About Those New Year's Resolutions

If you’re a regular at the gym, then you know January is always one of the busiest months… at least for the first couple of weeks.

People make New Year’s resolutions to get in shape, live healthier, and shed those extra pounds. However they put it, most don’t stick to them.

The proof comes a few weeks into the new year when the crowds thin and the workout equipment becomes much easier to access. You’re back to just seeing the regulars, and almost all of the new faces are gone.

I’ve been a gym fanatic for over a decade now. I’ve even been accused of being a “meathead” by a couple of close friends. And I see it every year. There are lines for the cardio equipment. All of the free weights are either missing from the racks or in the wrong places. The benches and chairs are all filled — typically with faces I’ve never seen before. And then, all of a sudden, as if by magic, the gym returns to its natural state. Busy sometimes, but never completely packed.

When I was living in Manhattan, it was even more obvious. It makes sense. More people in one area and only a few gyms to house them all.

January was my least favorite time to go. I mean, the cold weather always makes it a little tough to motivate yourself to don some breathable exercise gear and make the trip out to the gym. But knowing that you’re going to spend the majority of your time waiting for equipment or trying to figure out how to do your workout without competing for the prized benches and treadmills is even more of a drain on motivation. But every January, I drag myself there five times a week and see the same shenanigans.

Part of me is happy to see the crowds. I’m a believer that your physical shape influences your mental state. And when you’re feeling good about your body — or at least the way you’re treating it — you feel better about everything. But another part of me is really happy to see the “resolutionaries” fall off and return to their old ways, giving me my gym back. But that’s not the case with some other resolutions.

Don’t Make Resolutions. Make Changes.

The reason I’m bringing this up is that not all resolutions revolve around physical well-being. Many involve financial health. But all too often, the results are the same. People start out strong, but fall off as the year progresses and go right back to their habits of overspending and under-saving.

So, over the years, I’ve come up with the idea that, while resolutions are a great aspiration, life changes are the only way you’re going to really accomplish your goals. Be it six-pack abs or a strong portfolio, you have to make changes in your lifestyle you can actually stick with.

Starting right off the bat by going to the gym five or more days a week is tough and often unrealistic. You’ve got to ease yourself into new habits. Probably a bad example, since I started talking about building good habits, but nobody starts smoking a pack a day. It all starts with a cigarette here and there until finally you’re running outside every hour or so to get your fix.

The same thing can be said about building financial strength. Making a resolution to invest half of your pay each month is pretty unrealistic. Especially if you haven’t been investing any up to that point. But making a deal with yourself to avoid one cup of Starbucks a week and stashing that $20 a month away in a trading account is something you can easily do.

And when you start small, it’s much easier to keep going. You build from there. You forgo two cups, then three, then go all month without that latte, and all of a sudden you’ve got an extra $100 a month (maybe even more if you’re hitting up the barista several times a day like I used to).

My point is that you can’t just start big. Well, you can. But you’re much more likely to fall back into your old ways than if you start small. And you don’t even need to start big. There are plenty of stocks you can buy for less than $20. And there are places where you can get started investing with as little as $5. That’s your first skipped cup of coffee.

You’re Not Alone

But you don’t have to do any of that on your own. You’ve already got access to some of the brightest minds in finance and investing right here at Wealth Daily. And that’s completely free. But for less than the price of a dinner out on the town, you can get even more.

My colleague Briton Ryle and I offer some of the best investment advice out there in one of the most economically priced services on the market. We call it The Wealth Advisory. That’s because it’s all about building real wealth. We give real advice for real people. No get-rich-quick schemes. Just solid tips on how to invest wisely and make your money work for you.

We also get you started by recommending some of the best investments on the market. We pick only the best companies, too — companies that will stand the test of time and help you grow your savings to astronomical levels if you’re willing to make those long-term life changes.

In fact, over the past couple of years, we’ve helped our readers get returns well over 100% by identifying long-term trends early and singling out the absolute top companies in those industries. We spotted an opportunity to get in on one of the best companies with one of the best management teams in the world at a super-low price. The rest of the market had this one pegged as a dying firm. But our readers are up almost 200% now from that savvy venture.

We pinpointed another lucrative investment in an industry set to take off and found a company in it that counts all of the major nationwide cellular carriers as clients. That one’s up almost 100%.

By carefully researching, we found a bank that others had given up on, but that had some of the best fundamentals in the market. Our readers are looking at returns of almost 170% from that one.

And those are just a few of the suggestions that have helped Wealth Advisory members make life changes and beef up their portfolios.

Start Small and Get Help

So what I’m saying is that if you want to get healthier, you need to start small and you should get help from a trainer and dietician. And if you want to have a healthier portfolio, you should do the exact same thing. Start small and enlist the help of experts.

Fortunately for you, you’re already getting some great advice for free from the folks here at Wealth Daily. And also fortunately, if you’re ready to take it to the next level, there are options that are far less expensive than personal training sessions and a private dietician.

So, this year, don’t make any New Year’s resolutions. Make life changes that you can really stick to. My colleagues and I will be here to help you along the way and keep you motivated every day. And Brit and I will also be there to get you investing in the best wealth-building opportunities out there.

So here’s to a financially stronger you and a healthier portfolio in 2017.

To investing with integrity (and changes you can stick with),

Jason Williams
Wealth Daily