About 80 per cent of people told a survey they are worried about their future financial security or felt that they did not have control of their finances. More than 1000 people took part in the nationwide online survey conducted on behalf of financial planning firm Eqeus.

Money asked a panel of finance experts for their top tips to getting finances in order. This is what they suggested:

Start with a plan

The experts say the starting point to getting finances in order is to ask yourself what you want to achieve. Then set goals and identify steps to achieve the goals.

As well as a budget, start a spending plan, says John Hollyman, managing director of Eqeus.

A spending plan will help limit spending to the things that are most important to you, he says.

Justine Davies, finance editor at Canstar, says you should talk with your partner to make sure you are "on the same page" with your finances.

Sometimes, one of the partners can be a spendthrift and the other a miser. Aim for compromise, Davies says.   

Review investments

Craig Keary, AMP Capital head of retail and corporate business, says the new financial year is good time to review the asset allocation of investment portfolios to ensure the portfolio is constructed appropriately.

Circumstances and investment goals can change, he says.

An investment portfolio aimed at capital growth will have a different asset allocation to a portfolio aimed at income generation.

Credit cards

Many people have revolving debt on their credit cards that can be accruing interest of more than 20 per cent a year.

Canstar's Justine Davies suggests they could transfer their credit-card debt to a card with zero-interest offers.

Some of these cards do not charge interest for up to two years.

And 40 credit cards on the Canstar database offer at least 12 months of zero interest on balance transfers.

Car insurance

Davies says it can be worthwhile getting a car insurance quote, including one from your existing insurer.

Some insurers offer discounts for new customers.

Davies says car owners should get a quote online from their own insurer. If the premium is less than they are paying, get on the phone and ask for that premium.  

Boost super

Salary-sacrificed super contributions are taxed at 15 per cent, except for very high earners, who are taxed at 30 per cent.

Salary sacrificed in super comes out of before-tax income so the taxpayer's highest marginal income tax is replaced by the lower super contributions tax.

There are caps on how much can be salary-sacrificed.

It is $30,000 for the financial year and $35,000 for most people aged 49 or over as at June 30, 2015.

The caps include the superannuation guarantee. And there are limits and conditions for those over 65 wanting to make contributions.

Co-contribution

Under the government co-contribution scheme, for each dollar of after-tax money that is put into the superannuation account of a lower or middle-income earner, the government pays 50¢ into the super account.

The full 50¢ is paid to the superannuation account of anyone earning less than $35,454 a year.

The maximum co-contribution the government will pay is $500.

At higher incomes above $35,454, the co-contribution shades out until $50,454, when it cuts out altogether.

Spouse contribution

A spouse also has until the end of this financial year to make a contribution to their lower-income or non-working partner. It is called the spouse super contributions tax offset.

If the partner earns less than $10,800, the spouse receives an 18 per cent tax offset in their tax return for a contribution of up to $3000, providing a maximum offset of $540.

The tax benefit reduces and is extinguished altogether once the partner's income reaches $13,800.

Tax return

We may dread doing our tax returns but most of us will be getting refunds.

John Flavell, the chief executive of Mortgage Choice, says the refund could be used to pay off credit cards and save the often high interest on a credit card. It could be put into a higher interest savings account.

@jcollett_money