Perhaps one of your New Year's resolutions was to get your financial house in order. January has come and gone, but it's not too late to follow through on that promise to yourself. What follows is a month-by-month guide to staying on top of your personal finances throughout the year.

As anyone with an elderly relative or friend who is unable to provide for his or her own care can tell you, the cost of that care-whether at home or in a facility-is a major expense. The financial outlay for such care, because of advanced age or chronic illness or injury, may not be an issue for the very rich, with significant personal resources, or the very poor.

Establishing a retirement plan for a child might, initially, sound a bit strange-or at least premature. Truly, it is not. Establishing an IRA for your children or grandchildren can help them achieve financial independence in retirement and, possibly, for the rest of their lives. That claim may raise some questions in your mind.