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Beat the January blues and get your finances in order

We tend to focus on health and fitness at the start of a new year, but one of the best resolutions you can make is to get your personal finances in order. You never know, clearing out the cobwebs may just help beat the January blues.

Many of us will still be feeling the pain from the cost of Christmas. It’s a great time to ask if your money is working hard enough for your needs and wants. Are you forking out for any unnecessary costs or bills? Could you save money by changing energy providers or make some extra cash by switching your bank account?

Our handy calendar lays out the most important financial dates in 2020 to help you plan ahead. The first one is not far away: the self-assessment tax return deadline on Jan 31. If you weren't one of the 3,003 people who filled out their tax return on Christmas Day, worry not – use our Tax Hacks columnist's ultimate guide to submitting your return painlessly.

January is also a great time to think about the future. Are you saving enough into your pension and are you on track to have the kind of retirement you dream of?

Perhaps the idea of quitting work early has entered your mind. In our popular How to Retire Early series, we spoke to five people who managed to stop work in their 40s or 50s. After quitting the rat race at 41, for example, Alan Donegan went on to write a movie script.

Hundreds of you got in touch to share your own secrets to enjoying an early retirement: from saving half your salary to not having children.

There's all this and plenty more at Telegraph Money, where you can subscribe for 2 a week. Subscribers can buy 20 tickets (otherwise 75) to join our leading business journalists at our exclusive breakfast briefing Economic Intelligence LIVE: The Investors’ Handbook on Jan 14. We hope to see you there.

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Adrian Hayes said of 'Seven divorce pitfalls that could cost you thousands – and how to avoid them': "I have one alternative and simple piece of advice for anyone getting divorced. That is to avoid solicitors and lawyers like the plague. Family law preys on the emotions of marital breakdowns like vultures on a carcass, is a disgrace and, contrary to most people's assumptions, is rarely necessary. Sort it out between you and, if you can't do that, represent yourself."