Managing the Paper Onslaught

Almost every day, I find 3-8 solicitations in the mail, that are tied to my age/approaching retirement.  Every one of them is designed to separate me from my money.

  • Medicare ads
  • Hearing aid offers
  • Insurance ads
  • Financial planning ads
  • Mortgage refi offers
  • Retirement property/retirement community flyers
I generally junk most.  A few I put into a folder, to be looked at when the need arises.  I wonder what percentage of the senior population acts on these offers.

I've divided my mail into groups:
  • Current bills - they go into the slotted dividers, to be acted on/paid when due
  • Information - two types
    • Tax info - in the box to be taken to the accountant after the first of the year
    • Long-term information - put into folders, and file away until needed
  • Junk - toss/shred and toss
  • Personal - my choice
By far the biggest group is junk.  I resist the temptation to load up on debt by immediately tearing the credit offers into pieces.

The same with receipts.  They are either important, and can be filed/put into the Tax box, or unimportant, and can be tossed.  By handling them immediately, I eliminate a source of clutter.

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