Morningstar.com's Retirement Resolutions Week

But offsetting all the things that are out of our hands are many things that we can control. Our asset allocation, our savings rate, the specific investments we select, and the expenses we minimize can all work to stack the deck in our favor against those inevitable wildcards.

The key is not only understanding what you can control, but also the trade-offs of those decisions you do make. For instance, if you want to play it safer in the short term by moving money to bonds or cash, how might that affect your long-term risk of not earning enough for retirement? (If you had taken such action last January, you would have missed out on a 16% stock market gain in 2012!)

Once you understand the levers you can pull, and the effects of pulling them, the issue is less about feeling helpless and more about just getting it done. Enter Retirement Resolutions Week--a special report to help you optimize all the things you can control.

Each day this week, we posted a focused group of articles and video reports on

saving more, spending less, allocating wisely, picking stronger investments, maximizing Social Security, and much more to help you plug into your portfolio and get going. Now, when the next wildcard pops up (and it will), your game plan is set and ready--and so are you.

Retirement Resolutions Week: Highlights

• How to Cut Costs in Retirement
• Can Your Portfolio Supply You With the Retirement Income You Need?
• The Bucket Approach to Retirement Allocation
• Finding Quality Funds to Fill Your Buckets
• 3 Methods to Get the Most Out of Social Security
• Pension Lump Sum or Annuity: 5 Swing Factors
• Get Your Estate Plan in Gear

Retirement Resolutions Week: Full Lineup

Monday, Jan. 21 | Resolve to save more, spend less

• How to Cut Costs in Retirement
• Will Your Income Needs Trend Down as You Age?
• Can Your Portfolio Supply You With the Retirement Income You Need?
• Working Longer Can Be a Win-Win for Investors
• Archive: How to Manage Unplanned Expenses During Retirement

Tuesday, Jan. 22 | Resolve to allocate well for retirement

• The Bucket Approach to Retirement Allocation
• Is Your Retirement Portfolio's Asset Allocation on Track?
• Is Your Retirement Portfolio Ready to Do the 'Twist'?
• Young Investors: Playing It Safe Can Be Costly to Your Wealth
• How Much Foreign-Bond Exposure Do Retirees Need?
• How Much Should Retirees Stake in TIPS?

Wednesday, Jan. 23 | Resolve to pick the best investments

• Finding Quality Funds to Fill Your Buckets
• A Sample Retirement Portfolio Using the Bucket Approach
• A Sample ETF Retirement Portfolio in 3 Buckets
• A Conservative Portfolio in 3 Buckets
• A Conservative Retirement Portfolio: The ETF Version
• A Sample Moderate Retirement Portfolio in 3 Buckets
• A Bucketed ETF Portfolio for Moderate Retirees
• Best Practices for Bucketed Retirement Portfolios

Thursday, Jan. 24 | Resolve to maximize your other income streams

• 3 Methods to Get the Most Out of Social Security
• Helpful Tools for Managing Your Social Security
• Pension Lump Sum or Annuity: 5 Swing Factors
• Optimizing Social Security: It's More Complicated Than You Think
• 4 Strategies for Combating Low Annuity Yields
• Safeguard Your Pension Benefits in Retirement
• Archive: The Best Time to Claim Social Security? It Depends
• Archive: 2 Strategies for Maximizing Social Security
• Archive: Avoid These 3 Social Security Pitfalls

Friday, Jan. 25 | Resolve to get your estate plan in good shape

• How to Stay Smart With Your Estate Plan
• Portability Provision Simplifies Couples' Estate Planning 
• Get Your Estate Plan in Gear
• 5 Estate-Planning Tasks That You Shouldn't Put Off
• How to Widow-Proof (or Widower-Proof) Your Portfolio
• A Checklist for Surviving Spouses
• Dos and Don'ts for Leaving IRA Assets to Your Loved Ones
• Video Archive: Estate-Planning Tips for Same-Sex Couples 
• Resource: Master Directory Worksheet (PDF)