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.