Believe it or not, today we are one quarter of the way through 2011. It’s funny how January seems to drag on forever, interminably, until the end of time; and then, boom! you turn around and the clocks are changing and spring has arrived.

A good way to keep your finances in check and ensure you are in-line to meet your goals, is to schedule some regular check-ups throughout the year. And being a quarter of the way through the year, today seems like a good a time as any! Having regular reviews helps you monitor your progress, so whatever your money-related goal is this year – whether it be to clear some debt, hit a savings goal or start an investment portfolio – take some time to sit down and review your situation in black and white.

Having regular reviews helps you monitor your progress

It might seem early to be doing this with only three months of the year under your belt, but if you don’t do it now you will wind up sometime in September wondering what happened to all the money you earned this year. Doing it early also means you have ample time to make changes and readjustments if you aren’t hitting your goals, or your priorities have changed since the start of the year.

Some questions to ask yourself:

- Are the goals I set myself this year still relevant?

- Am I one-quarter of the way to meeting these goals?

- Was my goal overly-ambitious? Do I need to readjust it or alter the schedule?

- Could I be putting more toward this goal than I currently am?

- How can I ensure that I meet this goal within the set timeframe?

{photo: Mike Rohde}