Skip to headerSkip to main contentSkip to footer
Get our Free E-newslettersGet our Free E-newsletters
Kiplinger logoLink to homepage
Get our Free E-newslettersGet our Free E-newsletters
Subscribe to Kiplinger
Subscribe to Kiplinger
Save up to 76%
Subscribe
Subscribe to Kiplinger
  • Store
  • Home
  • Investing
  • Retirement
  • Taxes
  • Personal Finance
  • Your Business
  • Wealth Creation
    • Podcasts
    • Economic Outlooks
    • Tools
    • Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine
    • The Kiplinger Letter
    • The Kiplinger Tax Letter
    • Kiplinger's Investing for Income
    • Kiplinger's Retirement Report
    • Store
    • Manage My E-Newsletters
    • My Subscriptions
Skip advert
  • Home
  • Financial Planning
Financial Planning

45 Smart Financial Moves You Can Make in an Hour or Less This Weekend

Hey, can you spare a few minutes?

by: the editors of Kiplinger's Personal Finance
February 18, 2017

Thinkstock

Skip advert

Hey, can you spare a few minutes? We know you’re busy, but chances are you can set aside 15 or 30 minutes, or even an hour, to tackle some of these quickie tasks. Our collection of financial fixes—designed to save you money, get you on track to reach a goal or simplify your life—run the gamut from trimming your cable or phone bill (15 minutes or less) to applying for a more rewarding rewards card (30 minutes) to setting up an estate plan (one hour). Ready? Get started.

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

1 of 45

Set Up Online Bill Paying

Thinkstock

Skip advert

With Mint Bills, you can track and pay bills and receive reminders of upcoming due dates. (Your bank may offer the same service.) Mint Bills is free if you pay bills directly from a bank account. To link each bill, search for the provider and enter either the account number or the username and password that you use to log in to the account online.

 

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

2 of 45

Sell Old Gadgets

Thinkstock

Skip advert

Brush the dust off old smartphones, tablets or other devices and head to Gazelle.com, uSell.com, Nextworth.com or Amazon Trade-In to get an instant quote. Request a prepaid shipping kit or print a free shipping label. Before popping your device in the mail, back up your info to the cloud or save to a different device. To delete personal data from your smartphone, erase or remove the SD or SIM card, and restore the phone to its factory settings. Recent Apple products will automatically encrypt user data, but Android users should visit the Settings menu to manually encrypt their data. For computers, “deauthorize” any digital rights management software, such as iTunes, and disassociate your Apple ID or other accounts. You’ll also need software that erases data, such as Active@KillDisk, which you can download free.

 

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

3 of 45

Create an Estate Plan

Thinkstock

Skip advert

If your circumstances are straightforward—you plan to leave everything to your spouse, for example—sites such as LegalZoom, Nolo and Rocket Lawyer can generate a will or estate plan online for as little as $35. Next, download the free form from Caring Info to create a health care proxy to name an individual who will make decisions for you if you’re incapacitated. While you’re at it, create a living will (available either with the health care proxy or separately, depending on your state) to specify what kind of treatment you want during a terminal illness.

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

4 of 45

Lower Auto Insurance Premiums

Thinkstock

Skip advert

Go to your state insurance website and find its car insurance buyer’s guide. Most guides show sample prices for auto insurers. Pick the six insurers with the lowest rates for the example closest to your situation, and call the insurers to get price quotes for identical coverage. If you find a better rate, your current insurer may offer to beat the quote. You can also get help from an independent agent (go to TrustedChoice.com).Or compare rates from several insurers at InsuranceQuotes.com and Insurance.com.

 

  • Smart Shopper's Guide to Auto Insurance
Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

5 of 45

Save on Prescription Drugs

Thinkstock

Skip advert

Use your insurer’s web tools to see how much money you can save by switching to generic medications or therapeutic equivalents that may cost a lot less under your insurance plan. (You’ll have to check with your doctors before you switch.) Also find out if your insurance plan has a preferred pharmacy with lower out-of-pocket costs or if you can save money by using a mail-order pharmacy. Compare costs by pharmacy and get coupons at GoodRx.com

 

SEE ALSO:

How to Cut Prescription Drug Costs

p>

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

6 of 45

Audit Your Home’s Energy Usage

Thinkstock

Skip advert

Spot energy leaks and inefficiencies with the Home Energy Saver. Gather specific energy ratings for your heating, cooling and water-heating equipment from the labels or user manuals. Enter your ZIP code to receive estimates of energy costs and usage for typical and efficient homes in your area. Then follow the prompts to add more information. The resulting report will show you how much you spend on energy annually and how much you could save with recommended upgrades.

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

7 of 45

Apply for TSA PreCheck

JM-Stock

Skip advert

Log on to TSA PreCheck to complete the online application and schedule an appointment to enroll in person (find the nearest enrollment centers at Universal Enroll). Walk-ins are welcome, but you will have to wait. At the interview, you’ll have to pay a nonrefundable fee of $85, show proof of identity and share your fingerprints. Once you’re approved, enter your “known traveler number” when reserving a flight to qualify for the PreCheck lane, where you can keep your shoes and belt on when you go through security.

 

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

8 of 45

Secure Your Smartphone

Thinkstock

Skip advert

If your phone isn’t password-protected, set a lock-screen pattern, PIN or password. Consider adding an extra layer of security to apps with sensitive information. Android users will need an app such as AppLock to password-protect individual apps, but iPhone users can do it by selecting “Settings,” “General” and then “Restrictions” to set a password and apply it to certain apps. Protect against a misplaced, lost or stolen phone by enabling location-access services. Apple users need to sign in on the Find iPhone app using their Apple ID. Android users can access the feature by signing into their account. Windows users should go to Microsoft.com. You’ll be able to track your phone’s location and remotely erase your data from any web browser.

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

9 of 45

Set Up a Password Manager

Thinkstock

Skip advert

A password manager such as Lastpass will tie all of your passwords together and store them in a file that’s secured by a single, ultra-secure master password. Download the program and type in a master password. The service gathers and encrypts passwords and other private information. It’s free for one device, but you’ll need the premium version ($12 per year) for multiple devices.

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

10 of 45

Protect Your Wi-Fi Network

Thinkstock

Skip advert

See the instruction manual that came with your router or the manufacturer’s website for instructions to turn on encryption and the firewall and keep your internet connection secure. Then change your wireless network’s default name and password. Also consider turning off “network name broadcasting” so that your network won’t appear to others in your area, or set up a MAC address filter, which limits access to the network to devices that you approve.

 

  • Speed Up Your Home Wi-Fi
Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

11 of 45

Switch to a Better Online Broker

Thinkstock

Skip advert

See Kiplinger’s ranking of the best online brokers to find the best fit for you. Fill out an application online, then stay on the new broker’s site to initiate a transfer of assets from your old brokerage firm or bank. Switching over an entire account is easiest, but you can select individual securities or cash. Some mutual funds may not be eligible to transfer—call your new broker beforehand to find out.

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

12 of 45

Trim Your Fund Bills

Thinkstock

Skip advert

Log in to your account and click on a mutual fund or exchange-traded fund in your portfolio. Find the expense ratio, which is the annual fee charged by the fund. Use your broker’s screening tool to find similar funds with lower expense ratios. For example, you could swap a large-capitalization stock fund for Schwab U.S. Large Cap ETF (SCHX). Closely tracking Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index, the ETF has razor-thin expenses of 0.03%.

 

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

13 of 45

Harvest Tax Losses

Thinkstock

Skip advert

Sell your losers and you can deduct the losses against capital gains, as well as use up to $3,000 in losses to offset taxable income. Still like the investment? Swap it for a similar one. But don’t violate the “wash sale” rule, which requires a 30-day wait to buy a “substantially identical” security.

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

14 of 45

Cut Your Investment Fees

Thinkstock

Skip advert

Link your investment accounts to FeeX, a free online tool, to see a breakdown of all the charges you’re paying, including underlying mutual fund and ETF expenses, trading commissions, and custodial and advisory fees. The tool suggests similar, lower-fee investments, and it shows potential savings if you switch funds. Personal Capital, an online budgeting and investing tool, can also run a fee checkup.

 

  • Paying Money-Management Fees From Your IRA
Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

15 of 45

Open an HSA

Thinkstock

Skip advert

If you have a high-deductible health insurance policy and your employer has a preferred provider, get the enrollment form for a health savings account from your HR department. That may be the best option if it’s the only way to qualify for a company match. If your employer doesn’t match contributions, you can open an HSA at any financial institution that offers them. Compare fees and investments at HSAsearch.com.

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

16 of 45

Pay Less for Life Insurance

Thinkstock

Skip advert

Provide information about your health, age, contact information, length of term (from 10 to 30 years) and amount of coverage at AccuQuote. You’ll get term insurance price quotes from several companies. If prices are lower than for your current policy (or if you can lock in a low rate for a longer period), then choose an insurer and apply online. (The final price depends on the results of a medical exam.) Or call AccuQuote at 800-442-9899 to get a quote, especially if you have medical issues or coverage questions.

 

  • Guide to Buying Life Insurance at Every Stage of Life
Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

17 of 45

Share Financial Info With Your Family

Thinkstock

Skip advert

Create a master list that lets your spouse know how to get into your accounts and where to find important documents if you become incapacitated or die first (you may want to share the list with adult children, too). Store the list online, using a document-storage account such as Dropbox.com and give your spouse the user name and password to the account. Also keep a paper copy of your information.

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

18 of 45

Size Up Your Retirement Stash

designer491

Skip advert

Go to Kiplinger's Retirement Savings Calculator and fill in information about your salary, accumulated savings and future sources of retirement income (including Social Security benefits and any pension income). Our calculator estimates how much you need to save each month to reach your goal.

 

  • 9 Great Places to Retire Outside the U.S.
Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

19 of 45

Tweak the Choices in Your 401(k)

Thinkstock

Skip advert

Log in to your account and go to the page that lets you manage your money. Look for the appropriate button or category—say, “Change My Investments” or “Change My Paycheck Deduction.” For 2016, you can contribute up to $18,000 to your 401(k) or similar employer-based plan, or up to $24,000 if you are 50 or older.

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

20 of 45

Get a Fatter Paycheck

Oleksiy Mark

Skip advert

If you’ve been lending money to Uncle Sam—that is, getting a big tax refund each year—use Kiplinger’s withholding calculator to reduce your withholding. Consult your 2015 tax return and latest pay stub to fill in the blanks; you’ll have to make some educated guesses about other income and expenses. The calculator tells you how many allowances to claim. Then go to your human resources department and ask to fill out a revised W-4 form (or download the form at www.irs.gov).

 

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

21 of 45

Reassess Your Risk Tolerance

Thinkstock

Skip advert

To create an investment plan that suits your goals and fits your personality, use Vanguard’s Investor Questionnaire as a starting point. Gather estimates of your annual Social Security or pension benefits and the balances of your 401(k), IRA and other investment accounts, then answer 11 questions about your time horizon and your tolerance for risk.

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

22 of 45

Get a Better Deal on Cable

Thinkstock

Skip advert

Is your cable or internet service bill creeping upward? Call the customer-service number for your service provider and ask whether you qualify for any promotional deals. If you don’t succeed with a phone call, check whether the company has a presence on Twitter. You may get what you want by requesting a discount via tweets directed to the company’s account.

 

  • 6 Reasons You Hate Your Cable Company
Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

23 of 45

Reshop Your Cell-Phone Plan

Thinkstock

Skip advert

At this Wall Street Journal interactive tool, select the number of phone lines, voice minutes, messages and gigabytes of data you need per month. You’ll see options from AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon.

 

  • 3 Simple Steps to Reshop Your Cell-Phone Plan
Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

24 of 45

Put Your Savings on Autopilot

Thinkstock

Skip advert

To squirrel away money before you have a chance to miss it, create automatic, recurring transfers from checking to savings and investment accounts. Log in to your checking account and look for an option to transfer funds. Enter routing and account numbers for your savings account and choose the frequency and amount for each transfer. Then set up a transfer to your investment account, too. Watch out for any fees that your bank may charge for transferring to external accounts; you may be able to avoid fees by initiating the transfer through the savings or investment account instead.

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

25 of 45

Save Extra Money With an App

Thinkstock

Skip advert

Qapital gives your savings a boost by automatically collecting small chunks of your money for you. Link your checking account to the app and create rules that will prompt transfers to Qapital’s savings account (held by Wells Fargo).

 

  • What to Know About Interest-Earning Checking Accounts
Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

26 of 45

Never Bounce a Check Again

Thinkstock

Skip advert

Check your bank’s website for an option to link your checking account to a savings account. If you draw too much from the checking account, the bank will transfer money from the backup account (you may pay a fee of $10 to $15).

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

27 of 45

Search for Lost Money

Thinkstock

Skip advert

Go to MissingMoney.com and enter your name and state of residence in the search fields. If you have unclaimed property in state or local government records—such as cash in a forgotten bank account, a utility deposit or investments—your name will appear along with details on the property and directions on how to file a claim.

 

  • 9 Places to Find Free Money
Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

28 of 45

Copy Everything in Your Wallet

Thinkstock

Skip advert

If your purse or wallet is lost or stolen, having copies or scans of the front and back of your driver’s license, credit cards, and membership and loyalty cards will make the process of suspending accounts and replacing cards go more smoothly. Keep paper copies in a safe place, and store scanned PDFs on your computer and back it up.

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

29 of 45

Consolidate Loyalty Cards

Thinkstock

Skip advert

Slim down your wallet or key ring without missing out on rewards or discounts with a mobile wallet, such as Android Pay, Samsung Pay or Apple Pay’s Wallet, or download the free Key Ring app (Apple and Android). Use the camera on your phone to scan loyalty cards into the mobile wallet or app. The next time you’re in the store, show the digital version of your card’s barcode.

 

  • Mobile Wallets: A Smart Way to Pay?
Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

30 of 45

Sell Old Gift Cards

Thinkstock

Skip advert

At GiftCardGranny, you can sell the card to a partner site at the offered rate or list it for sale at a price you choose (you’ll pay a fee of about 10% to 15% to the listing site). You’ll receive a check in the mail or a credit to your PayPal or bank account.

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

31 of 45

Redeem Credit Card Rewards

Thinkstock

Skip advert

Log in to your account and look for an option to redeem cash back, points or miles. You may choose to get a check in the mail, a credit toward your bill, or a deposit into your bank account, or to exchange points or miles for travel bookings, gift cards or merchandise.

 

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

32 of 45

Monitor Your Subscriptions

kzenon

Skip advert

Truebill.com links with your bank, credit card or PayPal account to scan your monthly statements and track paid subscriptions, from your Netflix account to your gym membership. If you see a forgotten subscription or one you no longer want, use the site’s one-click cancel­lation feature. Truebill also sends a monthly report to alert you to any rate hikes or extra fees.

 

  • 8 Urban Myths of Personal Finance
Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

33 of 45

Digitize Your Receipts

PushishDonhongsa

Skip advert

You’ll reduce clutter from paper receipts if you organize and store them with the free Receipts by Wave app. You can photograph and categorize receipts, plus save them in the cloud so they’re accessible from the app or at Waveapps.com.

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

34 of 45

Get the Best Deal Online

This content is subject to copyright.

Skip advert

To make sure you are getting the lowest price on your purchases, install two web browser add-ons. Ziftr Alerts compares prices as you shop and lets you know when it spots the item for less. Honey Honey scours the web for coupon and discount codes—before you buy, just click the icon the extension installs on your toolbar.

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

35 of 45

Test the Refinancing Waters

SR

Skip advert

After the turmoil of Brexit in late June, the 30-year fixed rate fell to 3.5%, according to Freddie Mac. To see whether a refi makes sense for you, visit the Zillow Mortgage Marketplace. Fill out an anonymous loan request with personal information and the type of mortgage you want. You’ll get instant quotes on rates, fees and payments. Before you connect with lenders, use the Zillow refi calculator to see whether you can save enough to recoup the cost of a refi before you sell the home.

 

  • Refinancing Your Home May Still Make Sense
Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

36 of 45

Lower Your Student Loan Payments

BrianAJackson

Skip advert

Go to StudentLoans.gov and click on “Repayment Estimator” under “Managing Repayment.” Enter the balance and interest rates of each of your federal loans and your income information to see what your payments would be for each repayment plan.

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

37 of 45

Set a College Savings Goal

designer491

Skip advert

Visit SavingforCollege.com to use the World's Simplest College Cost Calculator. You can generate estimates based on the average cost of a private or in-state public college education or the cost of a specific school. Enter how much you have saved so far and what kind of investment return you expect for your college fund (or use the calculator’s default settings). The calculator delivers an instant verdict on how much you should save each month.

 

  • Saving for College 101: State-Sponsored College Savings Plans
Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

38 of 45

Sign Up for My Social Security

Andrey Popov

Skip advert

Want to see what you’ll get when you claim benefits? Go to SSA.gov and click on “My Social Security.” Enter your personal information and answer several security questions, then create a user name and password. You’ll see a preview of your benefits.

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

39 of 45

Make a Date With a Financial Planner

Thinkstock

Skip advert

Visit Let’s Make A Plan or NAPFA to locate planners in your area. (For a planner who will do a onetime checkup, you can also search at the Garrett Planning Network.) Research a few to see whose skills and resources mesh with your situation and set up a free,

 

  • How to Find the Right Financial Adviser for You and Your Money
Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

40 of 45

Set Up a Budget

Thinkstock

Skip advert

With budgeting tool Mint.com, you can get a big-picture view of your finances. Link to your financial accounts by entering your online user names and passwords; you can also put in information about your home and car to get estimates of their value and track your overall net worth. Set limits for how much you want to spend monthly in various categories and receive alerts when you go over budget.

 

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

41 of 45

Protect Important Documents

Thinkstock

Skip advert

If your critical documents are residing in a drawer or a folder, shop for a home document safe to help protect them from a fire, flood or theft. Look for a document safe that has been tested by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) or Intertek (ELT) and is built to withstand at least 30 minutes of fire up to 1,550 degrees Fahrenheit. A safe with about 1 cubic foot of space typically costs between $100 and $300. (Before stashing the documents away in your new safe, take photographs or scan the papers, and make extra copies of electronic files to store in the cloud.)

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

42 of 45

Cash in Loose Change

Thinkstock

Skip advert

At Coinstar.com,search for a nearby Coinstar kiosk (often found at grocery stores). The machine will sort and count coins for you, and cashing them in is free if you redeem the money as a gift card from companies such as Amazon.com, Applebee’s, Best Buy, Home Depot, iTunes, Lowe’s and Starbucks.

 

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

43 of 45

Find the Best Savings Account for You

Thinkstock

Skip advert

Go to DepositAccounts.com and enter your state, how much cash you have to save, and how long you plan to hold money in savings. The tool will list high-interest account options in several categories, such as “Keep It Simple” (using a single savings account) and “Mix and Match” (dividing between certificates of deposit and a savings account). Visit the bank’s website to open an account and transfer money.

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

44 of 45

Run a Credit Checkup

Thinkstock

Skip advert

Start by visiting CreditKarma.com, where you can sign up to see free credit-report infor­mation from credit agencies Equifax and TransUnion, as well as your VantageScore credit scores from each bureau. (You can also sign up to receive notifications of changes in your TransUnion report.) Then go to CreditScorecard.comwhich provides a free FICO credit score and credit report information from credit agency Experian. Finally, go to AnnualCreditReport.com to see free copies of your credit report from each of the three major bureaus.

 

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

45 of 45

Get a More Rewarding Rewards Card

Thinkstock

Skip advert

In our Best Rewards Credit Cards for Your Wallet slide show, review our roundup of the best rewards cards and choose one that best suits your spending patterns. If you have good credit, you could be earning 2% on every purchase you make with a credit card—and up to 6% in certain categories. Visit the card issuer’s website to fill out an application.

Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert
  • family savings
  • savings
  • Financial Planning
Share via EmailShare on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedIn
Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert
Skip advert

Recommended

How Big Should My Emergency Fund Be?
Brandon Copeland

How Big Should My Emergency Fund Be?

NFL linebacker and Kiplinger contributing editor Brandon Copeland discusses the importance of building an emergency fund.
June 30, 2022
Financial Advice from America’s Founding Fathers
credit & debt

Financial Advice from America’s Founding Fathers

What money-management guidance can we glean from the words — and experience — of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and others?
June 30, 2022
Beneficiary Designations: 5 Critical Mistakes to Avoid
retirement

Beneficiary Designations: 5 Critical Mistakes to Avoid

You may be surprised at how easy it is to make an expensive mistake with your beneficiary designations. Here's how to help avoid the five most common …
June 6, 2022
30 Best Kirkland Products You Should Buy at Costco
Costco

30 Best Kirkland Products You Should Buy at Costco

Many of warehouse club Costco's store-branded Kirkland Signature items get high marks for quality and value. Check out our picks.
June 3, 2022

Most Popular

Don’t Be Tricked Into Voluntarily Paying Higher Taxes on Your IRA
IRAs

Don’t Be Tricked Into Voluntarily Paying Higher Taxes on Your IRA

Traditional IRAs are set up in a way that basically incentivizes you (and your heirs) into paying the highest tax bill possible. Don’t fall for it. Co…
July 4, 2022
Your Guide to Roth Conversions
Special Report
Tax Breaks

Your Guide to Roth Conversions

A Kiplinger Special Report
February 25, 2021
The 15 Best Stocks for the Rest of 2022
stocks to buy

The 15 Best Stocks for the Rest of 2022

The lesson of the past two years: Be ready for anything. Our 15 best stocks to buy for the rest of 2022 reflect several possible outcomes for the seco…
June 21, 2022
  • Customer Service
  • About Us
  • Advertise With Us (PDF)
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Kiplinger Careers
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy Preferences

Subscribe to Kiplinger's Personal Finance

Be a smarter, better informed investor.
Save up to 76%Subscribe to Kiplinger's Personal Finance
Do Not Sell My Information

Kiplinger is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site www.futureplc.com
© Future US LLC, 10th floor, 1100 13th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005. All rights reserved.

Follow us on InstagramFollow us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterConnect on LinkedInConnect on YouTube