A monthly guide to making money

Instead of tackling huge goals that feel tough to reach, break them into manageable tasks to increase your odds of success.

Weigh your goals for '08
January
Weigh your goals for '08
Pick your priorities When your to-do list is too long, nothing gets done. Identify your top goals by sitting down with your spouse and filling in the blanks: "If we could just do X, Y and Z, we'd be so much better off."

Run the numbers Use our calculators to determine how much you need to save, invest or pay off to meet each goal. The more tangible you make the objective, the better your chances of achieving it.

Break it up Pinpoint three concrete steps you can take to move closer to your goal. Then start on step one. Tackling it in small chunks makes the task seem doable.

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The outlook The economy, housing, employement and the markets: What will matter most to your money next year? (more)
All the right moves The 22 best ways to keep safe, spend smart and make your money grow. (more)

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Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.