The following resolutions are very common and each one can make you rich. Really rich, provided of course you stick to them…

1. Lose weight! A doc friend says all of us can aspire to be at the same weight levels at which we were at age 25. Does this sound difficult? Well assuming you were 65 kg at your age of 25 and now at age 55 you are 92kg – you need to give back about 27kg. How did this happen? Simple 1 extra cup of tea every day = 30 calories * 300 days =9000 calories = 1kg. over 30 years you have gained 27kg. Simple. Now give it back. For this you will need to track what you eat, what you spend (burn) and what gets accumulated. A brilliant accounting tool is available at www.myfitnessplan.com – do have a look at that….

2. Find a better job: Finding yourself a better paying job which will pay for a longer period is EASILY the best way to have a greater investment surplus. Make no mistake, start early, harness the power of compounding, etc. work for all, but how much you invest is how much you earn and how smartly you save. Converting that saving to investing is a later step. Take the first step NOW. A job with an Indian company which will pay you well till age 65 is better than an Mnc which will quote rules and make you retire at 55.

3. Keep financial records: for regular readers this is the billionth time I am saying this, so I will not elaborate!

4. Write down your financial goals ALONG with your family. Again….’WRITE IT DOWN’….repeat..

5. Exercise more. 1 hour a day 5 days a week. At least – but like all responsible posts, seek a doctor’s view before you do something big. If you have been a couch potato, start with walking, then go on to some sport. Age? that is just a number. Irrelevant to exercising.

6. Be a well informed customer – not just a well informed financial product customer but for all products. Start Now.

7. Reading www.subramoney.com may not make you very rich, but it might protect your money! After all money saved is money earned, right?

8. Eat healthy. If it comes from a plant, it is healthy. If it is MADE in a plant it has too much sugar and too much salt. Avoid 5 white things – sugar, salt, milk, white rice, maida. If you can, go Vegan. I am trying to go vegan and finding it tough!!

9. Improve relationship, create new ones – with people 25 years on either side of your age. It has huge, huge benefits.

10. Stop procrastinating. Change habits. Learn a new language. Learn a musical instrument. Get a new hobby.

Hey have fun!