Ten years ago, and six years into Personal Money Manager™, I put pen to paper, starting a blog and a newsletter, “Notes for Trusted Advisors.” Creating content. Truthfully, I had been resistant to having a business newsletter, even a blog, From the Desk of Personal Money Manager™. You see, my first job out of college and at several …
Nearly one in eight American taxpayers file for a tax extension. That’s about 19 million taxpayers. Are you one of them? If so, be sure to put October 17 on your calendar. It’s your new tax day. I also suggest you keep plugging away now (and perhaps reaching out for assistance from a financial organizer / personal money manager) …
It’s a simple technique. Even easy. Maybe you learned it in kindergarten, or, from your Mom. It’s a strategy that stands the test of time. And works for me and my clients of all ages in my 16 years as Personal Money Manager™. (And while I work exclusively with clients’ paperwork (no attics or garage organizing for me), this technique …
Did you hear me on the radio? If not, press the “play” button above, and then read on . . . It was a treat to sit down with Mark Brownstein, Director of Medicare at Emerald Medicare. He’s the voice behind “Medicare on the Air with Mark” from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. the first Friday of the month on WRCR …
It’s that time of year. Back to school for the kids and back to organizing basics for us grown-ups! Much of what I do as a financial organizer / daily money manager with or for senior clients is what I call “basics.” Some are tasks they could do themselves IF they had the time, interest, attention, or bandwidth. But that …
It’s challenging to get people to sit down and create a will (no surprise that over half the adult population is without one). Lack of time and focus, fear, even superstition get in the way. I am not an attorney: I clearly leave will-writing (and all other legal work) to those professionals. As a financial organizer / daily money manager …
Want to make up for that lost Daylight Savings hour? Here are four simple Personal Money Manager™ paper-organizing timesavers to the rescue! Choose one or more to keep papers under control. Rest assured that all have been field-tested with my senior clients. Some tips are “one and done” (like #1), while others take maintenance. I encourage clients who are so …
What is an “Owner’s Manual” for a household? A few months ago, I wrote here about creating an Owners Manual with essential contacts, financial, and household information in one easy-to-access place. So what do I mean by an Owner’s Manual? Start by reading that short blog post. I create custom Owner’s Manuals for clients (and keep them up-to-date). But whether …
It’s not an easy lesson. And I learned it the hard way…. One spring evening in London, I went to hear Robert Bly recite his poetry. He had won the National Book Award for Poetry in the US a few years earlier in 1967, yet the audience was small. Afterwards, we all went to the local pub for a pint. …
The CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act) changed the tax benefit of charitable giving in a big way. For the first time, you do not have to itemize to get a partial deduction for cash contributions. To encourage more charitable giving in 2020, single or joint filers could claim a $300 “above-the-line” write-off on their tax returns. …