The first step we\u2019ll take together is an empowering one \u2013 it\u2019s to take an accounting of all the documents, files, papers, contracts and records that define who we are, what we have, how we live and most importantly, where it all is. Though most of us know exactly how our financial records or health insurance paperwork is filed away, we need to make sure others do, too, so our loved ones can step in for us and steer the ship should we need to step away from the helm. We want to ensure those we\u2019ve entrusted to help us can have what they need to manage our affairs in a pinch. Collecting important information is a powerful place to begin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whether it\u2019s a manilla folder full of papers, an organized binder of cataloged information, or a digital file or email, an \u201cimportant documents binder\u201d or collection of pertinent information is something we can all start assembling now \u2013 and the New Year is a perfect time to get organized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The good news is, you don\u2019t have to reinvent the wheel or worry you\u2019ll forget some necessary tab or document as you assemble everything yourself. There are many information binders, or \u201cIn Case of\u201d document templates, out there. This one from AARP is pretty good and allows you to fill it out online<\/a>, which is helpful and will be useful to your loved ones in a pinch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A friend told me she made a list of everything essential for her family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGet a spreadsheet going of monthly bills, insurance premiums, utilities, lawn care, cleaning service, pest control, income stream, doctors, and regular prescriptions. \u201cIn other words, how is the household maintained? Who has access to their place?\u201d she suggests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Assessing your life paperwork collection through that lens \u2013 how is my household, my life, my career maintained and how is it accessed \u2013 is a smart approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the hardest step is the first one, we\u2019ve done well today. In next month\u2019s column, we\u2019ll take the second step: considering how all this paperwork and information we\u2019ve collected and discussed above can also be an essential means of telling our life story. I\u2019m looking forward to continuing the conversation! <\/p>\n\n\n Susanna Barton has worked as a professional writer in Jacksonville for nearly 30 years. Her book Grand Plans: How to Mitigate Geri-Drama in 20 Easy Steps<\/a> and its accompanying workbook, the Grand Planner<\/a>, are available in local stores and on Amazon.<\/em> Photo Credit Top: Anete Lusina<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Susanna Barton A challenging caregiving crisis for a family friend taught me a lot about how I will approach my own Golden Years, a life chapter I now anticipate with great enthusiasm. Through personal experiences and conversations with others, I outlined 20 steps we can all take now to be better prepared for what […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1143,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-539","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-money"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/phlexon-dev.com\/senior\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/539","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/phlexon-dev.com\/senior\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/phlexon-dev.com\/senior\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phlexon-dev.com\/senior\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phlexon-dev.com\/senior\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=539"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/phlexon-dev.com\/senior\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/539\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1152,"href":"https:\/\/phlexon-dev.com\/senior\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/539\/revisions\/1152"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phlexon-dev.com\/senior\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1143"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/phlexon-dev.com\/senior\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phlexon-dev.com\/senior\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phlexon-dev.com\/senior\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/phlexon-dev.com\/senior\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Susanna-Barton-headshot.jpg\")
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