A pile of bills and statements - whether paid or not - is a sign that someone is clueless about what's coming in and going out.

When it comes to tackling your financial goals, whatever they might be, there's no time like the present.

I have come to think that money is very much like a person, and it will respond when you treat it as you would a cherished friend - never fearing it, pushing it away, pretending it doesn't exist, or turning away from its needs, never clutching it so hard that it hurts. ... if you tend it like the living entity it is, then it will flourish, grow, take care of you for as long as you need it.

Consider a 15- or 20-year fixed-rate mortgage instead of a 30-year, if you can afford the monthly payments - they may not be as high as you think.

Once your kids are grown and you know that you're completely healthy, consider canceling your life insurance policy.

You'd better have faith that everything happens for the best. Nothing happens in your life that isn't something that you are meant to learn to get you where you need to go so you can become who you are meant to be. And that meant-to-be might be someone you don't even know exists at this moment in time.

If you make time each month to give your money some attention, you'll start the next year in fabulous financial shape.