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As spring begins to bloom and the weather warms up, April is the perfect time to hit refresh—not just on your home, but on your finances too. Think of it as a spring cleaning session for your money. Whether you’re wrapping up tax season or simply looking for a mid-year reset, this month offers the ideal opportunity to tidy up your financial life and realign with your goals.
Start by reviewing your spending from the first quarter of the year. Pull up your budget and compare it to what you actually spent—this can be a real eye-opener. Notice any patterns? Maybe grocery spending was higher than you budgeting, or those quick weekend trips added up faster than you expected. Understanding where your money is going helps you adjust your approach for the months ahead and avoid repeating habits that don’t serve your financial health.
Next, take a moment to clean up your recurring charges. Subscriptions, memberships, and auto-renewals can easily fly under the radar. Scroll through your bank or credit card statements and flag anything you don’t use or even forgot you signed up for. Canceling or pausing a few services can instantly free up some breathing room in your budget that you’re not even accounting for.
While you’re in the cleanup mindset, organize your financial documents. Many individuals find value from automating their finances or net worth in one place, for example, a financial planning or budgeting software. Seeing your entire financial net worth in one picture can help not only understand what you have, but keep everything organized and keep track of ‘old’ or ‘forgotten’ accounts.
Revisit your financial goals and investment strategy, too. Life changes, volatility spikes, as we’ve seen in recent weeks, and your goals might need to change with it. If you set financial resolutions in January, ask yourself: are those goals still accurate? Can they be refined or simplified? And while you’re at it, consider rebalancing your investment portfolio if you no longer believe your risk tolerance aligns with your portfolio.
Don’t forget about your insurance coverage. Spring is a natural time to review your home, auto, health, and life insurance policies. Make sure they still reflect your needs. Sometimes life changes—new home, new baby, new job or salary—mean your coverage needs an update. And if your premiums have increased, it might be time to shop around for a better rate.
If you haven’t filed your taxes yet, now’s the time to wrap that up. Gather any missing documents, double-check your deductions, and make any final contributions to retirement or health savings accounts if you’re eligible. And if you’ve already filed, take a few minutes to plan ahead for next year—adjust withholdings, set up a tax savings account, or simply note what worked (or didn’t) in your filing process this time around. If you found yourself with a surprise tax bill, it might be your sign to work with a tax professional in the upcoming year.
To keep your finances top of mind in a sustainable way, consider creating a simple spring ritual. Maybe it’s a weekly money check-in over coffee or a monthly review of your budget with your partner. Or it might be time given that your life is getting busier and more complicated, you want to punt these topics and responsibilities to working with a financial professional. These small, consistent habits can make staying on track feel less like a chore and more like a natural part of your routine. In the same way we open the windows to let in fresh air and sweep out winter’s dust, April invites us to do the same with our money. A little cleanup now leads to a smoother, more intentional financial journey for the rest of the year.
Related: How Financial Literacy Can Transform Your Confidence This April