5 Smart Money Moves to Make Before Summer Ends

Nicole Cole |

Somehow, it’s already August. 

The pace of summer always seems to speed up just when you start settling into it. Between vacations, back-to-school prep, and trying to squeeze in a little rest, it’s easy to push financial planning to the back burner. 

But this time of year actually presents one of the best windows to take a step back, look at your financial picture, and make a few adjustments. You’re far enough into the year to see what’s working—and what’s not—but there’s still time to make meaningful progress before Q4 hits. 

Whether your focus is retirement, investments, taxes, or simply feeling more in control of your finances, a mid-year check-in can pay off in a big way. 

Here are five smart, practical steps you can take as part of your summer financial planning for retirement and investments.

1. Time for a Quick Goal Check-In 

Think back to the goals you set earlier this year. Maybe you wanted to bump up your retirement contributions, pay off a specific debt, or finally build up that emergency fund. Or maybe you had all of that on your list. 

Now’s a good time to check in. What’s on track? What’s fallen behind? Are your goals still aligned with where you’re headed—or has something shifted? 

This isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being honest with yourself and making small course corrections where needed. The real value of financial planning is that it evolves with you. 

A quick reset now keeps you proactive rather than reactive—and that’s what sets successful plans apart. 

2. Check Your Progress on Savings, Debt, and Investments

Once your goals are back on your radar, take a few minutes to look at the numbers. Not in a spreadsheet-overload kind of way—just a clear check-in on the basics. 

Savings 

Are you contributing to your retirement accounts consistently? How’s your emergency fund looking? Have you saved anything toward short-term goals—travel, home projects, tuition? 

If you’ve fallen a bit behind, you’re not alone. Summer spending can throw even the best intentions off track. The good news is, there’s still time to adjust. 

Debt 

Are you contributing to your retirement accounts consistently? How’s your emergency fund looking? Have you saved anything toward short-term goals—travel, home projects, tuition? 

If you’ve fallen a bit behind, you’re not alone. Summer spending can throw even the best intentions off track. The good news is, there’s still time to adjust.

Investments 

Take a look at how your portfolio is performing. Has it kept pace with your expectations? More importantly, is your current asset allocation still aligned with your risk tolerance and long-term goals? 

Markets shift, and so does life. A mid-year investment check-in can help make sure your money is still working the way you want it to. 

If you’re unsure what to look for, this is a great time to run things by your advisor. A fresh set of eyes often reveals opportunities you wouldn’t spot on your own. 

3. Plan Ahead for Q4 

Fall has a way of sneaking up—and bringing expenses with it. Getting ahead of that now can save you a lot of stress later. 

Budget for What’s Coming 

Think through what’s likely to hit in Q4:

  • Holiday spending 
  • Back-to-school or tuition bills 
  • Property taxes or insurance premiums 
  • Health care costs you want to cover before deductibles reset 

Mapping these out now helps you stay on track with your bigger financial goals, instead of having to dip into savings or delay contributions when the bills arrive.

Look at Tax Strategy While There's Still Time 

There are a few tax-smart moves you can still make before year-end: 

  • Maxing out your 401(k), IRA, or HSA contributions 
  • Doing a Roth conversion if it makes sense for your income bracket 
  • Harvesting capital losses to offset gains 
  • Making charitable contributions (cash or appreciated stock) 

Tax planning is a huge part of long-term wealth building. Don’t wait until December when options become limited. 

For Business Owners

If you’re self-employed, now’s a good time to review SEP IRA or Solo 401(k) contributions and check your Q3 and Q4 tax estimates. Planning ahead keeps you out of surprise territory later. 

4. Review Your Estate Plan and Insurance Coverage 

This is one of those things that’s easy to put off—until it’s urgently needed. 

Take a few minutes to review your estate documents. If you have a will, trust, power of attorney, or healthcare directive in place, check that everything is up to date. Have there been any life changes—marriage, divorce, new children or grandchildren, real estate purchases? Those are all signs it’s time for an update. 

Also double-check your beneficiary designations. These often get overlooked, but they’re legally binding—and they override your will when it comes to things like retirement accounts and life insurance. 

Now’s a Good Time to Reassess Insurance Too 

Insurance tends to be one of those set-it-and-forget-it items—but your coverage needs change as your life and finances evolve. 

Take a moment to ask: 

  • Does your life insurance still reflect your current responsibilities? 
  • Would you be financially protected if you couldn’t work for a while? 
  • Are your assets covered if something unexpected happened? 

Even if nothing major has changed recently, reviewing your policies once a year helps ensure you’re not overlooking any gaps—and that your coverage still fits the life you’ve built. 

5. Book a Late-Summer Strategy Session 

All of the steps above are valuable on their own. But to make sure everything is working together—and aligned with your bigger picture—it’s smart to bring in a second set of eyes. 

This is where a professional financial check-in can really make a difference. 

Why Now? 

  • You’ve got real numbers to review, not projections 
  • You still have time to make changes that count this year 
  • Schedules tend to fill up quickly once fall hits 

A short meeting with your advisor can help tie everything together: your investments, retirement plan, tax strategy, estate protection, and any recent life changes that need to be factored in. 

It doesn’t have to be complicated. But it does need to happen before you run out of time to take action. 

What’s Next? 

You don’t need to overhaul everything. Most of the time, it just takes a few well-timed adjustments to get back on track — and stay there. 

If you’ve been meaning to check in on your finances, this is a great window to do it. Let’s take an hour, review what’s working, and look at where there’s room to tighten things up before the year wraps. 

Go ahead and schedule your August or September strategy session. You’ll walk into fall with a clearer plan — and a little more peace of mind.