“Simplify Your Life” Day is March 3

By moneygodmother

 

Clutter on your counter, clutter on your desk. It’s probably no different with your finances. Those bank statements, bills, and credit card offers just multiply and pile up, don’t they?

March 3 is “Simplify Your Life” Day, so why not take time today or even this weekend to de-clutter your financial life?  Get started with a few quick “to-dos” such as:

• Close out a dormant bank account….(especially one with a few dollars).
• If you use several financial institutions, consider consolidating at one.
• Look at the account beneficiaries listed and correct or update the info.
• Reduce “pre-approved” credit card and insurance offers you get in the mail by calling 888-5OPT-OUT or visit http://www.optoutprescreen.com.
• Consider cancelling credit cards you rarely use.
• Eliminate some monthly paperwork by opting for electronic billing, on-line statements, and/or auto-pay features offered by your bank.
• Get a safe deposit box at a financial institution for valuables like property deeds, savings bonds or stock certificates, wills and other documents.

If you’re at a loss of how to begin to simplify, make a list of existing bank accounts and credit cards to see where to best gain efficiencies. Fewer accounts make finances easier to manage and can greatly reduce the monthly paper load. Plus, it’s easier to get a big picture of your finances and how much you are worth when accounts are neatly organized.