Tracking #1154900 (Exp. 08/28)
Staying Ahead of the Game
Complete This Financial Wellness To-Do List To Help Prepare for 2027
As the year winds down, it’s a great time to take stock of your financial health and make a few important moves before the calendar flips to January. Completing a few simple steps between now and then can help you feel more confident and prepared for 2027.
- Check Your Retirement Plan Contributions. Review how much you’ve contributed to your 401(k), 403(b) or other workplace retirement plan this year. If you’re not contributing enough to receive the full employer match, consider increasing your contribution rate accordingly.
Year-end is also a good opportunity to review your investment selections and ensure they still align with your goals and comfort level with risk.
- Review Your Beneficiaries. Many people forget to update beneficiary designations on retirement accounts and insurance policies. Marriage, divorce, the birth of a child or other life changes may mean your current designations no longer reflect your wishes. A quick review can help ensure your assets go where you intend.
- Evaluate Your Emergency Fund. Unexpected expenses can happen at any time. Take a look at your emergency savings and determine whether you have enough set aside to cover several months of essential expenses. If not, commit to a solid plan to build that cushion in the coming year.
- Tackle Credit Card Debt. Credit card balances are one of the biggest obstacles to achieving financial wellness. When interest rates are in the double digits, a significant portion of each payment goes toward interest rather than reducing the balance. Take a few minutes to review any outstanding credit card debt and create a plan to pay down balances more aggressively in the coming year. If you have more than one credit card, consider either paying off the highest-interest debt first, or paying off the smaller balance(s) to build momentum.
- Set The Tone for Next Year. Whether it’s increasing retirement contributions, creating a realistic 12-month spending plan, starting to save for college tuition, paying down debt or some other financial priority, spend some quality time thinking about your financial goals for the coming year. And don’t forget about nonfinancial goals! Whether it’s exercising more, eating better, joining a book club or discovering new hobbies and interests, it’s important to take care of your mind, body and spirit!
Informational Sources: GreenPath: “Your Year-End Financial Wellness Checklist” (December 23, 2024); M&F Bank: “End-of Year Financial Checklist: Your Secret Weapon Against Personal Money Stress” (accessed June 24, 2026).
LPL Financial and its advisors are only offering educational services and cannot offer participants investment advice specific to their particular needs. If you are seeking investment advice specific to your needs, such advisory services must be obtained on your own separate from this educational material.
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