January is almost over - is one of your New Year's resolutions to focus on saving? Looking for some ideas and tips? Whether your goals are long term or you're in search of every day deals, we have some great news for you! Citi's Women & Co., along with partners Fabulous and Frugal and Savings.com, is throwing a Twitter party on Thursday, February 2nd at 9 PM EST / 6 PM PST and you're invited.

While experts agree about the critical role banks play in a thriving economic system, many also think more can be done to go beyond this fundamental role and embed delivering social value into the core business of banks.

These views were expressed in a new report released by the Center for Responsible Business at the Haas School of Business, University of California-Berkeley and research consultancy GlobeScan who interviewed 60 experts inside and outside the financial services industry to explore how the industry will evolve over the next decade.

This year Citigroup is celebrating its 200th Anniversary.  In honor of this unique milestone, we have published an anniversary book chronicling two centuries of providing the best in financial services--from our beginnings in New York in 1812 to our current status as America's global bank. There are countless stories to tell--from financing the Panama Canal and the Space Shuttle to helping pioneer the negotiable certificate of deposit and the ATM.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and others have several efforts underway aimed at helping consumers better understand the terms, risks and pricing of various financial products. In a previous post, we mentioned the CFPB's "Know Before You Owe" initiative as relates to mortgage disclosures. This initiative is broadly focused on making potentially complex lending agreements more transparent and understandable for consumers. Recently, the CFPB released a simplified credit card agreement and is seeking consumer and card issuer feedback.

According to a 2011 survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute, 62% of workers ages 45 to 54 had $50,000 or less in total savings and investments. Meanwhile, among workers age 55 and older, 50% fell into that camp.

Even if your nest egg is above these levels, you may not have nearly enough set aside for retirement--and it may be time to play catch-up.

This past September, Citigroup pledged to lend $24 billion to American small businesses over three years--starting with a goal of $7 billion for 2011. We exceeded that goal by $900 million. The $7.9 billion we lent to small businesses in 2011 was $1.9 billion more than our 2010 total, and significantly higher than our $4.5 billion total in 2009.

Want to get your finances on track in 2012? The guidelines below won't be right for everyone. But they should give you a starting point as you look to build a better financial life.

Earlier this morning, Citi released its earnings report for the final quarter of 2011. Chief Financial Officer John Gerspach discusses the report in this video. For more information and the full earnings report, visit the Investor Relations section of Citigroup's website.