One of my favorite things about the ending of one year and beginning a new one is the opportunity to look over the past year in my business, compare my plans for the year against what actually transpired, and set goals and dreams for the coming year and beyond.

A plan is an essential part of growing a successful business, and when it comes down to it, the same goes for our families and our personal finances. So why not start the year off right and run our households more like businesses?

A good year for a business starts off with a good business plan. A plan for the business of your household doesn't have to be a complicated document; a one page summary of your family's vision and strategy that can be posted on the fridge is just right.

The first part of the plan is to develop a family mission statement. What is important to your family? It might be "to be thankful people and share with our community" or "we value education and work to provide each member of our family opportunities to learn" or "to achieve financial independence and have the freedom to travel." Take some quiet time to think it through and talk it out together.

Once you have that in place, think about your strategic intent; in other words, where are you going as a family, and what will the numbers look like when you get there? Do you strive to give a percentage of your income? If you want to achieve financial independence by age 50, how much will you need to save? Break your strategic intent into three- to five-year goals. It's easier to focus on a reachable goal than on something that is many years out. Take it one step at a time, working toward that big picture vision.

Now break your three- to five-year goals down further, into a specific goal you can achieve this year, such as reducing credit card debt by 50 percent or increasing profit (savings) by 10 percent.

Then come up with three to five specific, measurable actions you can take to meet that goal, such as increasing your 401(k) contribution, or paying for everyday expenses with cash or debit card instead of credit. Evaluate your progress each quarter, and include a family reward or celebration if you're on track.

In most families, one member has more time or inclination to act as the chief financial officer and handle the books. But the CFO can't work alone; the board of directors (aka spouse or partner) needs to be involved as well. While one may handle the day-to-day family finances, the other must be aware of what's going on — so both are on the same page — but also in case something should happen to the family CFO.

Communication is key; both partners should have input into the budget and review a monthly or quarterly profit and loss statement and balance sheet — your list of actual income and expenses, and a list of things you own and things you owe.

Your profit margin is important. Any business needs to operate in the black to be successful, and so should your household. In other words, the money that you save each year is your profit. If you're not saving or are going into debt, your business is stagnating or shrinking. When you make your annual spending plan, include a profit goal.

Cash flow is the lifeblood of business; so too family finance. Control your accounts receivables; don't let insurance claims, rebates or job reimbursements slip by, for example, and keep good records to maximize your tax deductions.

When it comes to your vendors, or the people and companies you do business with, review them periodically. Are you happy with their work? Is it time to have your insurance policy quoted again? How is your credit — do vendors want to do business with you?

In this credit climate, your credit score is one of your most valuable financial assets. If you haven't checked your credit report recently, go now to www.annualcreditreport.com and get your free copy (this is the real free site). Another source to check is www.quizzle.com, where you can get an estimate of your credit score for free (the site is sponsored by Quicken loans). Keep good records, know what you're paying and don't rack up late fees by not paying attention.

One thing is for certain; your plans will not work out exactly as you planned. Life can't be scripted. When I review my plan at year end, I'm pleased to see I've accomplished some goals, and others make me laugh, mostly because I had no idea what life would throw my way.

The most valuable part of this review, though, may be the goals that make me cringe — the ones that could have been accomplished had I not wasted opportunities or been distracted by the tyranny of the urgent. The real failure only comes then from not learning from those mistakes and making changes in the year to come. I'm thankful for a new day and a new year to start again. Progress, not perfection!

If you are interested in getting your finances into shape here is a great opportunity for you to get off to a good start in 2012:

Kiplinger magazine and the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors host a free Web chat, "Jump-Start Your Retirement Plan Days," Wednesday at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Get free financial advice from some of the nation's top financial advisers, via the link www.napfa.org/consumer/FreeFinancialAdvice.asp or through the NAPFA or Kiplinger Facebook pages.

On Jan. 12 and Jan. 17 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., NAPFA and Kiplinger will offer online chat sessions all day and have a toll-free phone number available to speak with a NAPFA adviser to answer your most pressing retirement questions, from IRAs to estate planning to identifying goals for a comfortable retirement, all for free. More information to come on the NAPFA site above.