Truly Simplified Money Management

It is helpful to have a single system for keeping track of everything. Such an effective management system can help you achieve the three benefits that most people agree are the criteria of a sound financial plan:

• Control
• Completeness
• Confidence

Another tool in our planning approach developed with the help of feedback from clients is our copyrighted Simplified Money Management - Master Control Index. This time-tested tool can help you to gain control and pull together all the pieces of your succession plan into an effective system. You will then have better continuing control over your personal values-based estate plan as well as your total financial program.

Ask yourself these questions:

1. Do you have solid understanding of all your assets - whose name they are in, who could deal with them if the owner could not, what the current income status is, how they would pass upon death and what the estate tax status would be?
2. Do you have an effective index of all your important emergency contacts, documents and account numbers so that your successors would know who to contact and have the information readily available to take appropriate action?
3. What area or areas of your personal financial management system do you feel could use improvement?
4. What action could you take to strengthen these areas?
5. Do you have system such as the S-O-S method to periodically review and streamline your management system?

This is not a one-shot process, but is an effective method for periodically reviewing and improving the efficiency of your personal control. Having all your financial data assembled in a manner that can be easily handled makes good management possible. Once all your data is collected, it is important to begin to reduce the sheer volume of materials and number of account locations by the S-O-S method.