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 …
Making a New Year’s resolution? Chances are it’s to get better organized. So, as a financial organizer / daily money manager, how can I possibly ignore this topic? Here are my thoughts: Why pass up an opportunity to hit the “refresh” button? Along with the first signs of spring, the first day of school, etc., a new year gives us hope …
There is nothing like a new kitten to lighten things up and provoke a smile or two. That’s what I found when my family adopted Rosie Mittens two years ago. And since I have a home office, the furry bundle of joy follows me into my financial organizing workplace. Little did I know that her most endearing characteristics could be …
I recently spoke to a local Rotary about my best tips, as an experienced financial organizer / daily money manager, for working effectively with seniors on their financial paperwork. Not everyone chooses, as I have, to make working with clients and their paperwork their career. But, with the aging population, you may find that you are called in help a …
“Clutter” is one of those words that gets tossed around (guilty as charged!); but what exactly is it? A gardening friend recently told me: Do you know what a weed is? It’s a plant you don’t like that’s growing where you don’t want it. As a financial organizer, I’ve transplanted this definition from the garden to the house. After all, …
No question about it, the financial paperwork that accumulates on my clients’ desks and kitchen tables—from tax documents to medical bills—is no laughing matter. It all has to be taken seriously. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t also have fun. As a financial organizer, I get my best results by actively engaging clients in the process, and making the …