Organizing Your Finances:
- Show Me MY Money: What You're Worth or * net * Worth
by: Janet L. Hall

Benjamin Franklin once said, * Time is money *. I think he wanted one to
add up how much time they spent on a particular task or job and how much
money they might have been wasting.

I do an exercise with my clients to help them discover what their per minute
worth is to enable them to see how much money they might be losing because
they are disorganized. Such as, if you are doing a non-income producing
activity for 15 minutes, you can see how your money is being spent!

It's a very simple calculation.

Your Per Minute Worth Calculation

Yearly income divided by 52 weeks = weekly income
Weekly Income divided by 40 hours (or total hours you work per week) =
hourly income
Hourly income divided by 60 = Your Per Minute Worth

Before you begin to OverHall and Balance your financial area, you need to
find out your net worth, and your spending habits. This will help assist
you later with your budget, payoffs, or long-term savings. It will also
help in guiding you with such things as your protection, investment, income
tax, retirement, and estate planning.

Your total net worth is your total assets (what you own or already have
saved) minus your total liabilities (what you owe out). I'm not going to
tell you this is as easy as figuring out your per minute worth because it's
not! It will take time and a commitment from you to determine your net
worth.

TIP: I have found the best time to do this exercise is when you are paying
your bills. At that time you usually have the information needed to help you
calculate your net worth. So, if it usually takes you an hour to pay your
bills, tack on at least an extra hour this month for this exercise. For your
convenience, print out and use the net worth form below. You will be
writing in your totals for each line. For instance, if you have two savings
accounts, total your balances first and then write in the total next to
Savings Account.

ASSETS
Cash Reserve Totals-

Certificates of Deposit:
Checking Account:
Credit Union Account:
Money Market Account:
Savings Account:

Investment Totals-

401(k):
Bonds:
Mutual Funds:
Stocks:

Personal Totals-

Art:
Boat:
Car(s):
Furnishings:
Jewelry:
Other:

Real Estate Totals-

Home:
Second Home/Vacation Home:
Other Real Estate:

TOTAL ASSETS: $

LIABILITIES

Short-term Debt Totals-

Credit Card Balances:
Current Bills Owed:
Loans w erms of six years or less:
Taxes:

Long-term Debt Totals-

Loans w erms of seven years or more:
Mortgage(s):

TOTAL LIBILITIES: $

Congratulations! You did it! * Drum roll * Please!
TOTAL ASSETS: $
- (minus) TOTAL LIABILITIES: $
YOUR TOTAL NET WORTH = $

Now see if your net worth falls under A., B., or C. below, and see how you
can begin to bring some balance back to this area of your life.

A. If your total net worth is half or less of your annual income or you have
a negative number you need to REALLY * OverHall * and Balance your financial
area!

~~ Pay off some/all debt
~~ Cut back on spending
~~ Stop charging
~~ Start a savings plan

B. If your total net worth is more than half your annual income but less
than a few years' income you need to * OverHall * and Balance your financial
area.

~~ If you're 40 or under and own a home, you're okay for now
~~ If you're 40 or over and you don't own a home:
`` Cut back on spending
`` Stop charging
`` Reduce debt
`` Increase your savings
`` Buy a home before retiring

C. If your total net worth is more than a few years' of your annual income,
CONGRATULATIONS! Keep doing what you've been doing!

Listed below are some questions to ask yourself now that you know and can
see what your net worth equals.

1. Do you have enough cash reserves to meet your needs?

2. Do you have enough protection to provide money for unforeseen emergencies
(we talked about this last issue)?

3. Do you have enough fixed assets (usually long-term; bonds are an example)
to provide or produce additional income?

4. Do you have enough equity assets (short or long-term; real estate and
stocks are examples) for growth and income?

To answer those questions, you need to know what your family and your needs
and goals are and then plan how you are going to meet them.

Quick Tips to INCREASE Your Assets:

1. Maximize your 401(k) contribution
2. Start investing
3. Get automatic deduction/deposit from paycheck to savings each pay period.

Quick Tips to DECREASE Your Liabilities:

Credit Cards
1. If you have to use a credit card, use only one major card
2. Pay more than the minimum payment on the credit card with the highest
interest rate
3. Stop charging to the highest interest rate credit card
4. Get rid of department store credit cards
5. Don't apply for anymore credit cards

Mortgage(s)
1. Pay a little extra each month towards the PRINCIPAL of your mortgage
payment
2. Drop your PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance) when your home equity exceeds
20% of your home's value (talk to your mortgage lender)
3. Refinance mortgage at a lower interest rate
4. Refinance mortgage at a lower interest rate AND finance for 15 or 20
years instead of the usual 30 years.
5. Pay half your monthly mortgage payment every two weeks (talk to your
lender)

Smiles, not Piles,
Janet L. Hall

The Organizing Wizard, Janet L. Hall, is a Professional
Organizer, Speaker, and Author. She is the owner of
OverHall Consulting, and Organizing By Phone. Subscribe to
her FREE organizing newsletter at
http://www.overhall.com/newsletter.htm or visit
her web site at http://www.overhall.com

Copyright 2000 by OverHall Consulting
P.O. Box 263, Port Republic, MD 20676
All Rights Reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce, copy, or distribute so long as this copyright notice and full information about contacting the author is attached.


About the Author
The Organizing Wizard, Janet L. Hall, is a Professional
Organizer, Speaker, and Author. She is the owner of
OverHall Consulting, and Organizing By Phone. Subscribe to
her FREE organizing newsletter at
http://www.overhall.com/newsletter.htm or visit
her web site at http://www.overhall.com