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The Benefits of Creating a Yearly Financial Review

The Benefits of Creating a Yearly Financial Review featured

Money management has always been a crucial aspect of our lives. Regardless of our income, earnings or personal finances, regular financial assessment and planning are necessary to track our financial status and achieve long-term financial goals. However, it can be a daunting and overwhelming task to manage, organize, and plan your finances effectively. Consequently, creating a yearly financial review comes in handy as it provides a high-level view of your financial performance, making it easier to identify problem areas and set goals for the year ahead.

1. A Bird’s Eye View of Your Finances

financial assessment

Performing a yearly financial review should be your top priority as it helps you have a high-level view of your finances over the past year. This enables you to identify where you may have overspent or where you could have saved more in the past year. As a result, it becomes easier to set financial goals for the year ahead as you are armed with information on how to achieve those goals. You can use this information to create a realistic budget that is customized to your lifestyle and financial capabilities.

The financial review can also be an excellent opportunity to review and adjust your financial goals, depending on your current circumstances. For instance, if you have had a significant life event such as a medical emergency in the past year, reviewing your finances can provide insights into how much money to set aside monthly to avoid such occurrences.

2. Better Budgeting

budgeting

Budgeting is a crucial aspect of financial planning as it helps track expenses, plan for upcoming purchase and effectively allocate funds. By reviewing your finances annually, you can create a realistic budget for the year ahead. The budget can be customized to fit your financial capabilities, including your income and expenses. You can allocate funds to necessities and luxuries according to your needs, ensuring you don’t overspend and save more money in the long run.

The financial review also helps you track your expenses and understand how you have spent your money in the past year. Based on this information, you can identify areas where you need to cut costs and increase your savings. For example, if you notice that you are spending a lot of money on eating out or going for drinks, you can allocate less money to these activities, thus reducing your expenses.

3. Debt Reduction

debt reduction plan

Debt can be overwhelming, and at times, it might appear impossible to pay off. However, a yearly financial review can help you identify debts that you have, including credit card debt or student loans, and come up with a repayment plan. You can prioritize which debts to pay off first and allocate extra funds to make those payments, leading to overall debt reduction. The financial review can also help you identify any mistakes in your credit report and make the necessary corrections, improving your credit score in the long run.

Moreover, tackling your debts helps you minimize the amount you pay in interest, enabling you to direct more funds towards your savings or investment accounts. You can start with paying off the high-interest loans, and continue working on the others.

4. Retirement Planning

401(k) plan

Retirement planning is crucial, especially if you want to maintain your current lifestyle after retirement. A yearly financial review can help you track the progress of your retirement accounts, including your 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. You can also identify gaps in your retirement planning and work towards filling those gaps to ensure a comfortable retirement. For instance, if you intend to retire in ten years, reviewing your finances can identify that you need additional savings to achieve your goal.

A financial review can also help you identify investment strategies that can help you achieve your retirement goals. You can study investment options, seek advice and make informed decisions about investing, leading to significant returns.

5. Improved Credit Score

credit score improvement

Performing a financial review can help identify debts or late payments that negatively affect your credit score. You can address these issues, leading to an improved credit score, and increasing your access to favorable financial products, including loans or credit cards. An excellent credit score not only gives you access to better financial products but also lower interest rates and better terms.

In general, credit scores help track your financial behavior over time. Lenders use this information to assess your risk of default when extending credit. As such, an excellent credit score reflects positive financial behavior, increasing your financial credibility as you make more significant purchases such as cars or homes.

6. Smart Investment Decisions

investment portfolio

Investing can be complex and overwhelming, especially if you don’t have the necessary financial knowledge. By conducting an annual financial review, you can gain insights into your investment accounts, real estate properties, stocks, and mutual funds. You can identify underperforming investments and make changes to your portfolio to maximize your returns and minimize your risks.

Moreover, the review helps you review your financial goals and identify investment strategies that match your goals. You can find the perfect blend of investments that work to help you achieve your long-term goals. Performing a financial review can also provide an opportunity to seek an investment expert’s advice who can guide you on better investments options.

7. Planning for Life Changes

life change preparation

A yearly financial review can also help you prepare for significant life changes, including marriage, children, or starting a business. Reviewing your finances can help you adjust your budget and investment plan to account for these changes, making it easier to achieve your goals. For example, planning in advance for the arrival of a new baby can help you start saving for the child’s education and healthcare costs.

Life events can also lead to unexpected expenses that you may have not budgeted for. Having a clear understanding of your finances helps you prepare for the unexpected and adjust your finances accordingly.

8. Increased Financial Confidence

financial stress

When you have a clear understanding of your finances, you can make informed financial decisions with confidence. This can lead to reduced financial stress, better mental health, and an overall better quality of life.

Financial stress can lead to a reduction in productivity, anxiety, and depression. However, creating a yearly financial review can help reduce stress levels. You are aware of your financial situation and have measures in place to achieve your financial goals. As a result, achieving financial milestones, such as eliminating debt or retiring comfortably, leads to increased financial confidence and happiness.

9. Ensuring Compliance

A yearly financial review can also ensure that you’re compliant with tax laws and regulations, an essential aspect of financial planning. You can identify potential tax-saving strategies, ensuring that you’re filing your taxes correctly and avoid any penalties or fines for non-compliance.

Consequently, It can be helpful to seek the help of a tax professional to ensure you’re optimizing your tax optimization opportunities.

10. Achieving Your Financial Goals

Creating a yearly financial review and tracking the progress of your finances regularly helps you stay on track as you work towards your financial goals. Regularly reviewing your finances ensures you’re making progress towards your goals and helps you make any necessary corrections along the way.

Moreover, creating your financial plan with specific and realistic goals helps you achieve them over time. By continually reviewing and adjusting them accordingly, they become more attainable and understandable.

Author: Benjamin Lee

Author: Benjamin Lee

Benjamin Lee, our finance editor extraordinaire, is the financial guru we never knew we needed. With a sharp mind for analyzing markets and spotting investment opportunities, he's the go-to guy for all things money. But don't let his finance-focused persona fool you, Benjamin's interests extend beyond the world of finance. When he's not crunching numbers, you'll find him with his nose buried in a history book, or jet-setting across the globe in search of new cultures and cuisines. Benjamin is living proof that you don't have to be a boring suit-wearing banker to understand the intricacies of the financial world.

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