting gate has opened, you will run a much more efficient and satisfying race by putting a little extra thought in your path, rest stops and finish line.