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Your Fall Financial Check-In: 5 Things to Tackle Before Year-End

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There’s a particular feeling that shows up in October — the air gets crisper, the pumpkin spice everything reappears, and somewhere in the back of your mind a little voice starts whispering, “the year is almost over.” That voice is worth listening to, at least when it comes to your finances.

The fourth quarter is quietly one of the most important stretches of the financial year. A handful of deadlines are real and firm (not “get to it eventually” firm — actually firm), and a little planning now can save you some scrambling later. So grab a warm drink and let’s walk through five things worth putting on your radar before ringing in 2027.

If you’re on Medicare, mark your calendar for October 15

Medicare’s Annual Open Enrollment Period runs from October 15 through December 7, and it’s the one window each year where you can freely switch Medicare Advantage plans, move between Advantage and Original Medicare, or change your Part D prescription drug plan for the coming year.

Here’s the thing most people don’t realize: your plan can change even if you don’t. Drug formularies shift, premiums adjust, and provider networks get updated every year. A plan that was perfect for you in 2026 might quietly become a worse fit for 2027 without you ever getting a dramatic notice about it. It’s worth a 20-minute review — check your plan’s “Annual Notice of Change” letter, compare your prescriptions against next year’s formulary, and make sure your doctors are still in-network. If this doesn’t apply to you yet, feel free to skip ahead — but if you have a parent or family member on Medicare, this is a kind thing to help them check.

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Check your HSA and FSA balances

Health Savings Accounts roll over year to year, so there’s no rush there — but Flexible Spending Accounts are a different story. Most FSAs operate on a strict “use it or lose it” basis, sometimes with a short grace period or a small carryover allowance depending on your employer’s plan. If you’ve got a balance sitting there, now’s the time to check the rules and use it on eligible

expenses — glasses, dental work, that physical therapy co-pay you’ve been putting off — before it disappears.

Know this year’s retirement account numbers

Every year, the IRS updates how much people are allowed to put into retirement accounts like a 401(k), 403(b), or IRA. The 2026 numbers brought some meaningful increases, and it’s worth knowing them even if investment decisions aren’t something we work on together.

For 2026, the IRS set the employee 401(k) deferral limit at $24,500, with an additional $8,000 catch-up contribution allowed if you’re 50 or older, and a special $11,250 catch-up if you’re between 60 and 63. The IRA contribution limit is $7,500, plus a $1,100 catch-up for those 50 and older.

One additional wrinkle: starting this year, IRS rules require that if you earned more than $150,000 in the prior year, any catch-up contributions to a workplace plan must go into a Roth account rather than pre-tax. If that applies to you, it’s worth a conversation with your tax preparer or whoever manages your investment accounts, since it can affect your year-end tax picture.

These are just the numbers to be aware of — decisions about how much to contribute and where those dollars are invested are best made with your investment professional or plan administrator. I’m always happy to be part of the conversation about how retirement savings fits into your broader financial and insurance picture.

Give yourself time to think about charitable giving

If giving to charity is part of your year-end plans, October is a good time to start thinking it through rather than scrambling during the last week of December. There’s more than one way to approach charitable giving — direct gifts, giving through a donor-advised fund, or strategies involving investment accounts — and the right approach depends on your full tax and financial picture. If you work with a tax preparer or investment professional, it’s worth starting that conversation now so you have time to be thoughtful rather than rushed.

Put a year-end review on the calendar

Last but not least — if we haven’t already found time to talk before the end of the year, let’s get something on the calendar. A year-end review is a great chance to check in on your insurance coverage, your goals, and how everything is fitting together — especially if anything changed for you this year, like a new job, a move, a growing family, or a milestone birthday. If your plan includes investment accounts, this is also a natural moment to loop in whoever manages those so everyone’s working from the same picture.

As always, I’m here if you want to talk through any of this in more detail. Wishing you a cozy, low-stress start to the fourth quarter.

Warmly,

Jason

 

This newsletter is for general informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute individualized investment, tax, or legal advice. Jason Arseneault is licensed to offer insurance products and does not provide investment advisory or securities-related services; nothing in this newsletter should be construed as a recommendation regarding the purchase, sale, or management of any investment or security. Contribution limits, tax rules, and Medicare guidelines are current as of the publication date and are subject to change. Please consult a licensed investment professional, tax professional, or attorney regarding decisions specific to your situation.

Henderson business loans

The Most Important Financial Product Nobody Wants to Talk About

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Quick, honest question: do you know exactly how much life insurance you have, and whether it’s actually enough?

If you hesitated, you’re in good company. September is Life Insurance Awareness Month, and it exists precisely because life insurance is the financial product most of us mean to sort out “eventually” — right up until eventually becomes never. This month felt like the right time to put it front and center, because protection isn’t a side note to a financial plan. It’s the foundation everything else sits on.

The gap is bigger than most people realize

According to LIMRA’s 2026 Insurance Barometer Study, nearly 100 million Americans are either uninsured or underinsured, and only about 52% of U.S. adults own any life insurance at all. That means roughly half the country has built a financial life — a mortgage, a family, savings, a business, and plans for the future — without the thing that protects all of it if the unexpected happens.

It’s not that people don’t value the idea. Most do. The gap comes from three very human, very fixable habits: assuming it’s too expensive, assuming there’s plenty of time to deal with it later, and simply not knowing how much coverage actually makes sense.

“It’s too expensive” is usually just wrong

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This is the one that surprises people most. LIMRA’s research found that 40% of Americans overestimate the cost of a basic 20-year term policy — and among adults under 30, only about 4% guessed anywhere close to the actual price. In one industry study, consumers asked to estimate the monthly premium on a $250,000 term policy (which typically runs around $13/month for a healthy young adult) mostly guessed three times the real cost or more.

Term life insurance, for most healthy people, costs less than a streaming subscription. The mental price tag people carry around is often wildly out of proportion to reality — and that one misconception keeps a lot of families under-protected or worse, unprotected.

Why adequate coverage isn’t optional — it’s structural

Think of your financial plan like a house. The investment strategy, the retirement contributions, the college fund, the estate plan — those are the rooms. Life insurance is the foundation underneath all of it. Here’s why it can’t be an afterthought:

It replaces income, not just pays for a funeral. Adequate coverage should be sized to replace years of your income — covering a mortgage, ongoing living expenses, childcare, and future costs like college — not just enough for final expenses.

It protects the plan you’ve already built. All the disciplined saving, the retirement contributions, the careful investing — if something happens to the primary earner, an underinsured family often has to unwind that progress just to stay afloat. Coverage exists so the rest of the plan survives, even if you aren’t there to keep building it.

It’s cheapest when you least think you need it. Premiums are driven largely by age and health. The version of you that’s ten years younger and hasn’t yet had that one health scare will always get a better rate than the version of you that waits.

Business owners have an extra layer of exposure. If you own a business, life insurance can fund a buy-sell agreement, protect a business loan, or provide a safety net for a key employee’s family. Without it, a death in ownership can force a fire sale or leave partners and employees in a genuinely difficult position.

Your needs change — and so should your coverage. A policy that made sense when you were single and renting probably doesn’t reflect your life once you’ve got a mortgage, kids, or a growing business. Coverage isn’t “set it and forget it” — it should evolve with you.

Moments that should trigger a coverage review

If any of these have happened since you last looked at your coverage, it’s worth a conversation:

  • Getting married or divorced
  • Having (or adopting) a child
  • Buying a home or taking on a mortgage
  • Starting or growing a business
  • A significant raise, career change, or new debt
  • Kids becoming financially independent, or approaching retirement

Let’s do a quick check

You don’t need to overhaul anything today. Just take two minutes to ask yourself: do I know how much coverage I have, and does it still reflect my life right now? If the honest answer is “not really” — or if it’s been more than a few years since anyone looked — let’s put 20 minutes on the calendar this month. Sometimes the review confirms you’re in great shape, and that peace of mind alone is worth it. Other times it uncovers a gap that’s a lot cheaper to close than you’d expect.

Protection isn’t the most exciting part of a financial plan. But it’s the part that makes everything else possible.

The experts at Aperion Financial are ready to help you determine the amount of coverage you need based on your current situation. Contact us today to review your existing coverage to ensure that you have an adequate safety net in case something were to happen.

 

This newsletter is for general informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute individualized insurance, investment, tax, or legal advice. Statistics cited are from LIMRA’s 2026 Insurance Barometer Study and industry research current as of publication and are subject to change. Life insurance product availability, underwriting outcomes, and pricing vary by individual and carrier. Please consult with a financial advisor or licensed insurance professional before making coverage decisions.