Making these 5 money moves now can set you up for financial success in the new year

The end of the year is an important time for making financial decisions that can have an impact in the year ahead — and for years to come.

From your work to your savings and investments to spending and giving back, here are five moves you should consider making before Dec. 31 that can help to prepare you for financial success in 2023:   

You don’t want to wind up paying interest and penalties or a big tax bill next year because you didn’t have enough tax taken out of your pay this year. Even if you were laid off recently, it’s important to double-check so you don’t get an unexpected tax hit. And, if you’re retired, make sure you paid the appropriate tax on your retirement withdrawals. 

You can also do a “paycheck checkup” by going to the Tax Withholding Estimator on the IRS’ website to review the amount of tax withheld from your pay. You may have time to make a change to your withholding for the last pay period of the year by submitting a new W-4 form to your employer. If it’s too late to make a withholding fix that way or if you’re self-employed, you can send an estimated tax payment directly to the IRS. The deadline for fourth-quarter payments is Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023. 

A 401(k) retirement savings plan is one of the most highly sought-after workplace benefits. You can contribute up to $20,500 to a 401(k) plan in 2022 — or up to $27,000 if you’re 50 or older. 

If you can’t afford to contribute the maximum amount to your 401(k), many financial advisors say to put in at least enough money to get your employer’s matching contribution, if it’s offered. That’s free money! 

Boosting contributions to a traditional 401(k) plan can lower your adjusted gross income while padding your retirement savings. But with only one pay period left for 2022, you should make contribution changes immediately. 

Having easy access to cash to cover unexpected expenses is also critical. Yet a new survey from Betterment at Work finds only 59% of employees currently have an emergency fund — a 7% drop from last year, leaving 41% without any sort of safety net.

The Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes this year have resulted in higher rates on many online-only savings accounts. Some such accounts are paying as much as 3.5% interest with no minimum balance, according to Bankrate.com.

If you just can’t afford to save more right now, just make sure you don’t overspend. Figure out how you plan to pay for a holiday purchase before you buy it. Using cash instead of credit can help you stick to your budget and stay out of debt. Some merchants will charge you less for paying cash to avoid credit card transaction fees. By paying cash, you could in some cases, wind up paying 3% less than the purchase price. Digital payment apps — ApplePay, Venmo or CashApp — can also work like paying cash. 

Be wary of store credit cards. The average retail store-only credit card charges over 28% interest, according to CreditCards.com.

Also, be careful if using buy now, pay later products, a popular option for online shopping at many retailers. While you can spread out payments for purchases with no interest, buy now, pay later loans aren’t subject to the same regulations that apply to credit or debit cards. There are fewer purchase protections, too, including the ability to dispute a charge if you bought a good or service that wasn’t delivered as promised. 

It may be more difficult to claim a charitable deduction this year than in the past two years. You can no longer automatically tax an above-the-line deduction for cash donations; you must itemize deductions on your 2022 tax return.