Paper Management

7 Tips for Organizing a Senior Parent’s Paperwork

Published: June 10, 2021

I sometimes work with adults who are managing their senior parent’s paperwork. Due to physical or cognitive decline, the person has been put in charge of their parent’s financial and other important documents. Sometimes the parent has moved to assisted living, or a rehabilitation or a nursing care facility, or they may have moved into their child’s home.

7 Tips for Organizing a Senior Parent’s Paperwork:

1. Gather all documents together

Begin by gathering all papers from their previous home into one area. Important documents may have been scattered all over their living space, so first gather those into one room, closet, or file cabinet, whatever space you have available.

2. Sort through to determine what to keep or shred

A large portion of this paperwork may be junk mail or outdated information or statements. Do a quick sort first to remove anything that should be recycled or shredded.

3. Set aside keepsake papers

Sometimes old photographs, awards, wedding invitations, birth announcements, etc. may be mixed in with this paperwork. Set aside a minimal number of these keepsakes, and store these in a labeled box, album, shelf or drawer, or perhaps share these with other family members).

4. Organize the important paperwork that remains

Sort important paperwork into labeled folders or drawers (or scan papers, if these are things you can store digitally, storing them in labeled folders, and backing up the hard drive). Store all paperwork in one area, such as a file box or file cabinet. Set aside one safe place to protect irreplaceable papers, such as in a locked fireproof and waterproof safe.

Examples of important paperwork to retain:

Tax documents
Passport
Social Security Card
Birth Certificate
Marriage Certificate
Medical Records
Health, Dental and Vision Insurance information
Life Insurance Policies
Disability Insurance Policies
Stock Information
Automobile Insurance, or loan or sale information if they have or recently sold a vehicle.
Records of the Sale of their Residence (if sold).
Estate Planning Documents
Checking Account Statements
Credit Card Statements
Any current bills that you are responsible for paying on their behalf.

5. Store labeled folders by category

When organizing these papers, store categories near one another, such as all insurances together, all healthcare and medical information together, all financial statements together, all estate planning documents together, and information related to their current home or retirement community in one place.

6. Keep track of all regularly occurring bills

If there are bills you pay on your parent’s behalf, set up online bill pay, or a spreadsheet to help you track these. You may want to set up a small inbox in your home to hold your parent’s incoming mail until you can process it. Schedule a time to process their mail, pay bills, and verify that all of their accounts are balanced.

7. Leave room to grow

Make sure the file cabinet or file box has space for new files to be added, such as the current year’s tax documents, medical records, and health insurance statements.

How to Maintain Momentum When Sorting Through Paper Files & Keepsakes

Published: March 11, 2020

How to maintain momentum when sorting through paper files and keepsakes

In today’s blog, I’m going to answer a question that I recently received, which is a very common issue. A reader writes, “The hardest thing for me about organizing is when I go through old files and I find all sorts of things to read, mull over, grieve over, etc., and I get stymied. How do I deal with that?” Sorting through paper files can be a tedious process, and when those papers are attached to memories, it can be emotional, and sometimes overwhelming.

Here are some tips to keep up momentum when you’re sorting through your paper files and keepsakes:

Be Gentle with Yourself

Know that emotions will come up during this process, especially if sorting through papers after life changes such as a death of a loved one or a divorce. Make sure you’re well rested, well hydrated and that you’ve eaten something before tackling this process. Also, plan to reward yourself with something relaxing after you’ve worked on this task.

Set a Time Limit

Don’t try to go through all of the papers in one day. In general, after one to two hours, you’ll be exhausted by making decisions on papers with an emotional connection. Set a timer, and focus on this in short spurts of time.

Do a General Sort First

If you can quickly look through paper without reading everything, sort the papers into piles or folders by category, such as things that refer to or belong to your late spouse or parent, things that bring up memories of your grown children’s childhood, paper relating to financial histories, etc. After sorting, you can then look through one topic at a time in detail.

Ask for Help

Many people find that it is helpful to sort through these types of things with someone by their side such as a friend, family member, or professional organizer. When someone less attached to the papers is nearby to help you sort and stay focused, the organizing process can move more quickly, and be less overwhelming.

I personally love sorting through these types of things side-by-side with my clients. They are able to share some stories with me, but stay focused and move at a faster pace than they would alone. I’m able to sort papers into categories, while they look through the details of the documents, and then I assist them in making a decision on what to do with the papers they want to or must keep. My clients feel that having someone there to hold them accountable really keeps up the momentum when tackling an emotional task like this.

If you live in the Raleigh, North Carolina area and want hands-on organizing assistance, I’d love to help you. If you live elsewhere, I offer virtual organizing services via FaceTime and Skype to help you with any size organizing project. Please contact me for a free phone consultation to get started.

15 Reasons to Organize Your Filing Cabinets

Published: January 29, 2020

Most homes have at least one filing cabinet or file box full of documents, and offices have even more. Although most documents can now be accessed digitally, there are many benefits to organizing your filing cabinets.

Here’s a look at 15 reasons to organize your filing cabinets:

To save time both at home and in the office.
To easily locate records and information when needed.
To remove outdated documents that can be recycled or shredded.
To prepare papers for scanning.
To eliminate overwhelming paper piles.
To make it easier to file tax returns.
To avoid late fees by having bills organized and paid on time.
To have insurance information ready if needed.
To keep better track of all financial records.
To keep better track of receipts and expenses.
To gather essential documents (birth certificates, social security cards, etc.) to be relocated to a safe deposit box.
To provide information such as your will, health care directives and passwords to financial accounts to family members in case of your hospitalization or death.
To have easy access to user manuals should something in your home need repair.
To have medical records on file and quickly accessible.
To be able to retain necessary documents for a predetermined length of time (for businesses, based on your company’s file retention policy) in an organized filing system.

The main benefit of organizing any area of your home or office is that you will save time searching for items resulting in less stress and chaos. If you live in the Raleigh, North Carolina area and need hands-on organizing assistance or want a do-it-yourself plan, I’d love to help you. If you live elsewhere, I offer virtual organizing services via video chat to help you with any size organizing project. Please contact me for a free phone consultation to get started.

20 Reasons to Organize Your Household Paperwork

Published: March 27, 2019

Although most documents can now be accessed digitally, paper organization can still be a challenge in households. Mail and papers from work and school can easily become overwhelming. Setting up an organized system to manage household paperwork can be beneficial. Here’s a look at 20 reasons to organize your household paperwork.

1. To easily locate important records and information when needed.

2. To eliminate overwhelming paper piles.

3. To make sure all mail is read and processed.

4. To have the details of upcoming events received by paper invitation.

5. To avoid late fees by having bills organized and paid on time.

6. To quickly be able to provide vital information if there is an emergency.

7. To make it easier to file your tax returns.

8. To keep better track of financial records.

9. To keep track of receipts.

10. To have insurance information ready if needed.

11. To update your schedule based on school, church and activity calendars.

12. To gather essential documents (birth certificates, social security cards, etc.) to move to a safe deposit box.

13. To provide information such as your will, health care directives and passwords to financial accounts to family members in case of your hospitalization or death.

14. To have easy access to user manuals should something in your home need repair.

15. To keep track of coupons, rebates and sales flyers.

16. To keep better track of your child’s school activities, making sure permission slips are signed.

17. To retain immunization records and other frequently needed information for childcare centers, schools and camp forms.

18. To have an accurate health history on file for all family members.

19. To prepare papers for scanning.

20. To be able to retain necessary documents in an organized filing system.

The main benefit of organizing any area of your home is that you and your family will save time searching for items resulting in less stress and chaos. If you live in the Raleigh, North Carolina area and need hands-on organizing assistance or want a do-it-yourself plan, I’d love to help you. If you live elsewhere, I offer virtual organizing services via FaceTime and Skype to help you with any size organizing project. Please contact me for a free phone consultation to get started.

Ways to Organize Coupons

Published: October 31, 2018

Ways to Organize Coupons

I often sort through piles of paper clutter gathering on kitchen counters and other areas of the home. Frequently, some of these papers are coupons. Unfortunately, by the time I find them, they have usually expired. If you use coupons, it is very important to keep them organized and easily accessible so that you can take advantage of the savings. Here are some of my tips on ways to organize coupons.

Schedule a time to clip, print out, collect and organize coupons

If you use coupons regularly, schedule a time once per week to gather, clip or print out coupons. I suggest doing this before you make your grocery list or go shopping.

Use apps to help manage store loyalty cards, digital coupons and gift cards

Apps such as Honey help you to find online coupons.

Key Ring helps you keep store loyalty cards digitally.

Gyft is helpful for gift card organization.

Sort coupons by type and expiration date

Sort coupons by type first. Keep grocery coupons separate from restaurant and retail store coupons. Perhaps use a separate storage product for each type.

Next, sort coupons by expiration date or month of expiration.

Determine a way to contain coupons

Here are some options for storage products to better organize coupons:

A pocket accordion expanding receipt and coupon organizer

A pocket sized coupon organizer portfolio

A 3 ring binder with page inserts for coupons

A file folder and a hanging file for errands and coupons (only if you use a file cabinet or desktop file box regularly).

Decide where to keep coupons

If you don’t have the coupons with you, you will not use them. Once they’ve been clipped, sorted and organized, store your container of coupons in your car, your purse or near your door (so you’ll remember to grab them as you’re heading to the store).

Keep coupons that you’d use for online purchases near where you use your tablet, laptop or computer.

Schedule a time to sort and discard expired coupons

Schedule a few minutes at the end of each month toss the expired coupons.

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What to Store in a Safe Deposit Box

Published: November 1, 2017

Having a safe deposit box is a very useful thing. If you tend to lose important items in your home, storing these in a safe deposit box in the bank may be very helpful. Keep in mind that you should only store valuable items that you don’t need to access regularly.

You will have a key to your safe deposit box, and it is important that you decide who else should have access to it as a co-lessor. An executor to your will may eventually get access to it after you die, so check with your attorney on this when writing your will.

Although some items should be stored on your property or in a firesafe box in your home, a safe deposit box is a great place for the following items.

Items to Store in a Safe Deposit Box

Important contracts & business papers

Valuable jewelry, stamp or coin collections

Personal papers

Social security cards

Passports

Birth certificates

Marriage certificates

Death certificates

Copies of wills & trusts

Divorce decrees

Custody agreements

House deeds

Vehicle titles

Insurance documents

Home inventory list

Stock & bond certificates

Back-up external hard-drives

Flash drives

Digital photos

Bank & investment account numbers

Diplomas & education transcripts

Credit cards & account numbers

Any other hard to replace items

Although in most cases, the original documents should be stored in a safe deposit box, you should make a copy of everything and store that in your home where it is easily accessible in case the information is needed.

Safe deposit boxes are a cost effective way to protect your valuables and important records off site, and protect you and your family in case of an emergency. Please store the key in a place you’ll remember!

If are located in the Raleigh, North Carolina area and need assistance gathering important documents and organizing them to be stored in your safe deposit box, please contact On Task Organizing about our hands-on organizing services.