Financial Planning

5 Money Moves for Fall

Written by Mint.com
Published Oct 7, 2014
3 min read
The views expressed on this blog are those of the bloggers, and not necessarily those of Intuit. Third-party blogger may have received compensation for their time and services. Click here to read full disclosure on third-party bloggers. This blog does not provide legal, financial, accounting or tax advice. The content on this blog is "as is" and carries no warranties. Intuit does not warrant or guarantee the accuracy, reliability, and completeness of the content on this blog. After 20 days, comments are closed on posts. Intuit may, but has no obligation to, monitor comments. Comments that include profanity or abusive language will not be posted. Click here to read full Terms of Service.

After a busy summer, you’re likely ready for things to slow down a bit. But are you ready to deal with your financial situation? Do you have an action plan? Here are five money moves you should consider making this fall:

Prepare for rising interest rates

Given that the economy is on the mend, you can expect interest rates to eventually rise this fall. This means that the cost of borrowing money at record lows will be a thing of the past. That said, if you’re interested in buying a big ticket item like a house, for example, consider doing it sooner rather than later (did you know that a 1% rise in mortgage rates reduces your purchasing power by a whopping 11%?). And if you’re carrying credit card debt, now is the time to start chipping away at this debt before it becomes an even bigger burden.

Shop strategically

You’ve seen the headlines – this fall, prices are rising on everything from grocery staples (oranges to chocolate, cheese, bacon to butter and more) to denim to airfares. For big-ticket purchases in particular, it pays to put the extra time in to comparison shop – whether it’s for groceries or clothes. In fact, statistics show that most families could save $1,000 or more a year if they took the time to do this! You can also ask about price match guarantees, and search for coupons and special discounts on sites like retailmenot.com. Looking to upgrade your fall wardrobe? Gilt, HauteLook and Beyond the Rack are easy to sign up for and regularly offer flash sales on mid-to-high-end designers that you may otherwise be unable to afford.

Start saving for the holidays

The holiday season is just around the corner. Think: parties, gifts, vacations! It all adds up and without proper planning, we inevitably overspend. To avoid the post-holiday hangover, create your holiday budget now. This is where Mint.com comes in handy; in fact, it’s a great resource for planning any savings goal, any time! Just enter the amount you’d like to save, set a date, and then link this goal to your bank account.

Rebalance your portfolio

The United States is enjoying one of the best stock market surges in its history. That’s great, but the problem is that investment success often brings with it a growing exposure to risk. Is this risk too much for you to tolerate? Then now is the time to review your portfolio and consider making adjustments if you think your exposure to certain assets has grown uncomfortably high.

Review your tax situation

It’s never too soon to start planning for the upcoming tax season. After all, waiting until the last minute to try and get your paperwork together often ends up costing you — particularly if you miss out on money-saving credits or deductions. Now is also a good time to review your withholding to make sure you’re having the proper amount withheld.

–Vera Gibbons, Mint Contributor and Personal Finance expert