Month: December 2020

By Matt BeckerPosted  October 25, 2019

Note: This article is somewhat dated but still contains worthwhile information for this year end. DH

We’re closing in on the end of the year, which means it’s almost time for family, friends, travel, stress, fun, and everything else that comes with holiday season.

It’s also a great chance to take stock of your financial situation, reflect on what’s gone well this year, what could be improved, and what you need to do to put yourself in the best situation possible going into next year.

But let’s face it: you don’t want to spend the holidays handling your finances. That’s no fun for anyone. So instead of waiting until the last minute, and potentially missing some important deadlines, I’d like to help you get a bit of a head start.

Here are 10 moves you can start making right now to improve your financial situation before the end of the year.

1. Review your goals and set new ones

If you set some financial goals at the beginning of the year, now is a good time to check back in on them and ask yourself some questions:

Block some time off in your calendar to review those goals, update them as needed, and set new goals for the coming year. Your life and your circumstances have almost certainly changed over the past 12 months, and your goals should reflect those changes.

In the end, your financial plan can only be as good as the goals you set. Make this review a priority, block the time off in your calendar, and set yourself up for success in the coming year.

2. Maximize your retirement/financial independence savings

The easiest way to reach financial independence as soon as possible is to save more money. Nothing else you do will have as big an impact.

So it makes sense to take stock of how much you’ve already saved this year and whether you should be making any special moves to maximize your contributions to accounts like your 401(k), IRA, and HSA.

There are some limits and deadlines to consider here, so let’s walk through them quickly.

3. Plan next year’s savings

With both your goals and your savings still top-of-mind, you’re in prime position to make a least a rough savings plan for next year.

Here’s a little cheat sheet you can use to set up automatic contributions that max out each of your tax-advantaged investment accounts:

401(k)

Traditional or Roth IRA

Health Savings Account

But of course financial independence shouldn’t be your only goal. Back in Step 1 you might have set goals like buying a house, traveling, building an emergency fund, switching to a single income, or starting a business.

Those shorter-term goals are just as important as the long term ones, so make sure to set aside some regular savings for those as well.

4. Optimize your employee benefits

The end of the year is open enrollment season, which means your employer will probably be sending you a big packet of information about your 2019 employee benefit options. That might sound pretty boring, and it kind of is, but it’s also a big opportunity to make sure you grab every last financial incentive available to you.

Here are a few of the things you might be able to take advantage of:

5. Use any remaining FSA money

One of the tricky parts of a medical FSA is that the money is often use it or lose it. That is, any money that’s still in your account at the end of the year is gone forever.

So, while there’s still time left, check your FSA account balance and think about how you might be able to use it before the end of the year.

Do you need new glasses? Do you have any medical care you’ve been putting off? Maybe your child could use a trip to the dentist?

See if you can find a use for this money before the end of the year so that it doesn’t go to waste.

Quick note: Not all FSA plans are 100% use it or lose it. Some offer a grace period where you’re allowed to use the money for a certain period of time after year end. Others will let you keep up to $500 for next year. Check your specific plan details to see what leeway you’re allowed here.

6. Plan for the holidays

The holidays can be a lot of fun. Time off from work. Time with family. Maybe even some traveling.

They can also be a HUGE money drain. Between gifts, food, plane tickets, hotels, and all the rest, the money you spend during the holidays can throw you way off your other goals, and potentially even leave you with a new pile of debt to handle.

The best way to avoid all of that is to plan ahead.

Make a plan for how much you want to spend. Set a gift budget, a food budget, and a travel budget. Save ahead for the things you know are coming.

I’m all for traveling to see family and spending on things that matter. And the holidays are a great opportunity to do just that.

With a little bit of planning, you can do it in a way that keeps your other goals on track.

7. Rebalance your investments

I like to be pretty hands off with my investments.

As long as you pick a good enough investment strategy, minimize your costs, and automate your savings, you should stop worrying about it and get back to the rest of your life.

But there IS a small amount of regular maintenance that helps keep things on track, and rebalancing your investments is one of those pieces.

Rebalancing is essentially this:

You chose to invest in a particular way with a particular mix of investments. This much money in stocks, that much in bonds, etc.

But over time the markets will move and that mix will naturally change. When the stock market is up, that part of your investment account will increase in value and you’ll have a bigger percentage of your money in stocks than you originally planned. The opposite is true when the stock market is down.

Rebalancing is how you bring everything back in line with your personal goals. It’s simply the process of resetting your investments back to your original plan.

Of course, there are also a number of investment options that automate the process of rebalancing so that you don’t have to worry about it. 

8. Double-check your insurance and estate plan

Life moves fast, and as your circumstances change you may find yourself with new things to protect, or maybe even things that no longer need protection.

Which means it’s a good idea to review your insurance and estate plan from time to time to make sure it’s still covering what you need it to cover, and nothing more.

Here are three things in particular you’ll want to review:

9. Review the past year’s income and expenses

If you’ve been tracking your spending for the past year, now is a good time to look at the full year’s worth of information and ask yourself some questions:

There’s nothing like looking at the cold, hard numbers to get a real sense of where your money is going, what you’re prioritizing, and what you’d like to change.

10. Record your net worth

Your net worth is your single most important financial number for the simple reason that just about every good financial move you make serves to either increase it or protect it.

And that means that tracking your net worth over time will help you gauge whether the financial moves you’re making are actually working. If your net worth is increasing, you’re making progress. If not, it might be time to re-evaluate the decisions you’re making.

So no matter what, recording your net worth now is a good idea. And if you can, compare it to your net worth at the same time last year to see how it’s changed, think about what worked and what didn’t, and use that information to influence your plans for the coming year.

What will you do to improve your financial situation?

You certainly don’t have to hit all 10 of these by the end of the year (though it would be great if you did!). That’s a lot to take on.

But as you look at this list, try to find at least 2-3 things that you can commit to handling before December 31, and maybe another 2-3 that you can commit to at the start of next year.

This isn’t about getting EVERYTHING right. It’s about making consistent forward progress one step at a time.

What next step will you take?

Source: 10 Financial Moves to Make before the End of the Year – Mom and Dad Money