7 Financial Wellness Tips For 2021

January 29th, 2021

Most common New Year’s resolutions are to lose weight or become more active. Perhaps 2021 is the year to shift focus. Here are seven tips to achieve financial fitness.

  • Create a budget. It’s easy to get into financial difficulty if you spend more than you earn. By watching your budget more carefully, you might be surprised by how much you spend in certain areas of your life. Many banks and credit unions offer budgeting tools directly on their websites.
  • Get a free credit check. You can obtain a free copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies every 12 months. Reviewing your reports regularly can help ensure the data in your report is accurate and allows you to contact creditors to dispute any errors.
  • Pay off debt. Start chipping away at your debts through a series of regular payments. Begin with bills that have the highest interest rates. Research whether it makes sense to consolidate debts at a more reasonable interest rate.
  • Review your investment portfolio. With recent changes in Washington, D.C. and market volatility, reviewing your investments is more important than ever. Protect yourself against risks by diversifying across different classes of investments. If you have not developed asset allocation strategies, do so. If you have, adjust your portfolio to ensure it is still meeting your objectives.
  • Do retirement planning. Take advantage of tax-favored retirement plans such as a 401(k) at work. Both the contributions and earnings are tax-deferred and can compound over time. The 401(k) limit for 2021 is $19,500 ($26,000 if you’re age 50 or over). Also consider contributing to an IRA, which has a contribution limit of $6,000 ($7,000 if you’re age 50 or older).
  • Check your insurance coverage. Things can change over time, so don’t assume the coverage you acquired years ago still provides adequate protection for your family or business. Take a look at your insurance policy to determine if adjustments are needed.
  • Have an emergency fund. And finally, would you be financially prepared if your business failed or you lost your job? The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us of the importance of establishing an emergency fund that can last for several months if you lose your salary or business revenue dramatically declines. Save for those emergencies.

Acting on all these tips may seem a bit overwhelming. By focusing on a few now, before you know it, your financial wellness will improve over time and you are sure to be financially fit.