On a hot and sticky August afternoon, I arrived for my appointment as a volunteer Alzheimer’s research participant at the Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research (NKI) in Orangeburg, NY. I was going to participate in NKI’s Memory Education and Research Initiative (MERI) Program, a study begun in 2003 to provide both evaluations to members of the community and …
Twenty Ideas for 2020
Whether or not you make New Year’s Resolutions, here is a list of fresh ideas (not resolutions!) to inspire you as we enter a new year and new decade. Feel free to pick and choose the ones that appeal to you and edit them to better fit where you are right now. Please let Personal Money ManagerSM know if you …
The Big Picture and the Details
As a financial organizer / daily money manager, I keep both the big picture and the details in focus at all times. It’s a balancing act that’s essential to doing the job well. In a typical month-end client visit, I and my client open and review the bank statement. Using this as a jumping-off point, here’s how I zoom in …
Does Danger Lurk in Your Paperwork?
Organizing your papers may not at first seem scary. Other than a few cobwebs and dust bunnies, what’s the worst that can be hiding in the far corners of an attic or file cabinet? Does danger lurk in your paperwork? You may be surprised! In my work as a financial organizer / daily money manager, clients have shared with me …
Facing the Elephants in the Room
What worries keep seniors up at night? What “elephants in the room” remain unacknowledged? Many of these “elephants” exist for clients and their families. Here are some of the concerns my senior clients have shared with me. They may sound familiar: “I will start to slip and important things will fall through the cracks.” “l’ll be a burden on my …
Bring that Back-to-School Energy to Your Financial Organizing
Feel the energy and anticipation of the back-to-school season? After a long lazy summer, change is in the air! (And regular readers know that I enjoy any excuse to “hit the refresh button” when it comes to my specialty, financial organizing / daily money management). So what is it about autumn back-to-school time that can inspire your financial organizing? Here …
Your Junk Drawer: 2 Perspectives
I launched Personal Money Manager in 2008 with a presentation about organizing. If you live in New York’s Hudson Valley, you might have heard it! I used the proverbial junk drawer as my model for sharing organizing tips. But read on. Why a junk drawer? Everyone knows what it is and probably has one (or more). Organizing it is a …
Paperwork: Keep vs. Shred
The question I get most often as a financial organizer / daily money manager (Personal Money Manager™) is “What do I need to keep and what do I need to shred?” Sometimes, anxiety over this question stops clients in their tracks—they’re afraid to do anything with their papers for fear that they will part with the wrong ones. As with …
Yoga and Organizing: Making the Connection
Readers of this blog know that I enjoy making connections between my work as a financial organizer / daily money manager and the other seeming disparate parts of my life—like “mommy” to a new kitten and keeper of a sourdough starter. (For more, explore the “Life Lessons” category on my blog). In this post, I explore the connection between yoga …
After Selling Your Home, the Paperwork Begins
You’ve sold your house, packed up, and the moving van is pulling out of the driveway – whew! But the tax-related paperwork associated with selling your home has just begun. While it’s fresh in your mind, get a head start now on gathering the papers you’ll need for next year’s tax return. No need to wait until April 15th! In …