Mariel Segarra

And then you can create the goals, like I need to pay off my student loans, or max out my retirement investments, or save up for a down payment on a house.

Speaking of savings, make sure you're getting a competitive interest rate on the money you keep in the bank.

I talked to NPR reporter Arzu Rezvani about this for another episode of Life Kit.

She says, take a look at your savings account.

Right now, some banks are offering between 3% and 4% interest.

And when you pick one, just make sure that your money is insured by the federal government.

Look for the acronym FDIC or NCUA insured.

Anyway, setting financial goals is a great annual practice, and you can pick any time of year to do it.

But it can help to lump it in with the other financial stuff that you need to do annually.

For instance, taxes.

In mid-April, tax returns are due for most individuals.

Unless you choose to file based on a fiscal year or you're self-employed and making estimated payments, those happen quarterly.

We're not going to go super in-depth on taxes here, but mark the important dates on your calendar and check out our other episodes on this topic.

There's also open enrollment, which tends to start in November.

And that's a window when you can get a new health insurance plan on government-run exchanges.

And if you have an employer, that's when they'll say, OK, time to pick your health insurance for the year.

Brent says a lot of people just let last year's benefits roll over.

Don't do that.

And make sure you're happy with your other insurance plans.

Also, check on your retirement plan contributions and make sure your beneficiaries are up to date.