Here are the areas to examine.

Investments- Where are your investments? Are they scattered all over the place? Do you have SEP IRAs or 403b’s from several former employers at the old work place? Time management alone has caused many folks to come to me and have someone else spend the time required instead of doing this themselves. Whatever role works best for you, how is your rate of savings going? What about the rate of return? Is it time to rethink your allocation? These are some of the considerations you need to be aware of.


Taxes- It’s a great time to plan for next year’s taxes and take some end-of-the-year  preparations for this year’s taxes. Can you increase your pre-tax retirement savings? Can you increase your charitable giving? Are there any bills due in 2011 that you can pre-pay this year to increase your deductions or expenses? Check with your tax preparer for more ideas.

Insurance- is your property insured for the appropriate amount? What about your life insurance? Do you have an amount that would defray taxes, that might help with child care or other needs that your family may have in the event you died prematurely?

Pre-planning- Do you have a will, an living will or advanced directive? What about arrangements for funeral or burial. Take control of these details now and save your loved ones much heartache with thoughtful planning.


Ratios- How is your debt-to-income ratio  or your net worth? Do an online search for the formula but this is a handy gauge by which to measure your financial progress.

Credit report- Consumers are entitled to one free credit report from the three credit agencies each year. You may get all three credit reports at one time or every four months get the one report from a different agency. They are available at AnnualCreditReport.com

How are you sleeping?  - Are you worried? Can you address the issues that worry you? Are you happy? What can you do feel better?  Have your goals or outlook changed?

Check in on these things as part of a healthy financial life and you’ll feel like the responsible adult and great citizen that you are!

Citations:

Help.com

[http://financialplan.about.com/od/personalfinancebasics/a/AnnualCheckup.htm ]http://financialplan.about.com/od/personalfinancebasics/a/AnnualCheckup.htm

Mid-year check

[ http://genxfinance.com/2009/06/09/how-to-do-a-mid-year-financial-checkup-things-to-think-about-this-summer/ ]http://genxfinance.com/2009/06/09/how-to-do-a-mid-year-financial-checkup-things-to-think-about-this-summer/

NYT via free money

http://www.freemoneyfinance.com/2010/04/how-to-give-yourself-a-financial-checkup.html

Marion R. Syversen, MBA - President
NorumbegaFinancial
207.862.2952
[ mailto:Marion@NorumbegaFinancial.com ]Marion@NorumbegaFinancial.com
Check out our website that includes weekly streaming videos
[ http://www.NorumbegaFinancial.com ]WWW.NorumbegaFinancial.com

Voted Bangor's Best Financial Planning Firm 2008, 2009 & 2010 by Market Surveys of America

In compliance with requirements from FINRA, all e-mail sent via the WSFG domain will be subject to review and archiving by Wall Street Financial Group, Inc.

Email management, archiving & monitoring technology powered by Smarsh, Inc.

Disclosure:
Only securities and advisory services offered through Wall Street Financial Group, Inc. Registered Investment Advisor. Member FINRA/SIPC. Wall Street Financial Group, Inc. and Norumbega Financial and all other companies listed herein are separate entities, independently owned and operated. Information provided should not be construed as as legal or tax advice; you should speak with an attorney or tax advisor. Health and other non-variable insurance products are not offered through Wall Street Financial Group, Inc.

Print this Story