How to Get Your Finances Back on Track for Fall

Summertime often coincides with big spending on summer camps, travel and other seasonal fun. That can make fall the ideal time to focus on money management.

There’s still time to make adjustments before the end of the year, says Carla Adams, a certified financial planner and founder of Ametrine Wealth in Lake Orion, Michigan. “As you are getting out of the summer haze, you can make sure that all of your finances are in shape,” she says.

Here are some ways to get finances on track as the days shorten and temperatures cool:

Before making decisions about future spending, Adams suggests looking at where your money went over the summer. She says tracking your spending is effective because, “you start noticing how much money you’ve spent on things like takeout and clothes.”

Adams says budget apps can help you track those numbers, or you can carefully review credit card and debit card statements. That way, you’ll see what spending categories cost you the most.

Adams adds that everyone’s priorities are different, so one person might want to spend more on travel, for example, and there’s nothing wrong with that. “We all have our own values and priorities, so just focus on what’s important to you,” she says.

If some of the summer spending resulted in credit card debt, then fall is also the ideal time to make a plan to pay it off, says Spenser Liszt, a CFP and founder of Dallas-based Motif Planning, which works primarily with music industry professionals across the country.

Try to avoid dwelling on regret about overspending. “Don’t blame yourself,” Liszt says. “It’s OK to feel those feelings and use them to inspire change. If you are feeling regret or remorse, why is that? Was the trip not worth it? Do you just feel like you spent more than you should?” Asking yourself those questions can help you avoid similar mistakes in the future, he says.

From there, create a debt payoff plan. Liszt explains that you can choose from the snowball method, where you pay off the debt with the lowest balance first to build up momentum, or the avalanche method, where you pay off the debt with the highest interest rate first since it’s the most expensive.

Planning for seasonal expenses like travel can also reduce the chances of accruing summer debt next year, Adams says. She recommends planning out annual expenses, such as home maintenance costs or holiday spending, so you can set aside money for them.

“It’s really easy to get caught up in monthly budgeting, but we don’t think about one-off expenses. There’s always something unusual or special,” she says. “Planning out ahead of time what those bigger expenses are going to be can make sure there’s room in the budget for them.”

Noah Damsky, principal at Marina Wealth Advisors in Los Angeles, says that creating a budget that looks at three months at a time can also capture more variable expenses. “It gives you flexibility,” he says, because you can build in the occasional dinner with friends or weekend trip that might not occur every month.

“Everything comes down to organization,” he says. “If you plan ahead, you can save in advance and set that budget.”

For people at companies with employee benefits, the selection window typically opens up in the fall, which means employees can make selections related to their health insurance and other benefits. In addition to changing selections, Adams also suggests closely reviewing beneficiaries listed for workplace retirement accounts and life insurance policies to make any adjustments.

“If you’ve had any life changes, such as marriage, divorce or children, make sure these are up to date,” she says.

Lori Bodenhamer, a San Francisco-based CFP and financial planner for Abundo Wealth, suggests also reviewing any flexible spending accounts, where pre-tax money is set aside for dependent care or health care expenses.

Although many companies offer a grace period that extends beyond December 31, if your flexible spending account doesn’t offer a carryover option, that money is generally lost if you don’t use it. So it’s important to complete the process for reimbursement, which can involve submitting receipts or other paperwork.

Fall is also the ideal time to start thinking about taxes, Liszt says. By the end of September, there’s only a few more months left in the year to make contributions to some types of tax-advantaged retirement accounts like 401(k)s.

“Even though we’re not filing or getting a refund until April, we still have to think about it now, because you have until December 31 to do anything about it,” he says.

He notes that other tax deadlines also coincide with the end of the year, such as taking required minimum distributions or making charitable donations in the current tax year. It’s also a good idea to get your tax-related paperwork in order, such as any deductible expenses.