While the ushering in of the New Year may have you thinking about how you want to take that cruise this year or lose the 20 or so pounds that Grandma’s special cheesecake added to your midsection during Christmas dinner, don’t think that those good old New Year’s resolutions don’t carry over into your investments as well.

With the beating 2008 has served up for most investors, 2009 seems like a great time to accomplish a few of those things you wanted to do for your investments – it’s like getting rid of your portfolio’s spare tire. What should you tackle next year?

Here are five of the most popular New Years resolutions for 2009, with an investing twist that could help you wind up a little bit wealthier by 2010…

1. Trim the Fat

It’s not just a resolution your significant other has been pestering you about – and jogging isn’t the cure – when it comes to trimming the fat for your portfolio, your money’s on the line!

It’s a very good idea to re-evaluate the stocks and funds in your portfolio on a regular basis. Even if you’re a student of the buy-and-hold school, taking another look at what you own is still a prudent idea from time to time.

When you review your portfolio, take a look at the attributes that made a stock look good for you in the first place, and see if they still hold – is that company’s new product still a winner? Are any of the portfolio managers you’ve invested with named Madoff? Don’t be afraid to re-do your due dilligence.

Trimming the fat also means taking a look at how you’re investing, not just what you’re investing in. Knowing whether your portfolio is properly allocated is a great example… after all, there are other asset classes out there. Is it time to “think outside the stocks”?

2. Quit Stressing… About Your Investments

Stress isn’t healthy, so why let your investments add to it? I’ll admit, this one’s harder to accomplish (especially when your picks are available for all to see), but the benefits are well worth it. Don’t forget that while the average life expectancy here in the U.S. is 77.8 years, you’ve got to subtract a decade or two if you have a Wall Street office.

Are you one of those investors who needs to take a look at the market non-stop throughout the day? Unless you make a living from trading, think about taking on a “low-information” diet for 2009.

3. Learn Something New

Whatever the balance in your brokerage account, knowledge is (hopefully) one of your greatest assets. If there’s a part of the investing world you want to learn about – the basics of technical analysis, for example – why not take the time this year to expand your horizons?

Take a look at an investing book or two in 2009. Take a class on investment analysis at the community college. Attend a seminar.

As valuable as knowledge is, it can be had pretty cheaply… with tutorial-filled resources like Investopedia and Seeking Alpha, it’s not hard to get a grasp on a new investing subject gratis.

4. Help Those Less Fortunate

I’m not just talking about donating to charity here (although don’t forget, you can make tax-deductible charitable contributions of stock). What better to do with your newfound investment knowledge (see the previous resolution) than to share it with friends, family, and whomever else needs some “expert insight” for their portfolio?

After all, “financial” is a foreign language to most people. From passing on an informative article (hint, hint) to walking someone through how to execute a trade, don’t be afraid to have a hand in getting someone else’s investing smarts on track.

One thing to remember – money’s on the line, so when in doubt refer people to a licensed financial professional.

5. Get Organized

If you’re an active investor, one of the best resolutions you can have is to get organized. Being successful at the stock market often comes down to your decision-making abilities, and disorder can easily get in the way of making smart investment choices.

To help get things in straightened out, consider a service like Mint, which puts all of your financial accounts – like your brokerage, checking, and credit cards – in one place.

And if your investment analysis is leaving something to be desired, consider synthesizing your thoughts with a form.

Finally, go electronic for things like trade confirmations and your broker-related tax forms. Not only will going digital de-clutter your life, it’ll ensure that nothing’s missing when it comes time to files all of those capital gains you’re sure to have next year with the IRS. Most of the time, this stuff is available directly from your broker’s website.

Resolved to Invest Smarter

If you’re one of those people whose New Year’s resolutions are long forgotten by February, take heed – you won’t want to file these away with cleaning the garage and learning a language. Gains have been hard won in 2008; with New Year’s resolutions for your investments (and more than a little luck), here’s to seeing a more prosperous year in 2009.

Happy Holidays.

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