What worries keep seniors up at night? What "elephants in the room" remain unacknowledged?

Facing the Elephants in the Room

Karen CaccavoLiving Independently, Working with Seniors

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 …

keep vs. shred

Paperwork: Keep vs. Shred

Karen CaccavoImportant Documents, Paperwork Organizing

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 …

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.

Can’t Face Doing Paperwork? Here’s Help

Karen CaccavoDoing Paperwork, Paperwork Organizing

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 …

Get organized with a few simple steps

Hit the Refresh Button

Karen CaccavoLife Lessons, Paperwork Organizing

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 …

Paper clutter grows like weeds

Getting into the Weeds With Your Paper Clutter

Karen CaccavoPaperwork Organizing

“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, …

Financial paperwork is no laughing matter. People must get it done. But the best way to get it done is to have some fun doing it.

Financial Paperwork — Get it Done, With Belly Laughs

Karen CaccavoGetting organized, On the lighter side, Working with Clients

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 …

What I do as a financial organizer

My First 100 Days as Your Financial Organizer

Karen CaccavoFinancial Organizing, Working with Clients

I’m often asked what I do as a financial organizer / daily money manager.  (Understand, first, that I am not a financial planner or advisor; I don’t work with your investments.)  So what should you or a family member of yours expect from working with me?  What is my role? Why does someone contact me for help? In short:  to …

I have too many books. What should I do?

“What Should I Do With All The Books?”

Karen Caccavodecluttering, Financial Organizing

I grew up in a home full of books.  My parents —  avid collectors — took us to book fairs the way other kids are taken to the zoo. But my real education in the book world occurred when my mother moved into assisted living and eventually passed away, leaving thousands of books behind.  I was left to figure out …

Assistance from a daily money manager can help seniors remain independent as they age.

What is a Daily Money Manager … and Why You Need to Know!

Karen CaccavoDaily Money Managers, Financial Organizing

Late payment notices, overdraft fees, missed deadlines, confusing medical bills–you don’t have to be a senior to encounter these unwelcome surprises in your mailbox.  While keeping up with paperwork is something people of all ages must do, it can be especially overwhelming for seniors and the disabled.  A trusted family member or friend can help, but people often do not …

Paper-organizing is a big challenge. Here are tips for overcoming five of these challenges.

5 Paper-Organizing Challenges … and How to Overcome Them

Karen CaccavoPaperwork Organizing

In my 10 years of financial organizing / daily money management, I have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to people’s attempts at paper-organizing.   Here are the top paper-organizing challenges that have tripped up my clients, and the solutions I have shared with them and helped them implement: No “landing strip” for your mail. One …