The downloadable 2010 Keeping Organized,

(PDF) and Keeping Organized PowerPoint presentation, (PDF), (as PDF with notes).

Creating an organizational system that works for your family will save you time, money, and effort in the long run.

By keeping organized as a homeowner, you will have much more success in handling insurance claims and filing tax returns. This chapter will also cover such topics as general record keeping, items like birth and marriage certificates, banking statements, estate planning documents, retirement account records, and many others. It is important to know what to keep and also how long to keep records, and which items require the extra protection of safety deposit boxes or locked safes.

The goals of this chapter are:

1. To help you embrace the benefits of being organized.
2. To provide you with the tools to make smart decisions when purchasing Insurance.
3. To understand how to prepare for annual tax preparation.
4. To encourage and guide you in creating your own household organizational system.
5. To provide advice on which records should be kept and where.

Take-away messages:

1. Paperwork matters!
2. Know what to store and where to store it.
3. Plan for the unexpected.