31 Steps to a Financial Tuneup

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<a class='bbc_url' href='http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/03/24/your-money/financial-tuneup-checklist.html?ref=your-money'>31 Steps to a Financial Tuneup</a>

31 Steps to a Financial Tuneup
Taking time out to put your personal finances in gear can reap both immediate and long-term benefits, from cashing gift cards to reallocating investments. This checklist can help you formulate a strategy, providing tips, the time needed to achieve them, and links to additional resources. For each category, Ron Lieber, the Your Money columnist, offers his insights on video. You can customize your list by removing items to suit your strategy, and then print a personalized list of the items you plan on tackling today.

Many of us have a rough idea of the kinds of steps we should take to get more out of our money, but when faced with the prospect of ringing up big companies and simply asking for a better deal, it seems like a big, annoying time commitment. So taking a weekday off, when customer service lines are open and your friends aren't making plans, can take a lot of background burdens off your mind, and get more done.

What kind of things get done? Insurance deductibles get tweaked, savings accounts get swapped, and other hard finance moves you've read about before. But making some simple consumer choice moves, too, can free up money to go into smarter places:

<a class='bbc_url' href='http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/25/your-money/25INTRO.html'>Linked Article</a>

And don't forget, you <a class='bbc_url' href='http://lifehacker.com/5127638/reduce-your-bills-by-just-asking'>Reduce your bills by asking</a>!