"He's Makin' a List... So Should You!"

Santa has been busy making his lists, and his better half is likely juggling quite the good wife act frantically planning dinner parties, cleaning the house, preparing the sleigh and (hopefully) keeping the "fun" in the dysfunctional Claus family Christmas.

As the season's cheeriest couple tackles the holidays, I urge LMF4HMW readers to start making a list of their own -- a 2009 goal commitment sheet.

I'm not calling your goals "resolutions" for a simple reason -- these financial commitments are not made to be broken. They are identified, written, agreed to and planned for. This list need not be long; it must only be specific. In fact, I urge you to keep it shorter and focused on a limited number of BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals or a corporate HR favorite). Below are four simple steps:

1. Identify your most pressing financial needs. Are you in debt? Saving adequately? Unaware of or avoiding your complete financial picture?

2. Write down your specific goal(s). For example, "pay down $8,000 in credit card debt", or "refinance car" or "revisit my investing strategy and lock on a better long-term plan".

3. Commit to the goal(s) with specific, measurable tactics and a timeline for achievement. This might be "pay $500 monthly to credit card to decrease debt by $6,000 and use $2,000 of bonus to cover final payment by December", or "research refinance options in January, contact preferred providers in February and lock on deal by end Q1".

4. Put the above appointments on your calendar to create accountability. Stick to them! For extra good measure, I recommend your keeping a signed copy near your home work area or as a file in the calendar reminder.

Following these four steps will ensure that you're on Santa's "nice" list come 2009 gifting season. And more importantly, doing so will provide a true and lasting gift to yourself.