5 Financial Tips for New Year's 2013

Check out these tips to get 2013 off to savvy financial start

Financial expert Michelle Perry Higgins says that when it comes to personal finance, we can make New Year's resolutions that actually stick. "The problem with keeping them is that it's easy to fall back into familiar patterns," she says. "Finance is the lifeblood of the household, so I advise strategies that I know my clients can easily achieve." Ms. Higgins shares her top five New Year's resolutions that she believes nearly everyone can accomplish. Michelle Perry Higgins is a financial planner and principal of California Financial Advisors. For more information please visit www.calfinad.com.

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Moms Talk

What are your 2013 Parenting New Year's Resolutions?

The new year is just around the corner. What are your goals as a parent for 2013?

As 2012 comes to a close and we look forward to 2013, people around the world are making lists of New Year's Resolutions about everything from weight loss to retirement investing. In this week’s Moms Talk we are asking local parents, caregivers and other members of the community to tell us about their Parenting New Year's Resolutions. Do you vow not to “yell” as often? Hope to cook more balanced meals? Aspire to schedule a monthly family outing? Whatever your goals as a parent for 2013, we’d like you to share them with us. Our Moms Council members include: If you would like to become a part of the Moms Council and/or have ideas for future Moms Talk questions, please email jennifer.marangos@patch.com.

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4 New Year's Resolutions for Better Finances

A financial planner offers four resolutions to improve your bottom line in 2013

Financial expert Michelle Perry Higgins says that when it comes to personal finance, we can make New Year's resolutions that actually stick. "The problem with keeping them is that it's easy to fall back into familiar patterns," she says. "Finance is the lifeblood of the household, so I advise strategies that I know my clients can easily achieve." Ms. Higgins shares her top four New Year's resolutions that she believes nearly everyone can accomplish. Ms. Higgins says that you can't get where you want to be if you don't know where you're going.  "It's important to sit down at least twice a year to review your goals and measure how far you have come."  Most importantly, she cautions to not be overwhelmed by your finances. "Take baby steps to …

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Five Festive Facts About New Year’s Day

Ring in 2012 with a few things you probably didn’t know about celebrating a new year.

It never ceases to amaze me how the beginning of a new year can bring such a newfound sense of responsibility, renewed hope in lost endeavors, and pledges to change the way we think, act and feel. Of course, by mid-January those hopes and pledges usually dissolve into empty promises, leaving only a foggy memory of a really awesome New Year’s Eve party. That said, here are a few fun facts about celebrating a new year that might stay with you: 1. The first New Year’s Eve ball was made because of a ban on fireworks. In 1904, the owner of the New York Times threw a huge New Year’s Eve party with an enormous fireworks display. This became a tradition -- hence the Times Square party every year -- until 1907, when NYC banned fireworks. So that …

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