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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
A client of Personal Money Manager recently told me, somewhat sheepishly: “I have to confess. Sometimes I have to trick myself into doing what needs to be done.” To which I responded: “No need to apologize! If it works, go for it!” In that spirit, here are some field-tested productivity tricks for “fooling” yourself into getting stuff done. (Click here …
You may remember that I’ve written about what I learned from my new kitten. Rosie Mittens has grown up beautifully. Now I’d like to share some paperwork pointers from another living thing in my house: my sourdough starter! This, too, informs both my personal life and my professional life as a financial organizer / daily money manager. Hold out for …
Can procrastination be good? An article by Adam Grant in The New York Times asserted that when facing creative challenges, procrastinating can actually yield better results. To illustrate, the writer tells of almost finishing an article but putting it aside. Then, before submitting it, he found new inspiration and ending up submitting a more interesting piece. Surprise! Procrastination is a …
You’ve resolved more than once to start doing paperwork on time. Each time, you begin with the best of intentions, but when you look at the piles of papers, you freeze. Can’t face doing paperwork? Here’s help. I’ve used the following “paperwork pointers” successfully with clients of Personal Money ManagerSM who faced the same challenge: Prepare in advance: get some …
Steve Caccavo was one of the founding owners of The Well-Bred Loaf, Inc. He invented / re-invented Blondies in the late 1970s, selling them in several thousand stores in the NY Metro area, including Manhattan; and Rockland, Westchester and Bergen Counties. When the company was sold in 1996, the original Well-Bred Loaf® recipes were sold along with it. While this …
As financial organizer / daily money manager, my objective is to bring more ease and order — to make a difference — in my clients’ lives. I achieve this in a variety of ways. Where do I start? I often start by tackling the big issues that are making life difficult for a client. Erratic bill-paying? I create a system …