Page 5 - TriLakes Extra January 2016

ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE TRI-LAKES EDITION OF THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE EXTRA FRIDAY, JANUARY 1, 2016 • 5TT
planning for the future}
clutter be gone}
How to organize
ROOM by ROOM
While resolving to lose weight or quit smoking are popular New Year’s resolutions, many people decide that the dawn of a new year is a great time to get organized. The end of the holiday season provides a great oppor- tunity to sort through belongings and start organizing in earnest.
Finding a financial planner can help many men and women manage their retirement and investments.
how to find a
FINANCIAL PLANNER
Managing money can be a daunting task. Monitoring retirement and investment accounts can sometimes seem like a full-time job, and that’s in addition to the
responsibilities many men and women already face with regards to their careers and families.
Men and women who want to get organized can consult with a professional organizer or tackle the job on their own, potentially en- listing the help of others in the household.
Assess the damage
It can be difficult to get organized with- out first taking inventory of your home. Go through all of the rooms in the house, and decide what your goals for each room are, jotting them down as you go. See if the rooms have more storage potential than you’re uti- lizing, particularly those rooms that are over- run with items. Storage can include shelves on walls, new furniture or modified closet spaces. Again, jot down your ideas so you can refer back to them later on.
Set up a sorting plan
Organizing may involve sorting through belongings and getting rid of things you no longer use. One of the easier ways to handle sorting is to purchase three different contain- ers or make three different piles. The first one will hold items you will keep, the second will include items that can be sold or donated, and the last will house items that you will discard or recycle.
Separating belongings in this manner can help you stay on task and remove some of the stress from getting organized. Simply move the containers with items that are no longer needed from the room when you’re ready to organize the remaining belongings.
Schedule your cleaning days
It may take a couple of sessions to get cer- tain rooms clean, so plan ahead for that. For example, you may need a day to sort and toss items, another day to prep the room with organizational enhancements and yet anoth-
er to put everything back. Separating tasks into manageable sessions will help you reach smaller goals that eventually add up to your larger goal of getting more organized.
Plan project days when you can devote time with few, if any, distractions. You may want to ask a friend or family member to take care of your children or pets for a few hours while you are tackling your tasks. Organizing around the trash pickup schedule can help, too. This way, discarded items are quickly out of sight and out of mind.
Prepare your day
Have all of your necessary equipment on hand in advance of Day 1. This eliminates having to search for supplies, which can prove distracting. Make sure you are well rested and have eaten a hearty meal. Set an alarm for however long you want the orga- nizational session to last. If you work until you reach the point of fatigue, you may not be inclined to finish on another day.
Reward yourself
Every time you finish an organizational ses- sion or goal, treat yourself to something nice, such as a dinner out or a massage. Choose something relaxing that makes you happy.
Repeat the process
When one room is organized, establish your plan for the next room. Once you see the success that comes from the first room, you can use that as motivation to do the oth- ers at your own pace. Getting organized may take some time, but it can be well worth the reward when a home is clean and everything has a place.
— Courtesy of Metro Creative
To combat the sometimes confusing and intimidating nature of money manage- ment, many people enlist the help of financial planners. Financial planners can help men and women navigate their plan for retirement and help them prepare for unfore- seen events that can affect their finances. Finding the right financial planner can be similar to finding a physi- cian: Just like you don’t want to trust just anyone with your health, you also don’t want your finances in the hands of someone you don’t trust. The following are a handful of tips for men and women as they look for financial planners.
Choose a certified planner
Many financial profession- als claim to be planners, but only those who are certified financial planners, or CFPs, are licensed and regulated. CFPs must take various class- es in financial planning and pass an exam administered by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards. In addition, a requirement to maintain their designation as
CFPs is that, once certified, CFPs must continue their education so they can stay abreast of the latest industry trends and developments. While CFP status does not guarantee a given planner will meet your needs, it’s a good place to start.
Consider how a CFP earns his or her living
Commission-based finan- cial planners earn commis- sions when buying or sell- ing a stock, while fee-based planners earn a percentage of your annual assets. Many people starting out prefer planners who earn hourly fees, feeling that such a pay structure makes them more comfortable and gives them time to build up a relation- ship with their planners.
Work with a fiduciary
Financial planners are held to two standards: the fiducia- ry standard and the suitability standard. The latter requires planners to give advice that suits investors’ objectives, while the former requires
planners to give advice that puts their clients’ best inter- ests ahead of their own. So what’s the difference? A plan- ner beholden to the suitabil- ity standard can recommend the least-suitable investment option—which may earn him or her more money— among a handful of suitable options without having to report any conflicts of interest to his or her client, whereas a fiducia- ry is obligated to recommend the option that is best for the client.
Be wary of boasts
Some planners will try to impress prospective clients with boastful talk of beating the market. Such boastful- ness should raise a red flag, as it suggests a planner is more likely to roll the dice with your money than make sound investments.
Finding a trustworthy fi- nancial planner is a great way to grow your money. But choosing one is a decision that requires careful thought and research.
— Courtesy of Metro Creative
Many people make a New Year’s resolution to get organized, and they can achieve their goals by making a plan and taking it step by step.
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