Many of us have set resolutions that involve finances. It is no surprise given the current economic situation that is bearing down on the country. Savings may not be the top of the priority list, but saving just a few dollars each day on items that you may not think about (and probably won’t miss) could mean big savings for you in the long run.

1. Laundry detergent. Buying budget may seem like the best bet, but getting quality and buying concentrated products mean that the product lasts longer. One purchase of $30 lasts our family six months (and we wash about 12 full loads of laundry per week). That comes out to less than $.10 per load!

2. Plan left-overs to create a new meal. Your family won’t complain that you are eating the same thing AGAIN and you don’t waste any food. Get creative – use sauces and gravies to transform one meal to something completely new (planned overs make GREAT casseroles).

3. Break the habit. Kicking a nicotine or caffeine habit can mean an extra $4 in your pocket every day. This adds up to almost $1500.

Saving money can be easy and doesn’t have to affect your current budget. Make one of your resolutions all about securing your financial future through these small daily savings.

Planning for retirement is not easy. It requires a crystal ball and a magic wand. There is no way to guarantee that the money set aside for tomorrow will be enough for tomorrow, but there are a few things that can help you feel a little more secure about the future of your finances.

1. Plan for taxes. It will be a great world if there are no taxes in the future, but I’m not holding my breath. You need to plan for about ¼ of all that you set aside for your future going to the government.

2. Dump the debt. The less you have to spend then the more likely you are to be able to live off your interest (from investments) and leave the principle in tact.

3. Keep working. Find something that you love to do and get someone to pay you for it. It’s not work if you are having fun and the extra money you make could be enough to keep you living the life you dreamed of all through your retirement days.

There is no guarantee for the future. Making a plan that will keep your finances simple and flowing is the best way to prepare for whatever tomorrow might have in store for you.

The government started this fiscal year with a record high deficit. This is mainly due to all of the recent bailouts that have been instituted to save companies. Not the Mom and Pop stores, mind you. The government bailouts have only gone to the big companies that are too big to be allowed to fail.

Just recently American Express was able to change its identity to one that makes it a banking institution so that it would be able to receive some of the bailout money. I have to wonder if I could be eligible if I changed the name of my company or business to something with ‘the bank of’ in its title.

Now the government is going to step in and bailout more companies once again. This time it is the top three automakers (although I don’t know how top you can be if you have to be bailed out). There was a time when sound business practices are what kept a business running and not a government check.

The top three automakers in the United States pay more per hour to get a car made than the other companies - as much as 3 times more. If business A makes a product for $50 and business B makes the same or nearly the same product for $150 then can you guess which one is going to have the most profit at the end of the day.

Hand outs are NEVER good. There are times when people,individuals - need a hand up so that they can regain their balance and go on. But companies have to make it on their own or this ceases to be a free market society.

What’s worse is that you and I are paying for these government bailouts. CEO’s, administration and even workers in the companies that are making WAY more money than I am are using my money to get a paycheck. It just doesn’t seem right.

The record high deficit will continue to climb as long as the bailouts flow freely. The government is building up a debt at a time when the rest of us are being called to dig out of debt. It has to stop now or we will be selling out the future of our children.

Oil is up 60-percent. Personal savings are under 1-percent. Equity markets are stumbling. Fear of recession is rampant. No, I didn’t pull that out of today’s paper. That’s from the pages of Business Week magazine nearly 30 years ago. This interesting information comes from a brochure published by The Hartford Financial Services Group. The goal of the data is to show that, whether there is a democrat or republican in office, the economy has ups and downs, but the stock market always bounces back.

Since 1948 there have been ten recessions in the US. According to the data printed in this brochure, a typical recession lasts ten months. Five months before the recession ends, the market begins to turn around. Statistically, after the recession’s low, the one-year return is at an average of 39-percent.

Let’s look back to 1987. On October 19, 1987, the stock market crashed, dropping 22-percent of its value before the close of business. The interesting thing is, the stock market ended 1987 up 2-percent. Even if you had invested $10,000 the day before the stock market crashed in 1987, you’d still have more than $80,000 today. Imagine what you would have if you invested when the stock market hit the bottom.

So I guess the point is, more than whether we elect a Republican or a Democrat for president, what matters is that you are investing and working towards your long-term financial goals.

With several big financial institutions failing, more people are wondering if their money is safe. Typically the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) only insures deposits up to $100 thousand. But what about individuals, businesses or non-profits that have more money than that?

CDARS® is the Certificate of Deposit Account Registry Service®. It’s a network of banks that allow customers to receive full FDIC insurance on deposits of up to $50 million. You sign one agreement with one of the 2500 financial institutions across the country that offer CDARS, earn one interest rate and receive one statement. But your money is spread out among several different banks.

For instance, if you have a million dollars to deposit, your money would likely be spread out into more than a dozen financial institutions. That way, even with interest you earn, your money would be fully FDIC insured. You can search for financial institutions that are approved by CDARS here.

Last night, Washington Mutual became the largest bank failure in U.S. history. While much of its $182 billion in deposits were insured by the FDIC, amounts over $100,000 are not and may be lost forever. In addition, many depositors are reporting challenges in rapidly accessing their funds today, even though they may not be at risk.

Washington Mutual is also the thirteenth FDIC insured bank to fail this year, which is more banks than have failed in the past five years combined. With the anxiety and volatility the financial markets are still experiencing, more failures are practically a certainty during the fourth quarter.

What should you do? Well, certainly don’t panic. Keeping your money safe isn’t hard if you follow a few important guildlines:

A recent note from an aunt got me to thinking. She is concerned about her job - mostly because she doesn’t know if she can survive on her retirement. My thought was that not many people know or understand what the true bottom line is when it comes to the needed income.

She had never taken the time to look over her finances and her situation to determine what is possible. The desire to walk away is there, but the understanding of how to make it a reality is not there.

Here are some questions that will help you determine what you really need to create the life that you desire today:

Do you have a budget? Your current budget is a great place to start figuring out how much money you need to be bringing in just to get by.

Do you have debt? The more debt that you carry around then the more you ARE tied to the job you don’t want or don’t like. Paying off debt will help you reach your goals.

Do you have potential income opportunities? Many people make extra income from hobbies and other interests. You may be able to increase the income with just a little investment of time, energy or money. Then you could have the income you need.

Are you at the right age for retirement? Some jobs allow for early retirement depending on the number of years you have put into the job and not your current age. Look into the different possibilities and into the income that they will offer.

Have you been investing in a retirement account? It will depend on the type of account where you invested your money as to whether you can get to it before the official retirement age. Talk to your financial advisor.

There are an unlimited number of ways that you can find the life you desire. You can change your income, retire early or a combination of the two - just to name a few. Start talking with your financial advisor today to see what options are opened for you.

The financial industry seems to be in complete turmoil. The news media are focused on all the national banks that are going under or that are being bailed out. It is enough to make the average citizen panic. There’s no reason to let the chaos in the industry ruin your day. Just take a few precautions to ensure your security.

1. Keep your money in accounts that are FDIC. This means that in the even something does happen to the bank your money will come back to you.

2. Diversify your investments. All of the problems in the investment industry over the last few years have proven time and again that you can’t keep all of your eggs in one basket. Spread out your investments and you are spreading out your risk.

3. Expect your dividends and interest payments to fluctuate. Don’t budget with these incomes in mind. Count them as bonus money - since you can never be completely sure what you are going to get.

4. Save more money. Times may seem tight today, but they could be tighter tomorrow. Setting aside more money will help you find security no matter which way the industry heads.

Times can seem troubling - particularly when the media shouts the headlines 24 hours a day. You can still rest easy if you prepare for the unexpected.

There has been a lot of focus on subprime mortgages over the last several months. So much attention has been cast that even congress has stepped in to make things right. But I recently had the chance to sit down with someone in the industry who has the job of dealing with the troubled situations and he told me that the majority of foreclosures that he is dealing with now are NOT subprime.

The more I thought at about the foreclosure rate and the more I thought about consumer debt in the United States then the more I came to realize that the problem isn’t in the lending industry, but is more likely in the borrowers. Here are some tips to help YOU avoid the foreclosure trap.

1. Always borrow less than you can afford to borrow. By keeping your debt to income ratio a low number you will be able to afford those unexpected situations that often come up when you are just living your life.

2. Always borrow less than the property is worth. There is no way to guarantee that the housing market will remain high, so keep your borrowed amount to at least 80% of the current market value.

3. Always buy with the intent to sale. Keep your eyes on the location, the amenities and the other characteristics that make it possible to sale a home. Things change, even when you don’t plan for them to change, and having a strong location will help you sale if you have to sale.

4. Always treat the home like you plan to live there for generations. Maintenance of the home will help hold its value and will help keep down costly repairs.

There is so much you can do to help keep your home from falling into foreclosure. Keep in mind that it is not just the subprime mortgages that are running into problems. Everyone that has bit off more than they can chew are finding that the mortgage industry is now chewing them up and spitting them out.

The list of requirements for back to school supplies is way beyond the pencils and papers of yesterday. Schools that are strapped for cash have turned to the parents to supply every thing imaginable - from folders to rulers to crayons to scissors and everything else in between.

There are a number of different routes that parents can use to help save a little cash during the school shopping.

1. Shop on tax free holidays. Some states have set up tax free days where everything purchased for school use (under a certain dollar amount) is purchased with no sales tax. This can add up to some great savings.

2. Save up rewards cash. Many of the office supply stores offer cash rewards for shopping at their locations. Use these rewards to purchase back to school supplies.

3. Get the list of supplies early and start shopping for discounts. Stock up on items as they go on sale in some of the stores in your area.

4. Use the internet. The cost of shipping has made some people shy away from the internet, but now many companies offer free shipping for purchases over a certain cost.

Going back to school can be expensive, but shopping early, looking for bargains and using incentives offered by your government are all ways to cut down on the expense.