Choose your financial life.

We are starting a new year, a new path, and new goals. Time to promise, to plan, to organize what we left unfinished. Time to sow positive expectations, with actions and attitudes compiled for success. Time to finalize the 2012 budget and check if we achieved our objectives or not.

We begin another year with the intention of starting almost everything from scratch, of beginning a new life, but to do so, we need to let go of some attitudes that accompanied us in the last year. It's time to plan for 2013, create our goals, our focus, and outline the path to be followed to get there.

Gone are the days when personal financial difficulties didn't affect your social relationships or professional behavior. Insolvency and financial disorganization cause personal frustration, alter your work focus, and ultimately become too heavy a burden to bear.

The increasing access to information gradually exposes us to a tangle of numbers, texts, and interpretations that can confuse our perception and thus blur what is correct or what is closest to our financial goals. The great advantage lies in knowing how to separate and leverage this growing source of information as an ally for professional growth.

Thus, thousands of economic and financial data and information are dumped on our minds, creating doubts about what is most profitable or what is mere opportunism. Whether what we choose is the result of an investment or a consequence of speculation.

The fact is, with 2013 beginning, it's extremely timely to reflect on what we did with our finances throughout 2012. We should actually conduct an economic assessment and measure what needs improvement. We should examine whether that investment that promised extraordinary returns truly delivered the expected results. We should consider whether we allocated our resources well, or if we got lost in unnecessary purchases. We need to analyze our financial history to chart our next steps, but without being blindly tied to the past.

I reject the idea that if I've always done something a certain way, I should stick to it until the end, simply because it's always been done that way. This refers to the investment options we had in 2012.

For 2013, I believe that investment options will be greater and better, mainly because banks should open up a range of more attractive financial products than the current ones, in addition to a strategic repositioning in attracting clients with quality "portfolio management" and prospecting for buyers of more profitable products.

We've reached the end of the pure and simple fixed-income cycle, as our interest rates have fallen, and good old savings accounts no longer reign supreme as a safe and liquid investment. Banks need to improve their operating margins, gain productive efficiency, and compete in the market for the best clients. Making money solely from high interest rates doesn't, in itself, guarantee the great results of the past.

Expanding investment options to include financial instruments, real estate investment funds, and the sale of debentures to individuals is becoming increasingly common. New financial products will be offered to potential clients.

All of this is under the close supervision of the Central Bank, and therefore I reiterate the need to maintain confidence in our institutions as guardians of the proper functioning of the financial system.

Regarding this democratization of some financial products, it means that there will be a complexity of new businesses that will attract more clients from the base of the pyramid to the top of the opportunities. I reiterate that there is a process of redefining banking strategies.

The government, in its increasing intervention in the economy, will exert all its efforts to expand the trading of government bonds, more commonly known as Treasury Direct. With reduced operating costs, they will become more attractive, depending on the state of the economy, than savings accounts, while offering the same security, liquidity, and accessibility. There is a goal within the federal government to strengthen the trading of debt securities in the domestic market.

It will be up to banking institutions to raise awareness among Brazilian savers to channel their resources into these sources of income. Also within the realm of possibility, bank fees will tend to follow the path of capital, which in practice means that those clients who are more profitable to banks, with pension plans, capitalization plans, and insurance, tend to receive larger discounts on their packages and will have personalized service. It's the natural course of action.

Insurance and private pension plans will continue their growth trajectory. Increased financial inclusion and now rising incomes both contribute to and contribute to the growing awareness of financial literacy. Financial planning is essential and is becoming increasingly relevant to customers.

For those who need to take out loans to start a business or to settle debts, a new year always offers renegotiation options and new payment methods. Therefore, it's worthwhile to get organized and maintain a healthy financial life, without constraints or restrictions.

Entrepreneurs will have access to more attractive financing options, and access to credit for starting businesses will certainly be facilitated by the federal government and, consequently, by private sector financial agents. Always consider seeking support from entities like SEBRAE when setting up your business.

Consider the franchise sector as an option to reduce error margins and increase the likelihood of success in new ventures. Look for networks with solid knowledge and good relationships with franchisees, without a history of litigation.

The main rule when choosing to start a business is to seek something you are truly passionate about. However demagogic or outdated this may sound, it is the absolute truth. Working on something you dislike, don't want to do, yields results contrary to expectations, generates negative expectations, and the financial gains you may achieve will never compensate for the time dedicated to building something you won't be proud of.

Finally, a new year brings a range of opportunities, and it's up to each person to follow their own path. Starting this year, following some requests received via email, I will recommend books at least once a month for those seeking texts in the economic field. All the books recommended here are books I have already read and are not for commercial purposes. The first book is "The Intelligent Investor" by Benjamin Graham.