Financial To-Do's

[Telephus44]

Just kind of wanted to post here to keep myself accountable, and maybe to help other people get motivated.

My goal is to have these completed by the end of the year - some sooner.

1. Enroll in the Medical FSA at work - first need to estimate our medical expenses for the next year to determine the amount. Deadline for this is in two weeks, so this is first priority.
2. Run the numbers for the Daycare FSA at work, to see if it is more advantageous to take the Child Care credit or pay through the FSA or some combination of both (I've looked at the last year, but our day care situation has been radically different from what I based my assumptions on).
3. Open a rollover IRA for the two 401(k) plans that I have just kicking around - they aren't much ($6000 and $1000), but it would be much easier to keep track of them in one place.
4. Create a will (mostly because we have a child, not because of our extensive estate)
5. Evaluate our life insurance needs - I know that we don't have enough, but I need to figure out how much we actually do have and what is enough.
6. Find out when open enrollment for my employer's 401(k) is, and sign up!
7. This is actually a job for DH - get rid of our timeshare. We were given one and have no desire to go there (or pay for the plane tickets and rental car to get there) or pay the $700 yearly fee. Need to get rid of it before the fee comes due in December.

[frugalfriend]

Good for you setting financial priorities and goals. Putting it all in writing as you have is a good idea and updating often. I definitely need to do the same, things have changed.

[Jenna]

I did a big "to do" that I'd been postponing for awhile:

- close my Ed Jones ROTH account, and find a new way to invest. I finally opened a Vanguard account.

Next up -
find ways to increase income
- second job? pet sit? kid sit?

[Cricketlegs]

The only thing on my To Do list that I can say by the end of the year is just adding to my EF savings, my camper fund, and paying down our one creditcard.

Nothing in my list will be completed by the new year.

The credit card won't be paid in full until early spring unless I find some extra cash....it may well happen too!

[Telephus44]

Here's what progress I've made today:

1. Enroll in the Medical FSA at work - first need to estimate our medical expenses for the next year to determine the amount. Deadline for this is in two weeks, so this is first priority. - DONE! We figured that we could plan on $470 at minimum for next year, so I put in $500. I'm sure we'll run out before the year is over, but it's better than nothing.

6. Find out when open enrollment for my employer's 401(k) is, and sign up! - DONE! I'm eligible as of Sept. 1st, and I just filled out the forms, I'll pass them in tomorrow.

7. Get rid of our timeshare. We were given one and have no desire to go there (or pay for the plane tickets and rental car to get there) or pay the $700 yearly fee. Need to get rid of it before the fee comes due in December. - WORKING ON IT - We checked and we can't just give it back, I looked at a few donation sites and filled out a form - they're supposed to sell it and donate the money to charity - at least it's off our backs. We're supposed to get a call soon from them.

[mom2three]

Good thread! I have a few of these as well:

1) make a will (have been planning for a long time, but haven't done)

2) transfer work pension to LIRA before management fee comes due.

3) save money for tuition (hope to have by March).