Springtime Money Laundering
Summer is right around the corner and most of us have our
to-do-lists figured out, mentally, if not written down yet.
Bible camp for the kids, plant a large garden, and a trip to the
lake. What about financial housekeeping, shouldn't that be on
your list too? Early summer is a great time to take a financial
breather. The holidays are a long way off, the taxes have just
been paid and we're spending time eating in the backyard instead
of dining out. If you take even one day out of your summer
play/work and organize your finances, you could cut down on the
forest of bills, bank balancing, and paperwork facing you all
year long. Now is even a good time to take a look at your
retirement and investment accounts and check up on your
insurance coverage.
Getting Started Starting with your bank papers, check out how
many savings and checking accounts you have and minimize them. I
like to have two checking accounts for the house, one is used
only for the regular bills and the other is for household items
and irregular spending. Two savings accounts are enough as well,
one for long-term saving and the other for short-term. Another
time and paper saver is if you set up an automatic deposit of
your paycheck into your checking account, and then set up an
automatic payment from your checking account into your savings,
investment, or IRA accounts. Even if you pay yourself only $10 a
week, it adds up over the year and is a good discipline to
learn. You can even use automatic deposits to save money for
Christmas presents, a vacation or other "special occasions". If
you are technologically savy and comfortable with the idea of
electronic payments, consider using e-payments to pay your
regular bills, such as mortgage, electric, or car loan. Don't
let the companies do electronic with-drawls for you. How do you
guarantee that they took the right amount, and if they made a
mistake (which happens) how do you get the money back? It is a
lot simpler and potentially safer for you to do an electronic
bill-pay through your bank.
Another step In 2001 the Economic Growth and Tax Relief
Reconciliation Act made it easier for you, the investor, to
consolidate your retirement accounts and still retain the
tax-favored treatment of the money. Prior to this act, advisors
frequently told their clients to keep retirement accounts
separate to save on taxes. Now you can take eligible
distributions from tax-qualified plans, 403(b) and 457 pension
plans and other types of plans like the IRA, and roll the money
into other tax-qualified plans. The purpose here is to
consolidate your multiple plans into one or two accounts.
This'll make it easier for you to keep an abreast of what your
money is doing. With fewer accounts, you'll have less confusion,
hopefully everything is on one statement and if you have
questions or need to make changes you only have to talk to one
representative.
Coverage Checkup Instead of merely simplifying your financial
life, you should also make sure that you are providing adequate
protection. It is a good idea to have insurance on your home,
your health, your car, your loved ones, and your income. Don't
forget, though, you can over do it and have too much insurance.
You need to decide what level of self-insurance you are
comfortable with. The law requires you to carry automobile
liability insurance is required by law. At the least you should
have term life insurance to replace your income and help your
loved ones with debt and living expenses. Homeowner insurance is
important in case your home becomes unlivable due to fire or
other incident. Again, if you can get your insurance through one
provider, your life will be simpler with fewer agents to visit
with. Perhaps you can even have access to your account through
the Internet. The less effort it takes to understand your
coverage and to make changes, the less stress and the more time
you'll save.
Final Items When was the last time you updated your will? If it
was more than a year ago, you might want to do it again. Assets
increase or decrease, potential inheritors are born, and maybe
you've decided that you'd like to leave a little something to
your church. Updating your will is a good way to make sure your
final wishes are carried out. Putting some of your assets in a
trust can save on probate costs. Also if you become
incapacitated the trust can manage funds for people with special
needs - a child who needs extra care, for example. A trust is
also another way distribute your assets to children or
grandchildren at a specific age, such as when they reach age 25
or have children of their own.
Ultimately, you will have to decide just how much consolidation
of planners, agents and financial management you want to do.
Once you've cleaned house on your finances, spending an
afternoon in the hammock will be a lot more restful. Having a
peace of mind about your financial affairs is truly a good
feeling.