10 Simple Financial Tasks You Can Tackle in an Hour

You won't believe how much you can accomplish — and save — in just a few minutes

Daniel Bortz,

AARP

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En español

Published April 28, 2025

dollar bills floating around finance-related items like a Social Security card, a grocery store app, and a car

Save money and bolster your financial security by knocking off these items on your to-do list.

Tomi Um

Have 60 minutes to kill? You could spend it watching TV or playing games on your smartphone. Or you could spend it saving money, by ticking some easy but important financial tasks off your to-do list.

Get one — or more — of these 10 smart money moves accomplished on your next lunch hour.

1. Check your credit report

Unfortunately, credit report errors are widespread. A recent survey from Consumer Reports and WorkMoney, a nonprofit group that aims to help people find savings, showed nearly half of respondents (44 percent) who checked their credit reports found at least one error.

A credit report error, such as the wrong name on a bank account, an incorrect payment date or a bill you paid that's been marked as outstanding, could be dragging down your credit score. Checking your credit report regularly can also help you spot when a bad actor uses your personal information to open a fraudulent account.

“Look for unfamiliar accounts, incorrect personal details or unauthorized inquiries,” recommends Bruce McClary, a spokesman for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, an association of nonprofit credit counseling agencies.

You can request a free copy of your credit report once a week from each of the three major credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — at AnnualCreditReport.com. You can also obtain reports by calling 877-322-8228 or downloading and filling out a request form and mailing it to the address listed at the top.

2. Put your credit on ice

Freezing your credit can help protect you from scammers and hackers. This simple move prevents the credit bureaus from releasing your financial information to third parties, making it harder for identity thieves to open new accounts in your name.

“Freezing your credit is an easy and effective way to reduce the risk of identity theft, which is especially important to keep in mind as we grow older,” says McClary. “As Americans grow older, they become increasingly attractive targets for criminals who count on their potential victims to be less tech-savvy and more likely to trust what they say.”

You can request a freeze for free online or by phone in just a few minutes — but you’ll have to do a separate freeze with each of the three credit bureaus. Once you do so, the credit agency must restrict access to your credit within one business day. Temporarily thawing a security freeze so that you can open a legitimate account is simple, too — and if you submit the request online or by phone, the company has to lift the freeze within one hour.

3. Sign up for an IRS identity protection PIN

People ages 65 to 74 are at greater risk of large financial losses from tax scams, a 2025 survey by McAfee found. An identity protection PIN, or IP PIN, can help protect your taxpayer data from cybercriminals.

To obtain a PIN, register for an account with the IRS. Once you verify your identity, you’ll receive a six-digit number to use when filing your taxes annually. You’ll get a new IP PIN each year. “This will provide taxpayers with the peace of mind that come tax time, no one else is claiming a refund in their name,” says Carl Breedlove, a lead tax research analyst at The Tax Institute at H&R Block.

4. Ask your cellphone provider for a better rate

Mobile plans are getting more expensive. The average cellular bill was $121 per month in 2024, up from $113 in 2022, according to survey data from digital billing service Doxo. But a quick call to your cellphone provider could save you money.

Paying for data that you don’t use? Ask your provider to downgrade your plan. (Your monthly billing statement states data usage for each phone on your plan.) The best time to call customer service is on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning, when hold times are typically shorter, says Brian Keaney, co-founder and chief operating officer at Billshark, a bill-negotiating service.

If you’re 55 or older, look into discounts for older adults. T-Mobile’s Go5G Plus 55 plan offers eligible customers two lines at $60 each per month for unlimited talk, text and data. Mint Mobile also offers cellphone plans for customers 55 and older, with a 12-month unlimited plan for $25 per month plus a $300 upfront payment. AARP members can get two lines of unlimited talk, text and data with Consumer Cellular for $55 per month.

5. Download a few grocery store apps

Many supermarkets have mobile apps. By downloading them and signing up for the store’s loyalty program, you get access to special deals and digital coupons. Some smartphone apps, such as the Target Circle app, provide a barcode scanner that you can use to scan items as you shop to see if deals are available.

“Grocery store apps are one of the most underrated savings tools,” says Stephanie Carls, retail insights expert at RetailMeNot, a coupon website. “They offer personalized coupons, loyalty rewards and weekly specials that can really add up, especially on essentials.”

Shop at several grocery stores? Consider downloading Flipp, a free app that lets you select multiple supermarkets and browse their circulars. Participating stores include Aldi, Food Lion, Harris Teeter, Kroger, Walmart, Wegmans, Weis and other national grocers. Apps like Ibotta, Receipt Hog and Checkout 51 let you earn cash back on grocery purchases from certain supermarkets by scanning receipts.

6. See if you have unclaimed assets

About 1 in 7 Americans has unclaimed cash or property, according to the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA). “Unclaimed property can be anything from forgotten checking accounts, payroll checks, insurance payments or even the contents of a safe deposit box,” says Shaun Snyder, CEO of the National Association of State Treasurers (NAST).

Although there's no central database for all unclaimed assets, you can go to MissingMoney.com to find unclaimed property in states where you’ve lived or worked. In one shot, you can search 49 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. The free site, endorsed by NAUPA and NAST, also provides a national index with direct links and contact information for each state’s official unclaimed property program.

7. Have credit card debt? Apply for a low-interest balance transfer card

Nearly half of adults ages 50-plus have credit card debt, a recent AARP survey found. The good news? Moving high-interest credit card debt to a balance transfer credit card with a low introductory interest rate could save you a lot of money if you can pay it off before the introductory rate expires. Some cards offer up to 21 months to pay off the transferred balance with no interest, according to NerdWallet, a credit card comparison site.

“Signing up for a 0 percent balance transfer card is my favorite credit card debt payoff tip,” says Ted Rossman, a credit card analyst at Bankrate.

Rossman says many balance transfer credit card applications take less than 20 minutes, but keep in mind that you typically need a credit score of about 670 or higher to qualify.

8. Shop for cheaper auto insurance

Car insurance inflation isn't slowing down. The average cost for motor vehicle insurance was up 11.1 percent in February year-over-year, according to the Consumer Price Index.

One way to cut costs is to shop around before renewing your policy. A recent LendingTree survey of nearly 2,000 U.S. consumers found that 92 percent of Americans who switch auto insurance carriers save money.

Car insurance prices can vary significantly between providers, so it pays to get several offers before renewing your policy. To speed up your insurance shopping, consider getting multiple quotes using a comparison site such as Insurify, Lemonade, Policygenius or the Zebra. Make sure you compare policies apples-to-apples concerning coverage limits, exclusions and other terms.

“All the policies that you review should have the same types and amount of coverage,” says Loretta Worters, spokeswoman for the Insurance Information Institute. “It is difficult to compare policies, for instance, if one provides $50,000 in property damage liability coverage, another only $30,000, and a third $100,000.”

9. Create an email account for shopping promotions

Signing up for promotions, newsletters and other email communication from retailers you shop regularly can get you exclusive deals and discount codes. However, those emails could be flooding your inbox — and tempting you to spend money on things you don’t need.

A better approach: Set up an email address specifically for shopping.

“Creating a separate email for shopping promotions is one of those small moves that can lead to big savings,” says Carls. “It keeps your main inbox clutter-free while giving you first dibs on deals, exclusive codes and early sale alerts from your favorite retailers. It’s a smart way to stay in the know without the constant temptation to shop every time you check your regular email.”

10. Get online access to your Social Security information

If you haven’t done so already, take a few minutes to set up an online My Social Security account. You get on-demand access to personalized Social Security information, including estimates of your monthly benefit if you claim it at any age between 62 and 70 — valuable intel whether you’re a few years or a few decades away from retirement.

To get started, go to the My Social Security sign-up page. Click on "Create an Account" (the long blue button on the left of the screen) and follow the instructions.

Don’t share your My Social Security account credentials or multifactor authentication codes — once you reach age 62, the minimum age for claiming retirement benefits, scammers who obtain access to your account can use that information to start collecting monthly payments in your name.

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Daniel Bortz is a personal finance editor at AARP. His work has been published by the New York Times, Washington Post, Consumer Reports, Entrepreneur, Kiplinger, Newsweek, Money and other national publications.