Year End Review

Year end has arrived and its always great to take some time to reflect on the past 12 months and plan for the year ahead. From a business standpoint, Friendly Fires had another successful year. Thank you. It is great to be successful in such a challenging environment. We really have the best customers in the world!

As for my personal achievements, 2012 was a good year. Based on suggestions from some great productivity books I posted my 2012 personal goals on my office wall and I’m pleased to see that many were achieved this year. It was really neat to be able to review on paper my 2012 goals and update them for next year. The main one that continues to allude me: getting in shape (but 2013 WILL be the year!).

Looking ahead to 2013 – I often do some financial planning. It has been tough these past few years with the low returns being offered by financial institutions. It was not long ago that a ‘guaranteed 2% return’ would have been laughed at by consumers.

Well, I’m doing something different with my families finances this year. We are installing solar panels on our roof. The Ontario Government is offering a guaranteed 10%+ return on your investment for 20 years – so we are taking advantage of it. The catch? You must live in Ontario and it requires the installation of solar panels on your roof. For a 10% return – we are doing it. This is going to be our guaranteed RRSP!

To summarize, if you are looking for a guaranteed financial return that pays almost 10 times more than a government bond and is guaranteed by the same organization (Ontario Government) – check out solar. As with all financial products, there is a limited time however – the government could change the program at any time (as they have done in the past).

As for goal setting….

If you are trying to achieve some personal goals, put them on paper and post them on a wall. By doing this – many experts agree you’ll be more likely to achieve them in 2013. It worked for me (except the exercise one – but 2013 will be different now that I have posted this goal online!).

Best of success to you and your family in 2013.

2012 Goals

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