Is there such a thing as TOO organized?

Can You Be TOO Organized?

Karen CaccavoPaperwork Organizing, Working with Seniors

“Too organized?” I don’t hear it often from clients or prospective clients who reach out to Personal Money Manager™.  But occasionally over the last 12 years I’ve heard:  “Maybe I’m too organized.”  This stops me in my tracks.  After all, if someone is TOO organized why would they be calling me for professional organizing assistance? Clearly, “too organized” (if there …

Looking closely at vital documents

Document Vital Information

Karen CaccavoImportant Documents, Living Independently, Organize my finances

I’m a financial organizer / daily money manager.  I help clients manage their financial paperwork.  In my previous career as an insurance broker, I learned the importance of documenting client needs and information, and I use that experience in my work with senior clients. Now more than ever my senior clients need the support of another set of eyes or …

April 15th is the Usual Tax Return Deadline -- but not in 2020!

Tax Time Lessons Learned

Karen CaccavoOrganize my finances, Tax Organizing

In the middle of tax time in 2020 — my 13th tax season as a financial organizer / daily money manager — I find that working with a client to organize their tax documents and information can provide a great learning experience for both of us.* “Tax time?” you ask.  “Hasn’t that been put on hold?” Yes, but while July …

I Participated in Alzheimer’s Research: This is What it Was Like

Karen CaccavoCognitive Decline, Financial Organizing

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 …

Illustrates using ideas or inspirations as springboards for improvement

Twenty Ideas for 2020

Karen Caccavodecluttering, Financial Organizing, Paperwork Organizing

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 …

Bring that back-to-school energy to your financial organizing

Bring that Back-to-School Energy to Your Financial Organizing

Karen CaccavoFinancial Organizing, Organizing Tips

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 …

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 life lessons from another living thing in my house: my sourdough starter! These, too, inform both my personal life and my professional life as a financial organizer / daily money manager.

Paperwork Pointers from an Unexpected Source

Karen CaccavoFinancial Organizing, Life Lessons, Paperwork Organizing, Working with Seniors

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 …

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, …

We're so used to working at a "crazy busy" pace, but sometimes we can handle important but non-urgent projects at our leisure.

Paperwork Organizing Projects at Your Leisure

Karen CaccavoFinancial Organizing, Paperwork Organizing

This blog was inspired by the longest day of the year (June 21st).  While we are so used to being “crazy busy” and making the most of every minute, sometimes we have the leisure to do the opposite — to take our sweet time. But if you still can’t shake the desire to be productive, why not tackle a longer, …

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 …