Finish the year better off than when it started

The new year is a time when many of us take stock and set new goals - it's also a great time to think about your financial situation for the coming year.

Everyone can benefit from financial planning. No matter how much money you have or earn, it's about what you do with what you've got. Starting a financial plan early in the year - and sticking to it - will help you finish the year in a stronger position than when you started.

Here are there simple things to getting financially sorted:

1. Write down your short, medium and long-term financial goals. Your goals could range from paying off your credit card debt, putting a set amount of money away each week or saving towards an emergency fund. Longer term, you could be looking at saving for a house deposit - or knocking off the mortgage completely.
2. Make a budget. Ideally, you should spend less than you earn. This means looking at how you might be able to cut costs or find ways to increase your income. Once your budget's written down and you can see where the money is going, it van be easier to manage.
3. Get better at managing your personal cash flow. Think about cash flow as your money coming in (like wages, salary or benefit payments) versus your money going out (bills and other spending). Understanding where your money is going will help you see whether you're sticking to your budget or not and whether you need to make any adjustments.