Eight great year-end moves These financial steps will help you save more money, get better insurance coverage and pay less tax.
(Fortune Magazine) -- Nathaniel Hawthorne understood the temptations of the season. "I cannot endure to waste anything as precious as autumn sunshine," he wrote. "So I spend almost all daylight hours in the open air." Nice work if you can get it. These days fall is also an ideal time to assess your financial security - before the inevitable ramping up of workplace pressures and in time to affect this year's tax filings. Here's a painless eight-step program - from retirement and insurance planning to health care and philanthropy - that not only protects your future but also helps you take advantage of new tax twists (kiddie tax trap; see No. 8) that can save money and reduce anxiety. Getting your financial house in order casts its own warm glow, freeing you to enjoy falling leaves with the peace of mind Hawthorne sought long ago. 3. Sock it away 4. Give smarter 6. Clean up your taxable account 7. Do a property insurance checkup 8. Check the new credits and taxes _______________________________ Financial resolutions. Five tips to get out of debt and save some cash in the new year. Effortless Finances in Four Easy Steps. 5 ways to save by living green. It's good for the environment and your wallet. |
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