Are you disorganized? Have you considered investing in assistance from a financial organizer / daily money manager or another type of professional organizer? When weighing the cost of professional services, be sure to put into the equation the cost of NOT getting the help you need. Being disorganized costs you BIG. Surprise! Being disorganized carries a big price tag, in …
Can You Be TOO Organized?
“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 …
Document Vital Information
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 …
Tax Time Lessons Learned
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
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 …
Twenty Ideas for 2020
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
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 …
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 …
Getting into the Weeds With Your Paper Clutter
“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, …
Paperwork Organizing Projects at Your Leisure
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, …