cover image One Year to an Organized Financial Life: From Your Bills to Your Bank Account, Your Home to Your Retirement, the Week-by-Week Guide to Achieving Financial Peace of Mind

One Year to an Organized Financial Life: From Your Bills to Your Bank Account, Your Home to Your Retirement, the Week-by-Week Guide to Achieving Financial Peace of Mind

Regina Leeds, with Russell Wild. . Da Capo, $16.95 (288pp) ISBN 978-0-7382-1367-5

Leeds (One Year to an Organized Life ), a “professional organizer,” and Wild, a financial adviser, apply Leeds's “Zen Organizing” philosophy to replace financial mayhem with method through digestible weekly steps over the course of one year. The authors begin by guiding readers through an emotional audit of their history with money, ridding their work spaces of clutter, and organizing key financial documents. January is “time to take control,” and the authors provide step-by-step instructions on preparing for tax season and retooling spending habits while laying the groundwork for protecting long-term assets. Savings and retirement vehicles are discussed at an extremely macro level—but the extensive resource section compensates for the oversight. By devoting the entire month of November to getting ready for end-of-year holidays, the authors drive home how planning ahead can alleviate the pain of unforeseen expenses. This is an excellent start to creating a solid financial foundation and future. (Jan.)