Reboot Your Personal Finances with These Easy Steps

Keeping up with your finances in the summer months is crucial, but there are quick and simple ways to stay on track without cutting into your vacation time, says Senior CFP Board Ambassador Jill Schlesinger, CFP®

While summer is a time to be carefree and laid back, your finances should not suffer as a result of this mentality. Since we are already half-way through the year, Senior CFP Board Ambassador Jill Schlesinger, CFP®, says it’s the perfect time to assess your finances and take a good, hard look at where you could be saving more.

While it seems daunting, this doesn’t have to be a difficult, time-consuming process - it’s possible to keep up with your finances without losing valuable time on the beach or hiking in the mountains. Schlesinger shares easy tips to follow that will jump-start your mid-year personal finance reboot: 

• Track your Money: Are you keeping track of money that’s coming in and going out? In today’s digital age, enlist the help of apps to make this process easier!
• Check/Repair Credit: As we approach the one-year anniversary of the Equifax data breach, make sure your credit is in good standing. If you notice any suspicious changes, be persistent when correcting your report.
• Evaluate Insurance Policies: Don’t wait for disaster to strike. Be proactive and evaluate if the policy in place is the best for your current situation. 
• Consolidate Accounts: By combining your accounts, the resulting higher balance may avoid fees and even help you get a better deal. Not to mention, it will help streamline your finances.
• Review Retirement: Have you calculated your retirement number? If not, it can’t hurt to boost your retirement contributions in order to boost your savings when you do decide to retire. 
• Manage Investments: As market volatility increases and the second quarter ends, it is the perfect time for long-term investors to rebalance their accounts. 

Read Schlesinger’s full blog post here with more details. 

For more guidance on working through these steps and other ways to get your finances in order, talk to a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional today or visit www.letsmakeaplan.org