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 …
Paperwork Pointers from an Unexpected Source
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’t Face Doing Paperwork? Here’s Help
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 …
Sometimes It’s the Little Things That Make a Difference
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 …
Hit the Refresh Button
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 …
3 Essential Tips for Working with the Seniors in Your Life
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 …
Possessions: Why Decluttering is So Challenging
A few years ago, I was asked to speak about decluttering and organizing. As my audience took their seats, I offered a basket of letter openers bearing my company name, and invited them to help themselves. Then I began my talk. I mentioned the trap of freebies, suggesting that “a freebie isn’t really free.” Once we take them home, they …
Papa’s Bank Account: Financial Organizing and Dementia
It was a typical assignment for me as a financial organizer—help a senior couple simplify their paperwork and household finances. The husband had recently been diagnosed with dementia. Now that she had to handle all of the work herself, the wife wanted to streamline the bill paying and more. The discussion over his stopping driving had already taken place before …
How to Decide: Should I Stay or Should I Move?
Now that we have survived another Northeast winter, many of my senior clients are wondering, “Should I stay or should I move?” They often ask me for my input as their trusted advisor (daily money manager/ financial organizer). Here are some ideas I share with people going through this decision-making process. If you are a senior contemplating whether or not …
My First 100 Days as Your Financial Organizer
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 …