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by Linda Griffith, The Organized Option

    April 16-27th is "Organize Your Files Week", and I thought this would be a great topic to cover in this issue, so let's dig in. 

    There are many ways to set up a home or office filing system.  You can file by category, by name or color-coding, but the bottom line is will you be able to later on find what you've filed?  My best advice is to stay as simple as possible, be consistent, and create a system based on 'how you think'.  Let me explain.  If I have a client who's an analytical thinker, my recommendations would be very different than from someone who's a visual thinker (i.e., if it's out of sight, it's out of mind).

    Let's discuss two methods:  color coding and category.  With color-coding, you assign a different color to different groupings of files.  Perhaps financial files would be green.  Insurance may be yellow.  You can also color code within categories.  For the purpose of this article, however, let's say you've selected the category method.  You still have a few decisions to make.  For example:  You need an Insurance file and an Auto file.  Don't just stuff everything into one file; instead, create sub-categories (i.e., sub-files) within these main files.  For Insurance, you'll have:  Homeowner's, Medical/Dental/Vision, Life, Auto.  But what if you want to include the auto insurance section under your Auto category?  No problem!  Your sub-category files would instead be labeled:  Financing, Insurance, Service.  It doesn't matter which method you use, as long as you're consistent and you keep it simple.

    And, speaking of consistency, decide now whether to file your most recent papers in the front or rear of the file.  Again, it's based on how you think.  The same is true for the main category labels on each hanging file.  Do you insert the plastic tab at the front of the hanging file, or the rear?  If you attach it to the front, you may not be able to see the labels of the sub-files behind it.  But if you attach it to the rear of the hanging file, you may not be able to see the plastic tab due to the sub-files filed in front of it.  Again, it's personal preference and based on how you think.

    You can follow the same filing methods with your email and computer  documents.  Slick, huh?

    Okay, let's move on to discuss financial software.  This is a valuable tool and there are several brands available, some of which may be pre-installed on your new computers.  I track all of my personal and business expenses through Quicken Home & Business.  I can easily create reports on our net worth, do an income/expense comparison, and track our household budget.  I can also determine how much our family paid out in medical/dental/vision expenses last year, which is a time-saver at tax time.  I also keep a hanging pocket file in my desk drawer labeled "Medical Receipts - 2006" because I'll want the original receipts as a back-up in case we're ever audited.  Not only that, if you participate in a Medical Reimbursement Program through your job, you'll need to submit copies of original receipts to be reimbursed.  Just remember that once you're reimbursed through this tax-free program you cannot re-claim the exact same medical expense when you file your taxes (that's known as double-dipping).

    But your 2005 taxes are probably done by now.  Hopefully you've implemented my previous tips about clearing out last year's financial documents and replacing them with new files for 2006.  If not, now's the time!  You'll be glad you did if you have an urgent need to find something that otherwise would be stuffed into boxes.