Article by Cristina Quesado
Spring is a great time to clean your Papers and Finances
Now that we are seeing more sun and the flowers are blooming, Spring Cleaning comes to mind. It is important to remember to give some attention to our papers and finances as well. How long has it been since you gave your accounts a deep clean? Or how long has it been since you cleaned your desk or even your computer desktop?
Springtime is the perfect time to organize your papers and finances. And it can be easy and fun!
This Papers and Finance Spring Cleaning can help you save and get your money goal back on track. It is also very likely to prevent a late payment fee on a bill you might forget to pay and help you avoid losing documents you may have to spend hours looking at.
Here are some tips for you to follow:
- Go (almost) Paperless
Not all digital documents are legal documents in Switzerland, however, it is easier to request copies of the originals if they are lost or damaged. For that reason, we should keep the documents, physically and digitally, safe and organized.
Personally, I keep my digital documents in 2 systems: an automated cloud backup service, external to our laptop as One Drive, and an external hard drive. This way, if your laptop stops working, you will not lose any documents.
I also organize and archive my documents and files the same way, physically or digitally. This will make it a lot easier to find what is needed.
- Clean your desktops
Clean all your desktops, and I am not just saying to sweep the dust off your screen and keyboard.
I can assure you that a clean and organized desk will bring you happiness and spark your creativity.
It is advised to organize and separate your papers into four categories: papers you need now, papers that are pending or not unresolved, papers you can archive, and papers to discard.
Once you have the papers organized into those categories, it will be easier to deal with them. Remember to discard the ones you do not need, archive the ones you need, and pay attention to the ones which are pending or unresolved, and the ones that you need now.
On your laptop, archive and organize all the files you have with the same organization system as you did with your physical documents so that everything is kept in the same familiar system, enabling you to find it much easier when needed.
Do not forget your phone! Take the time to discard all apps you do not need or no longer use.
For those wanting to go the extra mile, try to do the same with your email. You will most definitely see the benefit of organizing your emails into categories.
- Clean and simplify your accounts
The average professional has at least two accounts (salary account and retirement account). However, if you have an additional Freelance Income, you will have an additional account, and if you start investing, you will create one more. With all of these adding up you are likely to have a confusing list of accounts.
To help you stay on track, and have a clear picture of your financial health, remember to consolidate your accounts at least in an excel file. After that, it is advisable to use an app like, for example, Mint, which allows you to keep track of alll your investments, bank accounts, credit cards, loans, mortgages, retirement accounts, and more.
For the sake of Digital Security, you can use this account cleaning opportunity to update passwords on old accounts, move any old savings or retirement accounts into a single one for a simpler overview. Keep in mind that it is quite common to change jobs and forget to change the pension fund to a new one, and make sure to not make this mistake.
- Saving Tips
As you are cleaning up your finances, it is a good idea to check your credit card transactions and find any subscriptions that you are paying for without using. Continue releasing that which is no longer useful to you – the clothes you’re no longer wearing, the furniture your children have outgrown, etc., and instead of simply throwing them away, sell them online. Ricardo.ch and Facebook Marketplace are perfect places to do so.
Final Thoughts
Set aside some time this spring to review your finances and adjust them where necessary. This will enable you to have a clear vision of your finances, which in turn will bring you peace of mind and transform your everyday life.
If you think “Cleaning and Organization are difficult!” or “I don´t know where to start!” and you need help, please contact us!
Email: smartbusinessbycristina@gmail.com
Website: Smart Business
