Receipts.  The number one suggestion about whipping yourself into financial shape is to keep those receipts!  It’s often tempting to delete them, throw them away, or to not collect them at all.  However, as tax time draws near, you’ll make it easier on yourself or the person preparing your taxes if you keep them and organize them as well.  Let part of your financial resolution be an organizational one as well.  And that means keeping these resolutions past tax time … and for the rest of the year!

Insurance and important documents.  Review your property and casualty insurance with your insurance agent or company to make sure that everything is as it should be.  Look over your auto insurance as well, making certain that liability limits are appropriate.  While you’re at it, review and revise any important estate documents, including your will and power of attorney.

Planning and budgeting.  Developing a spending plan or a budget allows you to keep track of your finances, including the cash you drop on what can be seemingly unimportant expenditures at the time.  Remember:  those little things add up quickly!  Part of this planning should involve reducing consumption of unnecessary goods.  The theory is that we often buy what we don’t really require, so when making your plan, see what you can cut out of your budget as you go along.  If you are a small business owner, be choosy when it comes to selecting a merchant processor to help you process your customers’ credit cards:  you don’t want to invest in a high risk merchant account.  Even though the next holiday season is a year away, if you begin planning in advance, you’ll help ensure your financial security by keeping track of all your expenditures and planning for those in the future.

Diversify.  Don’t allocate too much money to a single stock.  Avoid the temptation to invest all your money in your employer’s stocks, as sinking too much into a single company could leave you open to concentration risk.  You stand to see smoother returns if you diversify your portfolio.  Your portfolio may also need to be rebalanced by adjusting places so as to align your portfolio with your financial goals.

Retirement plan contributions.  The limit for elective contributions to your 401(k) plan has gone up five hundred dollars from last year if you are under the age of fifty.  If you increase your contributions to your retirement plan to the maximum amount (or as much as you can do successfully for the moment), your forward thinking will help to ensure that your future self will be more comfortable financially.

Many small business owners mistakenly assume that they don’t have a “brand”.  They may associate the word with mega-corporations like McDonalds, Delta Airlines, and Sony (for example).  But every company has a brand image, including yours, and just because you choose to ignore that fact doesn’t mean that consumers aren’t forming opinions about your business.  All you’re doing by neglecting to manage your brand identity is ensuring that others (the media, competitors, etc.) control how your brand is perceived by the public.  In order to keep your brand image in line with your business goals you absolutely must determine how it is shaped as much as possible.

Luckily, there are plenty of ways to endear customers to your brand, as well as spin any negative attention that comes your way.  And if your goal is financial gains (as it is for most companies), then you need to address both of these issues.  A good place to start is with the products or services you offer.  Are they necessary and/or popular?  Do you receive bad reviews or persistent customer complaints?  Do you seem to be losing money even though your products are the best available on the market?  If you’re facing such issues, you’ve made a wrong turn with your branding strategy.  First you need to offer the public something they can’t live without.  Then you need to convince them that they can’t live without it.  And finally, you need to stand by your assertion by ensuring that customers receive the service and consideration that will keep them loyal.  In short, the customer is always right.

Of course, you first need to notify potential customers that you’re in business.  Advertising can be an effective (but expensive) means to this end.  But thanks to emerging technologies you can communicate with a broad range of consumers through targeted efforts online and in the mobile space, including a website, blogs, and social networking outlets like Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, and more.  You’ll need to keep your finger on the pulse of pop culture, but it can really pay off in exposure.  And of course, you should create a store that is appealing to customers, both in the real world and in virtual space.  So consider your décor, store signs, and employee appearance as well as the design of your website and online store.  Building and maintain a brand image is no easy feat, but if you want to realize wealth in your business venture you can’t afford to ignore the impact of your brand.

1. Nicaragua.  Believe it or not, the Central American country has come a long way in the last couple of decades, cleaning up the drug problems that permeated the world news to create a place that is safe, comfortable, and looking to take in retirees.  As of last year, they implemented a foreign retiree residency program to help international retirees make Nicaragua their home away from home.  Housing prices are realistic (even for beachfront property), the cost of living is low, and the government encourages small business.  For the person looking to retire in style, Nicaragua has a lot to offer.
2. Malaysia.  Although Thailand also has a lot to offer foreigners looking to retire (with low prices on everything from housing to food to services), Malaysia goes the extra mile by making it extremely easy for retirees to gain legal residency status, something that many Asian nations are not too keen to offer.
3. The south of France.  Although Paris is not the cheapest place in the world to retire (not by a long shot), there are regions in France, especially in the scenic southern portion, where retirement on a budget is possible.  Whereas you can expect to pay upwards of $2,000 a month for an apartment in Paris, you could buy a house in southern France for less than $100,000 (a lot less, in some cases).  You will also enjoy the laid back atmosphere of rural living, tons of outdoor activities, and of course, incredible health care, which is not only offered to citizens, but foreign retirees, as well.
4. Florida.  It may be cliché, but if you’re looking to retire in the U.S. you could do worse than the southernmost continental state.  The weather is undeniably hot and humid throughout much of the year, but you won’t ever have to deal with cold winter storms again.  And the fact that there is no state income tax is a bonus if you plan to use your extra time to start your own business.
5. Right where you are.  You don’t need a regional directory to tell you that the place you currently reside is awesome!  If you own a home and you can afford to continue living there (even on a truncated retirement income) then there’s really no reason to uproot your entire life (especially since this is a terrible time to sell a home).  Remain close to friends, family, and an area that you are intimately familiar with.  If you’re content, there’s no reason to move upon retirement.

One advantage of living in the internet age is the incredible ability to search through thousands of hotel and airfare rates at the click of button. Many websites such as SkyAuction.com, CitizenM.com and QuikBook.com specialize in providing top of the line luxury lodgings at a fraction of the price found through traditional travel brokers. By utilizing innovative ideas like the auction concept or reselling unbooked rooms or flights, these companies are able to offer the best in luxury fare at massively discounted prices. The website GroupOn.com relies on its unique “deal of the day” concept to negotiate huge discounts with local companies in some of America’s premier destination cities. By regularly reviewing the GroupOn site for daily deals in the locales you plan to visit, you will encounter many opportunities to entertainment and adventure while saving a significant sum of money. Savvy travelers will take advantage of valuable offers found on these discount travel sites to bolster their bottom line while still enjoying the best that the world has to offer.

Traveling like a millionaire is simply a matter of broadening your horizons and allowing yourself to embrace the moment. If you feel constrained by your budgetary situation than you will never allow yourself to fully enjoy your various travels. Millionaires enjoy the good life not because they are able to purchase anything they desire, but because they are able to maximize the potential of any situation they find themselves in. Many of the coolest sites to visit in any great city are monuments, parks or museums which are either free or practically free to attend and can be fully experienced for a minimal initial investment. Try dressing up in your finest apparel and touring the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, savoring the high culture and sampling the finest art ever created by mankind. There are Cyprus hotels in Greece which cater specifically to the budget minded but still offer the finest accommodations. You can stroll through the decadent Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco or gaze at the beautiful Buckingham Palace in London, making sure to appreciate the sheer wealth and power of these sites.  By mingling with millionaires and enjoying the same activities they do while on your next vacation, you can reimagine yourself as a dashing debutant or a business baron enjoying the lifestyles of the rich and famous.

1.   Learn the lingo.  How do you know what you’re supposed to do with your money when terms like NYSE, portfolio, and even budget leave you scratching your head?  Even if you know what they mean, you might not be sure about real world applications.  But if you don’t have the foggiest notion about what your stock broker is saying then you can’t really take an active role in planning your financial future.  In this respect, a club provides a whole group of people with a wide range of knowledge and no ulterior motives in answering your questions.

2.   Pick up the basics.  How many of you have a checking account?  Probably everyone.  How many have a savings account?  Still quite a few.  How many have a 401K?  Maybe a few less.  What about a Roth IRA?  Or an investment portfolio?  Not too many.  You’ve probably heard horror stories about those who have lost their shirt with investments because they didn’t know what the heck they were doing and/or they entrusted their life savings to a third party (like a brokerage firm) that couldn’t care less about the paltry purse that nonetheless held everything they had.  You don’t want to be that person.  But that doesn’t mean you can’t learn the basics and get started with better methods of saving and investing.

3.   Money management skills.  Did you know there are adults out there that were never taught to balance a checkbook, much less form a sound budget or invest wisely?  You can benefit from the experience of other members in this area, many of whom were likely in your shoes in the past (some fairly recently).

4.  Get tips.  Networking with a group that follows financial interests could benefit you in a variety of ways, but one of the best reasons to join up is to get information about new investments or stocks and bonds to avoid from people who know how to read the signs from the market.  You might even come across some great investment opportunities that would have otherwise eluded you.

5.  Group investing.  One of the advantages of being part of a club like this is that you may be able to invest as a group.  This will allow you to realize greater diversity in your ventures, benefit from the experience of more seasoned investors, and ultimately maximize your profits.

Emma Martin writes for The Guestlist Club where you can find info on China White, the hottest club in London.