QUICK FINANCIAL FIXES in MINUTES!
Figuring out where to start regarding your personal finances can be overwhelming. What if you had a few “financial fixes” that would take a short amount of time? So, if you have about an hour or so to spare, let’s get started!
Take a Close Look at Your Credit Report
Credit reports can be difficult to read and comprehend what it all means. But it’s a good idea to check your credit report on a regular basis to look for errors. It’s easy to pull your credit and it’s FREE. Go to Annual Credit Report.com to get yours.
Look for any items that don’t belong to you. Check for wrong names and addressed listed on your report. This could be a sign of identity theft. If you find anything suspicious, report it immediately to the credit bureaus and the company that holds the account. Your credit score will thank you.
Freeze Your Credit
A credit freeze prevents access to your credit reports from the credit bureaus meaning that any banks, lenders or other entities will be unable to pull your credit. Banks and other companies WILL NOT open a new account in your name without checking your credit file first. It’s a solid protection against identity theft.
Freezing your credit is easy. Here’s the websites for each of the 3 major credit bureaus.
Experian: https://www.experian.com/help/credit-freeze/
Equifax: https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/
TransUnion: https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze/credit-freeze-faq
And remember, freezing your account at one of the 3 major credit bureaus does NOT freeze at all of them. You will need to request a freeze at each bureau individually to fully protect yourself. A half-hour of your time could save you hours and hours of aggravation, tons of stress and maybe a lot of money too.
Zero APR Credit Card
Are you stressed over your high interest credit card? Are you not seeing your balance go down as you keep making monthly payments? Ready to change your ways? Well, ironically, the best way to pay off that credit card is with another credit card!
Crazy, right?! Well maybe not so much.
A zero-APR credit card can be a great tool for paying down debt. The key is to stop spending immediately. Here’s how this would work: Transfer your high interest debt from your credit card to the new one with zero APR. Usually you can find a promotional deal for about 12 months. During that year, you are paying NO INTEREST!!!
Be alerted that if your credit score is low, you may get turned down.
Shop for Discounts on Your Auto Insurance
Auto insurance rates continue to rise. Before you renew with the company you have “had for years”, it may be time to shop around to see if there is a better deal out there.
To speed things up, gather your current policy to be sure that you are comparing apples to apples. A lower rate may have tradeoffs. Policies differ on coverage limits and deductibles. Money can be saved by tweaking your policy if you are comfortable doing so. You can raise your deductible or you can drop collision coverage on an older car. Both of these are something you should consider carefully and act on whatever you are comfortable doing.
Another option is to use an insurance broker. A broker will do all of the legwork for you and then present you with several options from different insurance companies. All you need to do is provide them your current policy and they will get to work.
Overlooked Subscriptions
This is an easy way to fix some of your finances and save you money. Go through all of the subscriptions you signed up for and cancel the ones you don’t use. Take a few minutes and review the last 30 days of activity on your accounts. Look for forgotten subscriptions and follow the necessary steps to cancel them.
Contribute More to Your 401(k)
Saving more for your retirement is a way to reward your future self. But most people are not saving as much as they could. The maximum 401(k) contribution is $23,500 in 2025, and there are even higher limits for older savers. It’s fairly simple to increase your contribution by a percentage point or two. If you raise it gradually, odds are you won’t even miss the money.
Lost Money
This one is probably the easiest of all of these items. Millions of people have unclaimed cash in lost or forgotten accounts: old bank accounts, uncashed paychecks and even left-behind 401(k) accounts. In Illinois, just go to the Illinois Treasurer website and search for unclaimed property. You only need to enter your last name. That’s it! Couldn’t be any easier!
And for possible forgotten 401(k) money, check out the National Registry of Unclaimed Retirement Benefits.
Hopefully, these quick Financial Fixes will inspire you to take a look at your finances. It could be the key to freeing up more money – who couldn’t use that!
