Money Management Tips
Money at 30: 4 Ways I’m Preparing for the End of My Financial Year
2021 is really racing towards the exit, isn’t it? While it was another not-so-great year overall, it still went by super quickly in my mind. So, as we cautiously hope for better in 2022, I’m using these last few days of the year to reflect on my finances and make a couple of fixes. How so? Here are a few things I’m doing to put a cap on my financial year.
Checking in on subscriptions
Let me proudly state that I think I do a pretty good job when it comes to keeping on top of and keeping track of my various subscriptions. As soon as I sign up for a free trial, I set a calendar reminder for myself so I know when it’s time to cancel. Nevertheless, even with the effort I put in, I’m certainly not perfect. Therefore, I’m currently in the process of going through my subscription list, assessing which services I should keep, and which it’s time to cut loose.
In the way of examples, I recently downgraded my Revolut Metal subscription to a standard plan since the travel aspects weren’t benefiting me. Meanwhile, while we’re still quite enjoying EveryPlate, we are wondering if we should take an extended break from the service and attempt to make the recipes on our own for a bit. Ultimately, while these savings are small on their own, they could amount to much more once we’ve pared it all down.
Catching up on deductions
I try really hard to keep up on my business deductions by reviewing transactions in Quickbooks… and yet I somehow always end up falling behind. Well, even though April is still a ways away, I figure now is a good time to catch up and close out the tax year. On that note, I also really need to get better at paying my quarterly taxes on time — but that’s a topic for another day.
Updating my health insurance
As I write this, it’s December 14th — which happens to be the day before the open enrollment deadline for Healthcare.gov. So, naturally, Mr. Procratinator put in his 2022 application earlier today. The good news is that my current plan is available for next year and at about the same price. Funny enough, there’s a good chance that I won’t end up needing this particular insurance plan come the new year, but it’s better safe than sorry.
By the way, even after open enrollment closes, keep in mind that qualifying life changes may make you eligible to purchase exchange plans later on.
Rebalancing my accounts
When it comes to investing, rebalancing is the practice of ensuring that your portfolio mix is where it should be. For example, if you’re seeing big gains from your stock investments, it could mean that you’re no longer maintaining the right split between stocks and bonds. But, here’s the thing… I’m not talking about that kind of rebalancing with this one. Instead, I’m looking at the literal dozens of checking and savings accounts I have to determine where I should hold my money. There are several things to consider here — including interest rates, features, and more — but it also comes down to just how much I actually like each platform. I’ll be sure to let you know what my breakdown ends up looking like but, for now, I’m working on getting things situated.
With the new year right around the corner, now is a smart time to take a look at your finances and see what fixes you might benefit from making. As you can see from my list, these don’t need to be major overhauls or “New Years Resolutions.” Instead, taking the time to assess or reassess some aspects of your financial life can help you start 2022 off on the right foot.
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