Use Google Calendar to Handle Payments, Taxes, and Investing Duties

Once I began my first full-time job years in the past, the very first thing my supervisor requested me to do was to order a Franklin Covey Day Planner. It was the usual concern for all staff of that firm.

Expertise advanced through the years. The usual software was Microsoft Outlook at my final full-time job. We used the calendar options in Outlook to ebook convention rooms and handle assembly invitations.

I exploit Google Calendar now to trace private occasions akin to dentist appointments and recurring family chores.

A pc-based calendar makes it straightforward to create recurring occasions, whether or not it’s month-to-month, quarterly, or yearly. You set it solely as soon as and also you’ll have it in your calendar each month, each quarter, or yearly. For actually vital duties, you may arrange the calendar to ship you not only one reminder however a number of reminders — for instance, seven days earlier than, three days earlier than, and someday earlier than — to be sure you don’t neglect.

I’ve repeating occasions on my calendar to vary the furnace filter, add salt to the water softener, run a cleansing cycle on the dishwasher, test the engine oil, and change the air filters in my automobile. If I consider one thing else that must be achieved on a set schedule, I add it to the calendar.

Payments and Taxes

I additionally began utilizing Google Calendar to handle monetary chores.

I set all my payments on autopay to allow them to cost a bank card or debit a checking account however I perceive not everyone seems to be snug with autopay. Some payments, particularly these from authorities entities, can’t be set on autopay.

For instance, your state DMV might not have autopay for annual car registration renewals. It’s important to renew and pay manually every time. Somewhat than utilizing the renewal discover you get within the mail because the immediate, you may set a calendar reminder to search for the renewal on the DMV web site your self a month earlier than your sticker expires. That method you received’t neglect to resume even in the event you don’t obtain the renewal discover. You’ll have this reminder in your calendar yearly after you set it up solely as soon as.

When you pay estimated tax since you’re self-employed or retired, the IRS and the state income company don’t ship you invoices. It’s important to pay them proactively 4 instances a yr. I exploit EFTPS to schedule funds to the IRS. When you arrange the 4 quarterly due dates as yearly repeating occasions, your calendar will remind you each time with out fail.

The identical goes for the property tax in the event you’re not paying it by way of mortgage escrow. If the property tax invoice is misplaced within the mail or if their e-mail notification will get filtered into spam, you continue to owe the property tax. Property tax is due on a set date yearly. You possibly can set an yearly repeating calendar reminder to be sure you pay it on time.

Investing Duties

When you’re not robotically reinvesting dividends, you may set a recurring calendar occasion to enter your account and reinvest manually.

When you spend money on Treasuries or brokered CDs, the curiosity funds can’t be robotically rolled into the identical Treasury or brokered CD however you realize when the curiosity shall be paid out as money. If the quantity is substantial, you may set a recurring calendar reminder to reinvest.

You additionally know when your Treasury or CD will mature. In case your dealer doesn’t have the “auto roll” function or in the event you select to not use it, as quickly as you purchase the Treasury or CD, you may set a calendar reminder to reinvest the principal reimbursement at maturity.

When you’re required to take the Required Minimal Distribution out of your retirement accounts, you may arrange an yearly repeating calendar occasion that can assist you keep in mind to take it. The IRA custodian may remind you however the final accountability falls on you.

When you’re planning to money out I Bonds to purchase new ones at the next mounted fee, set a calendar reminder for the most effective time to promote. After you promote, set one other calendar reminder to obtain the 1099 kind from TreasuryDirect subsequent January as a result of they don’t ship it by mail.

Automation is normally my first alternative. If I can’t make it occur robotically, I put it on my calendar to ensure I don’t neglect. I exploit Google Calendar however some other calendar system works too.