Money | finances Get Fit, Financially Speaking, in 2010 A 12-month guide to taking control of your finances By Evann Gastaldo Posted Dec 26, 2010 7:36 AM CST Copied You should be saving 15%, or more, of your earnings. (Shutter Stock) If your New Year’s resolution is to take control of your finances, you’re in luck: Brett Arends provides a handy month-by-month guide in the Wall Street Journal: January: Max out your 401(k) contributions if your budget can handle it, or at least hit the company match level. Ideally, you should be saving 15% or more of your income. February: Analyze your 2010 statements to see where all your money went—then set a budget for 2011 and try to cut back. March: Use cash instead of credit or ATM/debit cards. Plastic can make it too easy to spend too much. July: Not keeping on track with your budget? Cancel cable for the summer to save some money. August: Convert your traditional IRAs to a Roth IRA, in which money grows tax free forever. October: Shop around for better deals on insurance—you could cut your costs by as much as half. Click for the complete 12-month plan, or check out a tip for how the world could avoid wasting billions while holiday shopping. Read These Next White House rolls with Trump's 'daddy' nickname. New Fox star, 23, misses first day after car troubles. Supreme Court ruling is a big blow to Planned Parenthood. Gavin Newsom has filed a massive lawsuit against Fox News. Report an error