(BPT) – For most of us, checkups are a regular part of life. Dental visits, auto maintenance appointments and even glances in the bathroom mirror all help us catch potential problems and assure that all is ”“ or will be ”“ well. What’s true of teeth, engines and grooming is also true of finances: regular checkups are recommended.

Why? Changes both great and small affect the strategies people have developed to help achieve their financial goals. Unfortunately, too many people act as though once their financial program is in place their work is done. This isn’t so.

As a general rule, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans recommends that you should review your financial program at least once each year. Certain life changes ”“ the birth or adoption of a child, a change in marital status (married, divorced, widowed), the death of a family member or changes to your health ”“ should serve as reminders that a financial tune-up is in order. April is Financial Literacy Month, and serves as a good reminder to take a look at your finances and make sure changes over the past year haven’t altered any personal financial strategies that may be in place.

Other changes in personal economics can also have a huge impact on financial programs. These may include shifts in employment status or salary (e.g. loss of job or a pay cut/freeze), home ownership changes, significant changes in total assets or debt, the receipt of an inheritance, and tax law changes that can all make previous strategies obsolete.

How can you perform a financial checkup? “If you have a do-it-yourself mentality, there are any number of print and electronic resources that exist to help monitor your finances,” says Patrick Egan, a national retirement spokesperson with Thrivent Financial. “However, with the complexity and time commitment that may be involved, most can benefit from the knowledge, experience and insight that financial services professionals offer.”

Qualified financial professionals can help people evaluate their present financial strategies and keep abreast of new laws, regulations, products and economic developments. Even more important, financial professionals can challenge unrealistic assumptions people may have and help them overcome money management’s greatest threat: procrastination.

To live is to experience change. How and where change will appear is impossible to predict, but a financial checkup is one sure way to help your financial objectives ”“ and your sense of financial confidence ”“ keep pace with all that occurs.

About Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans is a faith-based, Fortune 500 financial services membership organization helping its nearly 2.5 million members to be wise with money and to live generous lives. Thrivent Financial and its affiliates offer a broad range of financial products and services. As a not-for-profit organization, Thrivent Financial joins with its members to create and support national outreach programs and activities that help congregations, schools, charitable organizations and individuals in need. For more information, visit Thrivent.com. Also, you can find the company on Facebook and Twitter.

Neither Thrivent Financial for Lutherans nor its respective financial representatives and employees provide legal or tax advice. For complete details, consult with your tax advisor or attorney.

Insurance products issued or offered by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Appleton, WI.  Not all products are available in all states. Securities and investment advisory services are offered through Thrivent Investment Management Inc., 625 Fourth Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55415, 800-847-4836, a FINRA and SIPC member and a wholly owned subsidiary of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Thrivent Financial representatives are registered representatives of Thrivent Investment Management Inc.  They are also licensed insurance agents/producers of Thrivent Financial. 

For additional important disclosure information, visit Thrivent.com/disclosures.

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