This is no April Fools joke: the Bank of Montreal released five resolutions for Canadians in order to avoid being fooled by their finances in the coming year.

Here’s a biggie — don’t get tricked into thinking you don’t have to take personal responsibility for your retirement. Opening up an RRSP and contributing to it on a regular basis is one of the easiest ways to save.

Canadians are also being urged to pay more than the minimum monthly payment on credit card balances, to set up a life insurance policy, to diversify investments, and to choose a shorter amortization period for mortgages. You can save up to $53,000 if you reduce your period from 35 to 25 years.