Even if you have a good-quality accounting system in place for your personal or small business accounts, it's still a good idea to open up the books and do a quick check-up occasionally. Even if you don't find any errors, you'll get some ideas about what your cash flow looks like.
You can cure at least some of your year-end accounting blues by contributing money to your retirement fund. Contribution rates and limits vary according to the retirement fund. While you'll have to pay taxes on it eventually, you can defer it into the future and save money in the short run.
Instead of stuffing your receipts into a shoebox and forgetting them until it's tax time, put a little effort into organizing them in folders by type. When you do your accounting, it'll make everything a lot easier to deal with, and you'll appreciate your own forethought.
