It’s that in between season after RSP’s but before Tax’s. The perfect time to get organized – you’ll see the benefits immediately. Just as soon as you sit down to do your taxes or if you hand them off to someone else, they will appreciate it!

To do a thorough job, it will take a couple steps but let’s start at the beginning. This step is easy and doesn’t require any math.

• Gather all your paperwork, mail, statements, tax slips and financial paperwork.
• If you’ve got a filing system or filing box – open it up.
• Gather supplies you may need such as file folders, pens, stapler and filing spot (drawer, cabinet, box).
• Sort through the paperwork categorizing the information as you go into folders such as Tax Stuff, Credit Card Statements and Receipts, Bank Statements, Savings Statements (sort by type and bank/institution) and Employment Info.

The key is setting up the filing system so that it’s easy to access and you can file paperwork as you receive it rather than tossing it into a ‘to be filed’ pile.

Pack away old paperwork that you don’t want to get rid of, labeling it clearly. I pull out all information relating to the previous year, bundle it and pack it away (i.e. 2013). I suggest you keep all your tax information together and remember to keep it for 7 years. Shred and destroy any personal financial information that you decide to get rid of.

The next step is to tackle your 2014 financial plan starting with your budget.