Go ahead, be a control freak. You can learn about getting organized -- controlling the pileup of receipts, bank records, warranties, and whatnots -- from the de-cluttering books crowding the "Organization" aisle at the bookstore.
Consider the five steps author Julie Morgenstern outlines in her popular organization book, Organizing From the Inside Out. Her advice can be easily tailored to help people corral financial clutter, too:
Step 1: Sort
Take stock of your financial filing cabinet. What valuables do you have? Take an inventory -- using an oldfangled pencil and paper or a more newfangled tracking system like Intuit's
Step 2: Purge
Get rid of extraneous stuff. This means everything from needless expenses (do you really enjoy call waiting?) to extra accounts (consider consolidating your old 401(k)s into a single self-directed IRA). If you're married, assess the costs and convenience of any separate accounts you have. Insure your cars on one policy, and see if you get a price break on homeowners or renters insurance with the same firm.
Does your discount broker offer banking services? Nothing cuts down clutter more than getting fewer account statements each month. (Here's some more on what financial statements to trash and which ones to treasure.)
Step 3: Assign a home
In household organization, things you use frequently are stored at the front of the closet. Stuff you use less often goes in the attic (or mysteriously disappears when your spouse darts over to the neighbor's garage sale). The same goes for your savings (except the garage sale part).
Short-term savings -- your mortgage, bills, and entertainment money -- should sit in the forefront of your mind and filing cabinet. Your monthly cash flow is accessed most frequently. To stay on top of inflows and outflows, have all family members put bills and receipts in one place. Now vow to reconcile your checking account at least once every two weeks.
Step 4: Containerize
Once you get rid of extraneous accounts, it's time to find the best place to "store" your money. The goal for your long-term savings is to make it grow. Your work retirement plan, and a discount brokerage account (where you can set up an IRA) are the perfect vessels for these important investments. Your short-term savings -- what you plan to spend within about five years on a new roof, new car, or even a major vacation -- should be placed in CDs or short-term bonds. Your peace-of-mind money -- for medical emergencies, car-repair emergencies, pink-slip emergencies -- should be easily accessible. But not too easily accessible. Consider a money market account with check-writing privileges.
Step 5: Equalize
Once you have the paper beast tamed and have achieved a state of chipper financial being, work a little every day to maintain your new centered status. In other words, when the bills, bank statements, receipts, and garage sale proceeds come in, see Steps 1 to 4 and lather, rinse, repeat.
The ultimate payoff is knowing that your spare change isn't hiding in the couch cushions -- but that every penny is working for you.
