6 Tips to Get Your 2019 Financial House in Order
Make a New Year's "date" to talk finances. The planning you do on Jan. 1 can pay off all year long.
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Delivered daily
Kiplinger Today
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more delivered daily. Smart money moves start here.
Sent five days a week
Kiplinger A Step Ahead
Get practical help to make better financial decisions in your everyday life, from spending to savings on top deals.
Delivered daily
Kiplinger Closing Bell
Get today's biggest financial and investing headlines delivered to your inbox every day the U.S. stock market is open.
Sent twice a week
Kiplinger Adviser Intel
Financial pros across the country share best practices and fresh tactics to preserve and grow your wealth.
Delivered weekly
Kiplinger Tax Tips
Trim your federal and state tax bills with practical tax-planning and tax-cutting strategies.
Sent twice a week
Kiplinger Retirement Tips
Your twice-a-week guide to planning and enjoying a financially secure and richly rewarding retirement
Sent bimonthly.
Kiplinger Adviser Angle
Insights for advisers, wealth managers and other financial professionals.
Sent twice a week
Kiplinger Investing Weekly
Your twice-a-week roundup of promising stocks, funds, companies and industries you should consider, ones you should avoid, and why.
Sent weekly for six weeks
Kiplinger Invest for Retirement
Your step-by-step six-part series on how to invest for retirement, from devising a successful strategy to exactly which investments to choose.
On New Year’s Day, my husband and I sit down at the kitchen table and map out our financial plan for the year. We have three children, so whether it’s deciding on our travel plans or allocating money for retirement, we make decisions that divvy up how we will spend and invest our money over the next 12 months.
This annual planning session achieves two goals: It helps us balance our family planning activities while providing a quick review of our current investments. On one hand, it’s fun to consider a trip to Disney or a Caribbean cruise for our family vacation. On the other hand, we check on the progress of our cash and investment accounts to make certain we’ll have enough money to live comfortably now, as well as 20 years from now, while paying for three college educations in between.
If you want to get a jump on your 2019 finances, here are six tips on how to allocate your time and money to help ensure you are saving and investing in the right places:
From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance
Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just $107.88 $24.99, plus get up to 4 Special Issues
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
No. 1: Pay off all Holiday Bills.
My husband and I enjoy giving gifts to family, friends and our community, especially this time of year, and it does add up. While we use cash for some gifts, we pay for others with credit cards to earn the rewards before paying off any debt in January. Our goal is to quickly pay off these credit cards and start 2019 free of any credit card or other consumer debt.
No. 2: Plan the Family Vacation Schedule.
This task accomplishes two things. First, it provides a timeline so we can set aside the money to pay for the vacations. For example, if we want to take a summer vacation once the school year is over, we have roughly six months to budget for that. Second, I can block out time on my work calendar. This has been the No. 1 reason our vacation plans have fallen apart in the past — and it doesn’t make me very popular at home!
No. 3: Set Aside Money to Fund our Individual Retirement Accounts.
In 2019, individuals can contribute $6,000 if they are under age 50 and $7,000 if over age 50. That’s a $500 increase from 2018. I like the discipline and challenge of saving the maximum each year, since you can’t go back and make up for missed years of IRA contributions. Remember you need to have earned income in order to contribute to an IRA.
No. 4: Fund 529 College Education Savings Plans for our Children.
In addition to giving families a way to save, many states provide a tax deduction for these contributions. We live in Georgia, which allows a married couple to deduct the first $4,000 they contribute for each child on their state income tax. Education is a priority for our family, and we know we need to sock away much more than $4,000 per child each year to reach our goals.
No. 5: Fund Our Health Savings Account.
We choose a high-deductible health insurance plan, which means we can contribute before-tax money to a health savings account to pay for doctor visits and other medical bills. The amount people can contribute to these accounts in 2019 is $3,500 for singles and $7,000 for families, with an extra $1,000 for those over age 55. Our goal is to not touch the money in our HSA each year, and let it build up for retirement or any unforeseen large family medical expense we might encounter down the road.
No. 6: Increase Our 401(k) Retirement Fund contributions.
I’m a big advocate of contributing the maximum amount to this account each year, which will be $19,000 in 2019 for those under age 50 and $25,000 for those ages 50 and over. Like IRAs, you can’t go back and make up for missed years of 401(k) savings, so make this a priority now.
Because we want to set aside money for all of these accounts, we budget monthly savings for the 401(k) and 529 plans, and periodic lump sum deposits into our IRAs and HSA during the year as we have extra cashflow. All the while making sure our vacations can be paid for without lingering credit card bills.
Don’t be intimidated by the planning process. It may take time to mix the fun part (planning the family vacation) with the hard part (saving all of that money now instead of spending it). But taking a few hours each January to knock out a plan will help pay dividends for many years to come.
-
Dow Adds 1,206 Points to Top 50,000: Stock Market TodayThe S&P 500 and Nasdaq also had strong finishes to a volatile week, with beaten-down tech stocks outperforming.
-
Ask the Tax Editor: Federal Income Tax DeductionsAsk the Editor In this week's Ask the Editor Q&A, Joy Taylor answers questions on federal income tax deductions
-
States With No-Fault Car Insurance Laws (and How No-Fault Car Insurance Works)A breakdown of the confusing rules around no-fault car insurance in every state where it exists.
-
For the 2% Club, the Guardrails Approach and the 4% Rule Do Not Work: Here's What Works InsteadFor retirees with a pension, traditional withdrawal rules could be too restrictive. You need a tailored income plan that is much more flexible and realistic.
-
Retiring Next Year? Now Is the Time to Start Designing What Your Retirement Will Look LikeThis is when you should be shifting your focus from growing your portfolio to designing an income and tax strategy that aligns your resources with your purpose.
-
I'm a Financial Planner: This Layered Approach for Your Retirement Money Can Help Lower Your StressTo be confident about retirement, consider building a safety net by dividing assets into distinct layers and establishing a regular review process. Here's how.
-
The 4 Estate Planning Documents Every High-Net-Worth Family Needs (Not Just a Will)The key to successful estate planning for HNW families isn't just drafting these four documents, but ensuring they're current and immediately accessible.
-
Love and Legacy: What Couples Rarely Talk About (But Should)Couples who talk openly about finances, including estate planning, are more likely to head into retirement joyfully. How can you get the conversation going?
-
How to Get the Fair Value for Your Shares When You Are in the Minority Vote on a Sale of Substantially All Corporate AssetsWhen a sale of substantially all corporate assets is approved by majority vote, shareholders on the losing side of the vote should understand their rights.
-
How to Add a Pet Trust to Your Estate Plan: Don't Leave Your Best Friend to ChanceAdding a pet trust to your estate plan can ensure your pets are properly looked after when you're no longer able to care for them. This is how to go about it.
-
Want to Avoid Leaving Chaos in Your Wake? Don't Leave Behind an Outdated Estate PlanAn outdated or incomplete estate plan could cause confusion for those handling your affairs at a difficult time. This guide highlights what to update and when.
