Spring Clean your Finances!

We’ve all heard about spring cleaning for our homes – but what about our finances? Spring is a great time to review your financial goals and priorities, track your progress and refresh your strategies!

Here are a few ways to spring clean your finances this season:

• Review your budget. When life changes, so should your budget. Maybe you got a raise this year or you encountered an unexpected expense that set you back.
  
  Take another look at what you’re spending and saving every month. Does that plan still make as much sense as it did a year ago?
  
  
• Check in on your credit. Maintaining a good credit score is essential if you’re looking to buy a house, car or other large item. Take some time to review your credit report and score. If it’s not where it needs to be, try a few strategies to improve it, like:
  • Making regular payments on time
  • Using a lower percentage of your credit limit
  • Checking for errors on your report
    
    
• Make sure your plan for retirement is sound. Take time to review your current plan for retirement. Make sure you’re contributing enough to your 401(k) or IRA for a prosperous future.  
   
• Check in on your debt payment progress. Start by writing down everything you still owe on car loans, school debt, credit cards and any other debt you may have. Record each of their interest rates and due dates.
  
  Use that information to revise your loan repayment plan. Could you be making higher payments? Should you concentrate your efforts on a different loan to more effectively pay down your balance?
  
  
• Meet with a financial advisor. A financial advisor can give you feedback on where to go next on your financial journey and offer advice on how to gain and keep wealth now and in the future.