"We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year...another year over, and a New Year just begun." Thus sang John Lennon before his musical genius was silenced forever.

Try as I want not to, and you as well, we cannot escape our thoughts and the incessant subliminal message that this New Year, we will resolve to do it right. This time, we will get our house in order, our finances in order, our bodies in order (tip-top shape), our relationships in order, and our souls free to fly, released from the emotional burdens we may have carried for years. The message from the media goes, you can do it all, have it all, and be all to everyone you touch along the way.

My message to you is this. No, you can't!

Moreover, the sooner you take a realistic approach to New Year's Resolutions, the better off you will be, physically, mentally, and emotionally. After all, consider the fact that you or, most of you, just went through the toughest set of "holidays" ever. I say most of you because as we know some people just coast through every holiday or job situation without ever assuming responsibility for anyone else's happiness, or even everyday feelings - and they are very good at not contributing.

It is a documented fact that Christmas is horrendously stressful. More people become severely depressed, end relationships, have fallings out with families, take to substance abuse, inflict physical abuse on themselves and others, feel like failures, and just completely wear themselves out putting up a celebration.

Now, you are expected to impose more stress by setting yourself up with unrealistic, almost unachievable goals for every aspect of your life.

Think again, and think slowly, then take one improvement step at a time. Since the thoughts of unpaid bills and credit card balances may now be nagging at you, perhaps the place to start is by getting your finances under control.

Think of managing your finances with the three M slogan:

Minimise your lifestyle

Maximise your savings and investments

Multiply your appreciating assets.

Webster's dictionary defines an asset as taken from an old French word, assez, meaning enough. Further translated, asset means an item of value, or plenty. Looking at synonyms for an asset, there are benefit, advantage, quality, skill, talent, ability, positive feature. Interesting that so many interpretations can come from one tiny word, enough!

There are very few things in life that can be called appreciating assets; inevitably, the word asset is almost always linked with acquiring.

Starting with the obvious choices, clothes, fabulous shoes, jewellery, cars, toys and games, a residence, a computer and other electronics, intellectual capacity, in a no-brainer test, which of these listed here actually appreciate over the years. Only one - intellectual capacity, brainpower! Even a piece of real estate not cared for will depreciate, slowly, to be sure; the rest of the list loses anywhere from 50 percent to 100 percent of its value the minute you claim it as yours. I have seldom heard of anyone realising a profit on a fine diamond, have you? Yes, citizens in other countries hock their treasures in pawnshops for 5-10 percent of their value, but maybe that is all they are really worth.

So, does it not follow that the first place to invest is, in yourself by upgrading your education, by upgrading your job skills; never stopping the process of learning and acquiring knowledge? That is not what we do. We all - and I among them - fall into the purchase mode of depreciating assets, to feel good, look good, be good "trap." Not that there is anything wrong with this, but the more defeated we feel, the harder it is to turn down the quick fix.

This weekend, set yourself a vision. If it is a home you want, layout a five to ten year plan to get it. If it is a new job, layout the education you need to move yourself forward. By simply giving legitimacy to your dreams, you have started the process of positive action and affirming yourself, you, the person of real value, you the asset.

Then put that plan into action. Keep yourself focused by making signs that you can put up in every room, "This is where I want to be in one year, five years, or ten years." Is it going to be easy, no? Will it be awful at times, yes? But never lose sight of one thing, you are investing in what matters to you. Get going, no excuses, ask yourself, where will you be in one year, five or ten if you don't follow your dreams?

To keep yourself motivated, and focused on saving - you will need to save every penny you can get your hands on - go to www.ihatefinancialplanning.com. It is a wonderful website, full of cheerful tips, motivational calculators, and processes on how to make your dreams a reality. Starting with the homepage that asks, "What am I doing Right? There is bound to be something. " to the very interesting "Do One Thing Different Calculator" that helps you save on the small stuff and literally, records your progress. You can then move forward to using Quick Plan for motivation and financial and humorous email tips sent to you weekly.

The statement has been made that it is often difficult to afford a computer to help in this process.

My New Year's wish for the adult educational experience is that government and some large company or companies get together to institute a low-cost purchase plan for families to own a computer, and then, be able to receive training on this the most probably method of communication in the 21st century. Without access to current information, you are already disadvantaged.

My wish for you is to have the courage to follow your dreams. Not as quoted in ihatefinancialplanning.com, "Some people follow their dreams. Others hunt theirs down and beat those dreams mercilessly into submission." And to end and begin the New Year, "advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't."

@EDITRULE:

Martha Harris Myron CPA CFPT is a Bermudian, a Certified Financial PlannerT(US license) practitioner and VP and Manager, Personal Financial Services, Bank of Bermuda. She holds a NASD Series 7 license, is a former US tax practitioner, and is the winner 2001-The Bermudian Magazine - Best of Bermuda Gold Award for Investment Advice. Confidential Email can be directed to marthamyronnorthrock.bm

The article expresses the opinion of the author alone, and not necessarily that of Bank of Bermuda.

Under no circumstances is this advice to be taken as a recommendation to buy or sell investment products or as a promotion for financial plans. The Editor of the Royal Gazette has final right of approval over headlines, content, and length/brevity of article.