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 …
Seeking Life’s Important Papers (Not the Ones You Might Think)
A fellow professional organizer brought me in to locate a client’s important papers during a whole-house packing and moving project. The client had bolted across the country (that’s the only way to explain the dirty dishes left in the sink) for a lucrative new position. He was climbing the ladder in the financial industry at a speed that left him …
Daily Money Managers: No Longer the Best-Kept Secret
Daily Money Managers (and the important financial organizing work they do with clients) are in the news! In case you missed it, here’s a short roundup of what’s being said about DMMs with links to the complete articles. Last June, The Wall Street Journal quoted Personal Money ManagerSM in “When Aging Parents Need Help With Financial Tasks.” That article states: Daily …
Managing Your Credit Cards Wisely
My Amex card turns 40 this year. I got it when I was suddenly promoted from admin to manager and had clients to entertain and business travel to book. My Lord & Taylor and Bloomingdale’s credit cards were not going to do the job. I had gotten them to 1) start building a credit history, and 2) make me feel …
5 Ways to be Credit Card Savvy
Remember when credit cards were for travel, not grocery shopping? Recall the days before debit cards? We are all using plastic more than ever—for both large and small purchases. And, so are scammers and fraudsters! About 31.8 million U.S. consumers had their credit cards breached in 2014. Last year, the number of U.S. data breaches tracked reached an all-time high …
Take Control of Your Desk! (Part 2)
Last time I shared some general ideas for organizing your desk: how to take a backhoe to the disaster area many call their paperwork “home.” Here, in Part 2, I want to dig down with ideas for the problem areas which might be getting in the way of being productive or denying you the satisfaction of having a clear workspace. …
Take Control of Your Desk! (Part 1)
If this is the year you are going to take control of your desk, I’m here to tell you it’s not too late. There is plenty of time to clear your desk and learn new habits to keep it that way. Here’s a plan to try: First, set up four or five bins. Buy cardboard sorting trays or use receptacles …