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25 Ways to Fix Your Finances Fast

Quickly give your finances a boost.

Some financial fixes — from repairing your credit to funding your retirement — take years to pull off. Others take just a few minutes. Click forward for 25 quick financial moves.

Review your credit card statement.

Sit down with your credit card bill. “Draw a line through every purchase or event that, in hindsight, was associated with being HALT (hungry, angry, lonely, tired),” writes Ellen R. Siegel, a certified financial planner in Miami. Use this exercise to learn from your past emotional spending mistakes — and avoid them in the future.

Look at your tax refund.

Do you receive a hefty check from Uncle Sam each year? “You may want to speak with your tax professional and adjust your withholdings,” writes Brad Wright, a certified financial planner at New England Financial Planning Group in Burlington, Massachusetts. Think of your refund as an interest-free loan to Uncle Sam, Wright says.

Bundle your insurance.

Having one company cover your disparate insurance needs can be a money-smart move. “You may be entitled to a better rate if you bundle your homeowner’s, auto, and umbrella insurance policies under one company,” Wright writes.

Phone your cable company.

Dial up your cable provider at least once per year to renegotiate your cable package. You may be able to get your bill reduced.

Go digital.

Sign up for a digital system, such a Quicken or Mint.com, to track your spending — and potentially reduce making impulse purchases and overdrawing your account.

Request a free credit report.

“Make sure you are aware of all the credit in your name and [that] you don’t have any unexpected outstanding debt,” writes Bethany Griffith, a certified financial planner in Columbia, South Carolina.

Unsubscribe.

“You’ll be much less tempted to overspend on your clothing/tech/fun budget if you aren’t bombarded with daily emails about all the ‘stuff’ you could buy,” Griffith writes.

Raise your insurance deductible.

Carve out extra room in your monthly budget by raising your auto insurance deductible, thereby lowering your premiums.

Find unclaimed cash.

Head to your state’s treasury website or unclaimed.org to locate property in your name. “It takes almost no time to come up with your own money in these various state-run ‘financial lost and founds,'” writes Michael Resnick, senior wealth management advisor and certified financial planner at GCG Financial in Deerfield, Illinois.

Inflate your tires.

Improve your gas mileage — and save money — by making sure that your tires are properly inflated. Doing this can improve mileage by 0.6 percent on average — and up to 3 percent in some instances, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Automate your savings.

Set up an automatic siphon from your paycheck to your retirement account. Automate payments from your checking to your savings accounts. You’ll build savings without even noticing it.

Cut the cable.

If negotiating down your cable bill isn’t enough, consider cutting it entirely. Replace those channels with subscriptions to Netflix or Hulu, which each cost less than $10 per month.

Start a virtual piggy bank.

Sign up for tools such as Acorns or Digit, which funnel away spare change into an account to help you reach your savings goals, writes Natalie Colley, analyst at Francis Financial in New York City.

Enroll in a high-yield checking and savings account.

Move your money into a high-yield account, writes Autumn Campbell, financial planning resident at Upperline Financial Planning in New Orleans. One example, Ally Bank, offers 0.10 percent on checking and 1 percent on savings accounts.

Take advantage of employer benefits.

If you’re not cashing in on an employer match by investing in the company-sponsored retirement account, consider remedying that. Overlooking that perk is like turning your nose up at free money.

Check your Wi-Fi and cable bills.

“Some companies will charge you a ‘Router/Modem Fee,’ which could be around $8 a month,” writes Alexander Rupert, a certified financial planner in Cleveland. “Research the company’s website to determine which routers or modems are approved and then buy your own. I bought a used one off Amazon for $5.”

Boost your retirement savings.

Log into your retirement account and increase the percentage you allocate to it by 1 or 2 percent. It will bring you that much closer to your retirement goals and you won’t feel a difference in your paycheck.

Weatherproof your home.

“Contact your state’s weatherization agency and see if you may qualify for free home weatherization assistance like caulking, weather-stripping and insulation that can save you [hundreds] of dollars in monthly utility bills,” writes Amy Hubble, a certified financial planner in Oklahoma City.

Request a credit-limit increase.

Log into your credit card account and request a limit increase. “Even if you don’t need it, a higher limit will bolster your percent of credit utilization and lead to an increase in your credit score,” Hubble writes.

Automate your credit card payments.

Log into your credit card account and put your payments on autopilot. It’s always best to repay the entire balance each month if you can afford to, so you won’t pay interest.

Fast-track your debt payoff goals.

Go into your student loan, mortgage or credit card account and add a few dollars or more to your automatic repayment amount. “You will be surprised how quickly these extra payments will help reduce your debt and the interest you are paying on it,” writes Jamie Ebersole, a certified financial planner in Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts.

Ramp up contributions to your health savings account.

Boost savings for medical expenses by increasing contributions to your health savings account, or HSA. “Contributions to your HSA are tax-deductible and, once the accounts get above a certain threshold, can be invested in mutual funds for long-term growth,” writes Judy McNary, a certified financial planner in Boulder, Colorado.

Drop the home phone.

Who uses a home phone these days anyway? Drop your home phone to lower your phone bill and stick with your cell phone.

Rethink the gym.

Do you refuse to cancel that overpriced gym membership you never use? Consider ways to get in shape without paying that hefty price each month.

Identify a financial goal.

Whether it’s funding your next vacation or paying off your student loans, pinpoint a money goal that motivates you to save and cut down on spending.

More from U.S. News

Dear Younger Me: 12 Financial Truths We Wish We Knew Earlier

12 Millennial-Inspired Ways to Spend Less

12 Ways to Ensure You Don’t Run Out of Money in Retirement

25 Ways to Fix Your Finances Fast originally appeared on usnews.com

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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