End of the Year Checklist

I am not entirely sure where the rest of the year went but it’s December now… just three short weeks and we will have made it through another year.  So, before the year is out let’s take a second to double check you’re in a good place this year and have a head start on 2019

 

  • Squirrel some extra money away.
    • This is a good time to lay out a quick budget for the last month of the year and see if you can squeeze a little more into your company retirement plan, especially if you get a bonus this time of year and still have room to fill out the company match. This can help extra dollars not accidentally fly away during Black Friday Cyber Season week, or whatever the heck it’s called now, and you’ll be patting yourself on the back come tax time for the extra deductions.
    • If you have an HSA this is another good time to potentially max out your contributions.

 

  • Take a peek at this year’s spending.
    • Whether you’re retired or not, knowing what you spend makes any financial planning you do a million times easier. With 11 months in the books, early December is a great time to get an idea of what your outlay will look like for the year. It doesn’t have to be to the penny, just get comfy with the general number.  Whether or not this makes you change anything, getting acquainted with your actual spending habits can take a lot of the nervousness out of planning for retirement and being retired!

 

  • Make sure you’ve taken your Required Minimum Distribution from your IRA accounts if you’re 70 ½ or older.
    • If you’re a client of ours, we check this for you, but if you aren’t sure if you’ve taken yours or are required to we’re glad to review it with you.

 

  • Make lots of fires, drink tea and hot chocolate, and enjoy your family      
    • At least that’s what I’ll be doing