Spring Clean Your Financial Documents

With tax season upon us and the hint of Spring around the corner, now is the perfect time to focus your spring-cleaning efforts on your financial documents and be ready for the year ahead. Here’s what we recommend you do:

Have A System

Store all of your important papers all in one place. A traditional filing cabinet works great, with separate folders allocated for your utility bills, pay stubs, bank statements, credit card statements and investment information.

Keep similar statements together so you can find what you need quickly. Safely store your important documents in a fireproof and water-resistant container.

To Keep Or Not To Keep

You don’t have to keep everything forever. Here are some rules of thumb to guide you.

          • Utility bills. Keep these for about a year in case there is a billing question that comes up.
          • Pay stubs. Hang on to these for a year, too, or until you can cross reference it to your year-end W-2 statement.
          • Bank statements. Keep these for one year unless you plan to apply for a car or home loan, then keep two years of statements. Lenders typically ask for two years’ worth of statements, and many banks give you free access only to the past six months.
          • Credit card statements. You can typically pitch credit card statements that are older than a year unless you’ve used them to pay for home office or home improvement expenses. If they impact your taxes, keep those statements until you sell your home.
          • Investments. You can throw out the monthly or quarterly statements if you have the yearly statements, but hold on to statements that show trading confirmations.
          • Tax records. Keep all of your tax returns and the supporting documents for at least three years. The IRS can challenge returns for the previous six years if they suspect you haven’t reported income, so you may want to play it safe and hang on to them for six years, especially if you are self-employed. Returns that are decades old and several residences in the past will likely not be needed.
          • Other important documents. There are some documents you will keep forever—birth certificates, marriage licenses, estate planning, death certificates, etc. These documents should be kept in a place that protects them from flood, fires and theft.

Shred

When you have identified what you no longer need to keep and store, don’t just throw them in the trash. Shred them. This will protect you from identity theft, an all too common and devastating problem that results when dumpster divers go through your trash in search of personal information. Then they use it to make purchases or apply for new credit cards.

Donohoo Accounting Services is here to help you with your financial paperwork, tax preparation and business and personal tax returns. If you have questions about which financial documents you should keep, which you should get rid of, or if you need help with your taxes, give us a call at 513-528-3982. We would be happy to assist. For more tips and our latest updates, check us out on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn!

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Mortgage Refinancing 101

Even before you’re ready to replace your current home loan with a new loan, you may be asking yourself, “Where do I start? Who should I talk to? What documents will I need?” In other words, the mortgage refinancing process may seem a bit overwhelming. The good news is there are steps to refinancing that are simple to follow. Take a look at the five steps below to begin your walk down the path to refinancing your home mortgage.

Set Your Re-fi Goals

Just like any other journey, the route to mortgage refinancing must have a destination. Some common refinancing goals include lowering your monthly payment, paying down the principal, withdrawing the equity in your home to pay off high-interest debt, and shortening the term of the loan. If you’re planning to move in five years or more, you may have other goals like re-investing the equity in smart improvements to increase your home’s resale value.

Know Your Credit Score

Having a great credit score usually translates into securing an excellent interest rate. That’s why knowing your credit score before you refinance is important. Does your credit score need some work? Take the time and effort to improve it. You may save yourself thousands of dollars over the term of your mortgage by earning a lower interest rate. A full credit report including your credit score is usually available free of charge from your bank and from many online resources.

Determine Your Home’s Equity

Before you refinance, call your lender to determine the payoff on your current mortgage. Then, have a trusted real estate agent show you a list of comparable properties (similar in size, age and updates in your neighborhood) that recently sold. Knowing the current market value of your home and subtracting what you owe on your current mortgage will help you determine the equity you have before you refinance.

Research Interest Rates

Knowing in advance the interest rates offered by various lenders will give you an advantage when you decide to refinance. Rates often differ by what seem like small amounts, but those fractions of percentage points add up over time. As well, depending on the type of loans you may qualify for, different home loan programs, such as VA, FHA, USDA and conventional offer different interest rates. Do your homework: research the best mortgage loans with the lowest rates that meet your needs.

Gather Your Money and Documents

Before applying to refinance your home mortgage, collect the necessary documents and data about your debt and assets, including income tax returns, W2s, bank statements, credit reports and personal identification. Also, be ready to pay closing costs by setting aside money in advance (about two to five percent of the appraised market value of your home).

With more than 20 years of experience helping individuals, small businesses and non-profit organizations with their finances, Donohoo Accounting Services is here to help you with your tax planning, tax filing and accounting needs. If you would like to set up a free consultation, contact us at 513-528-3982. For more tips and our latest updates, check us out on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn!

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