Use the Excuse of Tax Time to Get Your Financial House in Order

I posted a while ago about using MINDMAP to make sense of your financial world... Your investments, bank accounts ,401ks...everything you own that has value.

Well, it all came home to roost for my family last year when my dear ol' dad passed away at the grand age of 89. He told us before he died that he had set aside some money for us five children... Not a lot, but something. He mentioned stock that he had accumulated over 39 years at the same company. All he said was that the stock had done pretty well. (He told us what the stock was. I just don't want to divulge that.)

But it has taken our attorney months and months to figure out dad's entire financial picture. This has probably cost us a small fortune in extra legal expenses, and it has delayed the whole process of distributing his wealth.

None of us kids are mad about any of this. We were very surprised he had been able to put anything at all aside. And we all just kind of laugh--how like dad this was to be a little loosely goosed on the details.

But it is/was all so unnecessary. Now that tax time approaches, now that you have to review where all your wealth is, open up MINDMAP and just jot down all the different places you have money. You'll feel more comfortable knowing that, god forbid you were to pass on tomorrow, your affairs would be in order.