One of the many reasons people have a hard time finding certain important documents such as medical history, passport/social security card, financial paper is because they lack a consistent system of filing whether as hardcopies or digitally on the computer or in the cloud.
Years ago, Natalie bought a summer home. She kept her summer home papers in envelopes. Over many years these packets multiplied and were stored in different rooms in her home. Some packets included copies of documents mixed with the originals. She has a lot of unnecessary copies to deal with and it was confusing for Natalie. We got all those packets together and sorted through to weed out duplicates from the originals. This was important because she wishes to sell the summer home and needed all the important documents related to it in one place. Downsizing the amount of papers and finally organizing documents related to her summer home in a binder helps her tackle the next step, selling it.
Important papers can be stored in a file cabinet, bookshelf or binders. The place doesn’t matter. The main thing is that the important papers are together and organized so individuals can get what they need when they need it. Any irrelevant documents should be thrown in a bag to recycle or to shred.
This can apply not only to summer properties but to estate planning. Make it easier for your spouse, family members or friends to find necessary documents when they are needed. If you wish to speed up your decluttering papers, I can help.
Note: These blog stories feature real clients and their organizing solutions. To maintain client privacy, all names have been changed.