New Years resolution wish

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for all those on the Wall may seem very simple but could be an important part of your life some day.

It's "Paying yourself first".

Having learned very early in life, from a family friend who was a financial advisor before there were such things, we must begin early to plan for retirement. He convinced my wife, Linda, and I, very early in our marriage, to start saving.

He convinced us of three things: Invest in the USA, the greatest country and economy in the world, pay yourself first, no matter how small to start and you will get old.

We took his advice and as we near retirement the results are dramatic. But no matter your age, if you are not investing in some type of plan, please start.

The best is if you work for a company with a 401k, get in it. If your self-employed start up something, even if just an IRA, or better, a Roth IRA. See your accountant. Almost all plans give you until tax day to start a program for the previous year.

When you do start something we have found the best way is to pick one or two established mutual funds, they diversify your money for you, and have a representative set up an automatic deduction from your checking account. After a while this payment to yourself will be just like any regular expense and as your income grows through the years, so will your account.

One last note of a much to long narative, do NOT touch this money unless for emergencies. It's good to learn as much as you can about your funds and the managers who do the investing but one of the worst things you can do is continually move your money around. As the years go by, and they will, you will be pleasantly surprised at how much it will grow.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and happy investing to all.