It's time to think about getting in financial shape in 2011. Vague resolutions and good intentions won't do it. You have to have a plan. Stumped for ideas? Here's a 12-month agenda.

　　新年正一天天临近，应该思考一下如何在2011年让财务状况健康起来了。含糊不清的新年决心和良好的愿望并不管用，你得有个计划。脑子有点卡壳吗？我来提供一份12个月的全年计划。

　　No, it's not comprehensive. But it's doable.

　　这个计划算不上面面俱到，不过具有可行性。

　　Each month, set one financial target and hit it. Easy, manageable -- and it means this time next year you'll be looking back on 2011 with some satisfaction.

　　每个月都要设定一个财务目标，并予以达成。目标简单，能够实施——也就是说，明年这个时候，你将带着一点成就感回顾2011年。

　　JANUARY: Max those savings! Financial planners argue you should be saving 15% or more of your income each year. Set your 401(k) contributions to the highest level you can handle. At least contribute up to any company match, and ideally push the limits -- $16,500 if you're under 50, $22,000 if you're over. If you are self-employed, or have self-employment income, talk to a broker about special tax-savings vehicles open to you, including Solo 401(k) plans, SEP-IRAs and Keoghs.

　　一月：尽可能提高储蓄比例。理财顾问认为，每年应该把收入的15%以上存起来。因此，将你401(k)退休计划的投资额提高到你能应付的最高水准，至少达到公司设定的水准，最理想的是提高到上限——如果你不到50岁，每年投资16,500美元；如果超过50岁，每年投资22,000美元。如果你是个体经营者，或有个体经营收入，找经纪人谈一下适用于你的特殊节税手段，如Solo 401(k)计划、SEP-IRAs 和Keoghs等。

　　FEBRUARY: Target your cash flow. Get out all your statements and check stubs for 2010 and work out where all your money went. Chances are you spent more than you planned, or maybe realized. Restaurants, shopping, premium cable, car payments -- it all adds up. If you want to get control of it, you have to understand it. Now set a budget, and talk to your family about ways to cut back and save more. 　　

　　二月：设定好你的现金流目标。拿出你2010年的所有帐单和支票存根，搞清楚自己的钱都到哪儿去了。有可能你花出去的要高于计划支出的，也许还高于自己赚到手的。餐馆、购物、付费有线电视、汽车费用等等——这些都会积少成多。如果你想控制支出，就必须了解支出状况。现在，设好一个预算，跟家人商量削减开支和增加储蓄的各种方法。

　　MARCH: Live without plastic for a month. Lock up your credit and ATM/debit cards. Generations lived without the spending ease and convenience of plastic. It is no coincidence they found it much easier to live within their means. Try it. Set a weekly budget, cash a check for that amount at the bank each week, and live on it. Unless you are traveling -- where a card can be invaluable -- you may find it easier than you imagined. Once you get used to it, keep going. 　　　

　　三月：尝试一个月不用信用卡。把你的信用卡和借记卡锁起来。祖祖辈辈的人没有便捷的信用卡也都活过来了，而且他们的经验是，过自己能力范围内的生活要容易得多。尝试一下，每周制定一个预算，每周根据预算去银行取一次钱，靠现金生活。除非你要外出旅行——银行卡在这个时候不可或缺——否则你会发现，不靠银行卡比想像的要简单。一旦习惯这种方式，就要保持下去。

　　APRIL: Spring clean your investments. Decide on the asset allocation you should have. Then look at what you have right now. There's probably a ton of rubbish in there -- mediocre mutual funds, stocks bought on tips, money left sitting in a low-yielding account. Don't forget the unused car in the garage that's still worth $4,000. Time to stop procrastinating. Clear out the rubbish, and put the money to better use. 　　　

　　四月：给你的投资来个春季大扫除。决定自己的资产配置，然后看看现在持有的投资品种，很可能有一大堆没用的垃圾——表现平庸的共同基金、凭小道消息买入的股票、留在低收益帐户上的资金等等。别忘了停在车库不用的汽车，它还值4,000美元。不要再迟疑了，把这些垃圾清理走，让钱发挥更大的作用。

　　MAY: Zap the debt. Pretty much any debt other than a reasonable mortgage is a burden. Credit-card debt is a disaster -- you're basically going backward financially as long as you carry a balance from month to month. To pay the 15% interest rate, you have to earn maybe 20% before tax. Not gonna happen. Cut up the cards, and live like a pauper till you get out of credit-card jail. 　　　

　　五月：减少债务。除了一个合理的房屋贷款外，其他任何负债基本上都是一种负担。信用卡负债是个灾难，只要你每月都有一个未偿还的负债余额，你的财务状况就会每况愈下。要支付15%的信用卡利息，你相应的税前收入必须增加20%，但这不太可能发生。把信用卡剪掉，过着穷人的生活，直到你逃出信用卡债务的囚笼。

　　JUNE: Invest in yourself. Kudos to financial planner Dennis Stearns of Greenboro, N.C., for this suggestion: When someone asks him about investments, he writes, 'I ask them how much they could improve their lot in life if they invested [some money instead] in a leadership workshop, better communication skills or anything to improve their productivity.' After all, your knowledge and skills are your most important asset. This month, explore adult-education opportunities in your area. 　　

　　六月：投资自己。北卡罗来纳州格林斯伯勒(Greenboro)的理财大师邓尼斯•斯特恩斯(Dennis Stearns)曾给出一个令人叫绝的建议。当有人问他如何投资时，他这样写道：“我问他们，如果（把钱）投资在领导力培训班、学习更好的沟通技巧或任何提高自身技能的事情上，他们的生活将会出现多大的改观。”话说回来，你拥有的知识和技巧是你最重要的财富。在本月，探寻一下你所在工作领域的成人进修机会。

　　JULY: Check your progress on the cash flow. Print out all your statements. Analyze spending by categories. See what you planned to spend, and what you actually spent. This is a constant battle. Still looking for savings ideas? Cancel cable for the next few months. It's summer time -- what are you doing indoors watching TV? 　　　

　　七月：检查你在现金流控制方面的进展。列印出所有的帐单，分类进行分析，看你计划怎么花钱，最后钱是怎么花出去的。这是一项需要持之以恒的工作。还在考虑如何节省开支吗？把未来几个月的有线电视服务砍掉，现在可是夏天，你干嘛要闷在屋子里看电视呢？

　　AUGUST: Convert your traditional individual retirement accounts to a Roth IRA. There will be a tax hit upfront, but thereafter money in a Roth grows tax free forever. Even better: There are no required minimum distributions after age 70. Before 2010, Roth conversions were typically limited to those earning below about $100,000, but that limit was abolished: Anyone can now convert to a Roth. 　　　

　　八月：把你传统的个人退休帐户转成罗斯个人退休帐户(Roth IRA)。起初会有一个税收负担，但接下来，Roth帐户资金的增值部分永远是免税的。更好的是，年龄达到70岁的罗斯帐户投资者不会有年度最低提款的强制要求。2010年前，只有年收入低于10万美元的个人才能转换为罗斯帐户，但这一限制已经废除：现在任何人都可以将退休帐户转为罗斯帐户。

　　SEPTEMBER: Negotiate a Christmas truce with all the adults you know. That means family, extended family and co-workers. Stop the holiday shopping waste before it starts. This may save you hundreds of dollars. The only thing you will lose will be a bunch of sweaters you won't wear and trinkets you don't want. They'll save the same thing, too. 　　　

　　九月：跟你认识的所有成年人商量一个耶诞节互不买礼物的休战协议，包括家人、亲属和同事。在耶诞节购物的铺张浪费还没开始前就干脆叫停。这能给你省下几百美元，你唯一失去的只是几件你不会穿的毛衣和一些你不想要的小饰物，而且这样对方也能省钱。

　　OCTOBER: Tackle your insurance. Dull? Chances are you are wasting hundreds of dollars a year on homeowners and car insurance. The insurance industry thrives on your laziness: Studies repeatedly find that identical coverage can sometimes cost half as much. Take this month to shop around aggressively to find cheaper coverage. And find out how much you can cut your premiums if you raise your deductibles. Sometimes that's a no-brainer. 　　　

　　十月：处理你的保险。听起来没啥意思？但你有可能每年在房屋保险和汽车保险上浪费数百美元。保险行业是靠你的懒惰发家致富的：研究不断发现，重复的保险保障有时候会占总保费的一半之多。这个月，你要积极咨询，找到更便宜的保险服务，并了解如何提高免赔额能节省多少保费。有时候，这是个显而易见的好办法。

　　NOVEMBER: Update your will. Do you have one? And if you do, how long ago did you check it? Circumstances change. Maybe you've had children or grandchildren. Or minors have graduated. Your assets have grown (or, alas, shrunk). Too many people avoid dealing with their wills because thinking about death makes them feel yucky. Too bad. You're going to die, like me, like everyone else. Deal with it. Dying with an out-of-date will can cost your family incredible amounts of pain and money and throw away decades of hard work. 　　　

　　十一月：更新你的遗嘱。你有遗嘱吗？如果有，你多久检查一次？情况是在不断变化中的，也许你已经有了孩子或者孙子孙女，也许孩子们已经毕业了，也许你的资产增值了（或者，唉，缩水了）。太多的人不想处理遗嘱的事情，因为觉得考虑身后的事情不吉利。这样可不好，谁都有撒手人寰的一天，包括你、我和每一个人。要处理好遗嘱，留下一个过时的遗嘱会给你的家人会带来无尽的痛苦，浪费大量的金钱，让几十年辛勤工作换来的财富打了水漂。

　　DECEMBER: Open 529 plans for your children and grandchildren. These are no-brainers. The money grows tax deferred (and tax free if it's spent on qualified education expenses). It will help discipline college savings. After two years, the money is also sheltered from creditors -- something to keep in mind as you contemplate the financial upheavals and increases in personal bankruptcies of the last few years. Oh, and you keep control of the money, so Missy can't take it and run off to join a cult. (Well, she can, but at least she can't take the college money with her.) 　　　

　　十二月：为你的孩子和孙子孙女开一个529投资帐户，这些都是很简单的东西，里面的钱是延迟纳税的（如果花在符合要求的教育专案上，则是免税的），也就是大学教育金的强制储蓄。两年后，这笔资金债主是无法征用的——最近几年，你见证了金融危机和越来越多的人宣告破产，因此这一点值得考虑。对了，这笔钱你是有控制权的，这样你家的黄毛丫头不至于把钱取出来，跑去加入一个邪教组织。（当然，她还是可以加入，但至少不会把大学教育金卷走。）

　　Good luck -- and best wishes for a happy, prosperous and financially fit 2011.

　　祝你好运——祝愿你的2011年快乐、兴旺、财务健康。

　【我要纠错】 责任编辑：雨非