Monday Morning Quarter-Buck
Happy New Years Eve!! I always look forward to this day. I think it is because there is comfort in knowing so many of us are hitting the “reset” button on or about something in our lives. Statistics show that most New Year's resolutions don’t make it past January, but what if this year could be different? Our team spent most of December developing a program to do just that around your finances! In fact, on Monday, January 7th, Kerrie Beene will be launching a new Facebook live program - The 2019 Financial Challenge. We will be posting information on our Facebook page and website later this week, along with registration details. The cost of the program is only $30 per month and will include monthly video’s, action steps, Q&A sessions, and so much more! We are very excited to offer this “get organized” financial education program to the community! Wishing you a very Happy New Year!
GET FINANCIALLY ORGANIZED 101
By Kerrie Beene
“For every minute spent organizing, an hour is earned.” - Benjamin Franklin
New years is filled with hopeful resolutions that all lead back to getting on track in some area of our life. Financial goals are always Included in the popular resolution lists. Whether you make a new years resolution or not, getting your financial life organized is one of the most important things you can do for long-term success. Being unorganized causes a lot of financial stress and even costs us time and money. If we can spend the time now getting things in order, the payoff is the clarity to plan for the future.
Here are 5 tips for getting organized:
Pick your place. Pick a place where all your important documents will be kept. This doesn’t have to be an office with a fancy file cabinet. I have a crate with file folders in my closet. You can also create online file storage using this same method.
Organize your Files. Spend a few minutes and create the folders you need to keep important documents. This includes everything. All mortgage, car loans, insurance, medical, retirement, other benefits, and even a folder for each family member. Use what you have, no need to go buy a label maker or anything fancy. Just some hanging folders with a crate, an accordion folder, or some type of folder system.
2 Minute Rule. We receive a lot of mail and emails on a daily basis. Follow David Allen’s 2-minute rule - If it will take less than 2 minutes, do it now. If you received a piece of mail and it just needs to be filed, go do immediately. If you receive an email that needs to be kept, create a folder in your email. No more wasted brain space.
Summarize. Once you have everything in order, you can create a financial summary. Start with your assets (everything you own, such as the house, retirement accounts, savings, etc.) minus what you owe (mortgage, car payment, etc.). This summary is called your net worth and is often needed when applying for mortgages and other types of loans.
Maintain. At a minimum, clean out your folders yearly. I like to do it more often because less is more with paperwork. It also will help you keep a running total of your net worth.
Happy New Year and a Toast to Getting your Financial Life Organized!
In 2019, Rooted Planning Group will be hosting a series called the 2019 Financial Organization Challenge - stay tuned for more information!
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