Financial Planner

CHECKLIST: REVIEW YOUR BENEFITS Things to do this weekend with your money: It’s open enrollment season for employee benefits--which means if you work for a company that offers benefits, it’s time to review your coverage and perhaps make a few changes.

TODAY: First, find out when your company’s open enrollment begins and ends, and mark these dates on your calendar. Many companies will simply extend most of the benefits you have now if you miss the enrollment period, but some perks, such as flexible spending or tax saver plans, disappear if you don’t sign up each year.

SATURDAY: Start your review with your health insurance. Using financial planning software or a review of your checkbook, determine how much you paid for insurance in premiums as well as how much you paid out-of-pocket for deductibles, co-payments and uncovered treatments. Review your company’s options to see if another health-care plan might better fit your needs; many companies offer a choice. For more information on health-care coverage, read Silver Lake Publishing’s “Hassle-Free Health Coverage: How to Buy the Right Medical Insurance Cheaply and Effectively.”

SUNDAY: Plan to use your company’s flexible spending account to put aside pretax money to pay medical expenses not covered by insurance or child-care costs. You can use this year’s expenses as a guide, but err on the side of caution; money not used by year-end is forfeited.

Next week: What else to do with your benefits.