It’s Time to Dust Off Your Finances
April 26, 2024
Spring has officially arrived and, along with warmer weather and brighter colors outside, it’s also time to do some spring cleaning. Deep-cleaning your home and getting rid of items you don’t need may be on your to-do list this time of year. As you move through your to-dos, you may want to consider applying the same concept to your finances.
Just like you tend your garden to ensure an abundant harvest, you should apply the same care to your finances. By embracing financial spring cleaning — reviewing, organizing and optimizing your finances — you can ensure growth and prosperity for the future.
Following are five ways you can dust off your finances in 2024:
1. Rinse and refresh your budget. Take a good look at your budget and decide what needs to be updated. Examine all debts and expenses, as well as amounts you want to allocate for food, entertainment and savings.
2. Polish off your debts. Make a plan to eliminate one or more debts by the end of the year by increasing your monthly payments. Once those debts are paid off, you can allocate that money to another debt, which will get you closer to financial freedom.
3. Send unnecessary expenses to the dump. When reviewing your budget, decide what you can do without. Choose at least one expense to cut from your budget. For example, review your online subscriptions to determine what you’re using regularly, then cancel what you don’t need.
4. Sort out your savings. If you’re not putting enough in savings each month, make it automatic. Have part of your paycheck deposited directly into a savings or retirement account or talk with Iowa State Bank about setting up an auto transfer between your payroll account and your savings.
5. Disinfect your credit. Visit www.annualcreditreport.com to order a free credit report from one or more of the three credit reporting agencies. Review your report to ensure that there are no mistakes in your credit history and to protect yourself from identity theft.
To learn how Iowa State Bank can help you get your finances on track by contacting us at 515-288-0111 or stopping by any of our five convenient locations.