As we head into the New Year, many of you have already made New Year's resolutions. In fact, a study shows that 45% of all Americans make at least one New Year's resolution, and 34% of those resolutions are related to finances. And now the bad news: Only 8% are successful in reaching their New Year's Resolutions. 24% never succeed and have failed on every New Year's Resolution they have ever set. The odds aren’t in your favor. And though we at SRFCU can’t help you lose weight or take that class at the community college, we can help with your financial goals. If you’ve set 2012 as the year that you’re going to work on your finances, I’ve put together some resources to help you find success in reaching your New Year's Resolutions dealing with personal finance. First, here’s a check-list of things you can do to help jump start your success:

• Review your loans and credit cards. Gather some basic information about each using this form, and call your SRFCU Member Service Rep. Chances are, we may be able to refinance some of those loans to a lower interest rate and/or lower payment.

• Set a household budget and stick to it. Set a household budget and stick to it. SRFCU members have access to a free and confidential budgeting program called Debt in Focus. This is an online program that allows you to enter your financial information and run scenarios to see how you can best reduce your debt and expenses and save more money. To use this free and confidential program, visit srfcu.com and click the “Debt in Focus” link.

• Review your credit report. By finding and correcting errors, your credit score is likely to improve, which will give you access to better rates when you request a new loan, or refinance an existing loan. We’ve provided the link to get your free credit by clicking here.

If after all of this, you still feel like you’re in over your head, there’s help. As a member of SRFCU, you’re entitled to free financial counseling from our partners at Balance. This is NOT a “get out of debt quick” scheme, nor is it a “Raise Your Credit Score Instantly” program. Balance is designed to work one-on-one with you to sort out the specifics of your situation and help put a plan together to begin getting your finances back on track.

Credit Unions were founded on this basis: People Helping People, Help Themselves. We hope that you’ll allow us to help you find success in the New Year's Resolutions you have set in regards to your finances.