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A week ago today I was in Phoenix. I had been there for a few days, and I had been planning to spend a month with my girlfriend away from the cold New Jersey weather. It wasn’t a vacation. We each needed to continue working, but figured we might as well do so where the weather was nice.

Early in the morning, I got a frantic call from my apartment complex’s superintendent. “Where are you?”

Groggily, I stated I was out of town and asked what was going on. “We have a major problem.” The sprinkler line in my apartment building froze and burst, dumping cold water, ceiling debris, and insulation into my kitchen. The unit below me was in worse condition, and their basement’s ceiling collapsed.

I ensured the super was aware that I recognized the seriousness, and with some trouble (a different story), I got on a flight back to New Jersey that got me to the apartment later that night. After hanging up with the super, I did two things.

Any self-help guru would agree that how you think about money shapes your behavior with money. If you want to improve your financial situation, whether to get out of debt or to reach financial independence, your relationship with money is the first thing that must change.

If you believe you will never be able to climb out of poverty, it’s going to be much more difficult to achieve that goal. Of course, there is much more than goes into reaching your financial goals than just thinking about money differently. One can’t wish oneself out of debt, even by wishing intensely. The proper mindset is just the first step, but offers no guarantee of success.

Additionally, changing a mindset that’s been around for decades — or generations, even — doesn’t just change overnight. It’s a lot simpler to consider a changed mindset the key to achieving financial goals than it is to actually believe that everything you’ve been taught about money is wrong.

Now that the government backed down on its proposed changes to 529 plans for future education expenses, we can expect the same tax benefits present for education to be applied to families and individuals who face expenses caring for disabled people.

Families will be able to deposit funds into special savings accounts, called 529As, and earnings in these accounts will grow and can be withdrawn without any tax consequences. The annual contribution limit will start at $14,000, linked to the amount of the gift tax exclusion, and accounts can grow to $100,000 without being counted against qualification for Social Security benefits. The actual account maximum will be defined within each state’s regulations.

There’s some good news for American taxpayers this year. First of all, it was recently announced that President Obama would not seek a reduction in tax benefits for those who invest in 529 plans for saving for their kids’ education. Even though it is the wealthy who benefit from this tax break, it is still represents a potential for middle class tax savings, and a reduction in benefit was a bad idea.

401(k) plans are the primary retirement savings vehicle for the middle class, particularly as more employers enroll new employees automatically in the plans. And for those who have the ability to maximize their contribution each year, the new calendar year offers an additional opportunity.