Finish the Season with a Big Spring Fling Fiesta

By Sue Crum Ed.D., Professional Organizer

Last month I gave specific suggestions on looking around your home to see what items no longer serve you and what you could donate. Hopefully, with the longer days and later sunsets you have been motivated to start small and create some breathing space in your home, be it clearing out a junk drawer, a dresser drawer, a kitchen drawer or a small closet. Just making the decision to live with a little less but use what you have can give people a sense of calm and happiness that was not present before.

If you missed last month’s article, think of where you might spring into action with de-cluttering and organizing a space of manageable size. It could be a section of a home office or a corner of a dining room table; it could be your wallet or ladies, your purse. Empty the contents of the small de-cluttering project and sort the silly from the serious stuff; then, return items assigning them a specific home or space.

For those of you who got in the swing of spring last month and tackled something simple, hats off to you for this accomplishment. During the next 30 days keep an eye on that space you cleared and spend a few minutes every day or two just straightening and quickly returning items to their proper home. I call this the “Jiffy Lube Tune-up” step. It will not take but a few minutes to tweak the space since you’ve already de-cluttered and organized it last month.

With spring finishing up and summer right behind it, consider moving on to a bigger spring fling project. Many of us have house guests in the summer because our weather in San Diego is spectacular. Others of us may not have the guests but summertime is when we want to live lighter, walk more and get by with less:  less big meals, less layers of clothing, less fancy meals and less structure to our days.

Is there a big project you have been putting off for some months or years because there just hasn’t been the right time to do it?

Can you schedule time between now and the 4^th of July to tackle that with a team?

If not now maybe you could set a goal between now and Labor Day or now and Thanksgiving.

What’s important is setting a deadline. Some of us have garages packed with everything but the cars; others of us are paying month after month on storage unit rentals that are housing possessions we no longer use and only vaguely remember what those items look like.

These kinds of projects are not for the faint at heart. They require a team approach. Think about who you could recruit to help you. Perhaps a relative or two comes to mind, especially if some or many of the items belong to that person or persons. Some of us don’t have relatives nearby, so think about a neighbor or good friend. There are many teenagers who are too young to get a part-time job and they may live in your neighborhood or be the children of your friends, eager to earn a little spending money for the summer. With a group helping you the task will not be so daunting. Develop a plan of action and then dig in!

If you would like to clear up a garage or storage unit and can’t think of anyone else who could help you, our Rapid Response Team approach might be just the answer:

This month in honor of Mother’s Day, I am giving a 12% discount off of the regular Rapid Response Day (Mother’s Day is May 12^th). Contact me no later than May 31^st and say you want to book a Rapid Response Day sometime in the future but want to take advantage of this special offer. Call me for details at 760.803.2786 and say “I want to hear about your Rapid Response Day program with the 12% discount.”

“Indecision becomes decision with time.” – Author Unknown

Sue Crum is an international speaker and founder of De-Clutteryourlife.com and the owner of the RED team.  She consults and shows people how to de-clutter and organize their lives for better productivity. Her forthcoming book, De-Clutter Your Life – 50 Ways to Organize Your Life, Home or Business so that you can be More Calm, Focused, and Happy, will be available later this summer.  Call her to speak to one of your groups or help you with de-cluttering and organizing. 760.803.2786. To receive her latest EBook, Red Hot etips List for De-Cluttering Your Life, sign up at www.de-clutteryourlife.com. You will also receive monthly RED Hot etips for energized and efficient people and learn where Sue is next presenting.

by Sue Crum, Ed.D. Professional Organizer

Spring has sprung and with it new beginnings, great opportunities, and longer days!

It’s the time of year for putting away the Ugg boots and heavy sweaters, clearing out the cobwebs of our homes and lives and creating a world how we imagine it could be: Calm, Clutter-Free and Happy.

How do we do that?

We can start by looking at our environments, home and work. It’s the perfect time to shed old habits that haven’t served us well, shred old papers and files we no longer need and wed ourselves to fresh starts.

Look around and see where you could begin. Whether you live alone or with others, make it into a spring fling party. What clothes are you no longer wearing that could be donated? If you have children, now is the perfect time to attack those closets and see what no longer fits. With hefty bags at the ready, see if you can make some breathing room in the dresser drawers and closets of your home. Put the filled bags in your car and drop them off at the nearest donation center.

Once you finish this, you’ll be in the mood to spring fling another area of your home or business. How about your office or the place where your papers have been dwelling? By this time of year your tax reports should be completed. How “Zen” can you make your office space now?

Sometimes we leave files and piles out on countertops because our file cabinets are bursting. Use these longer days and later sunsets to take a look at the back of those file drawers. Can you release to the universe files you haven’t looked at in months or even years? Is it possible to create “breathing space” in those file cabinets rather than going out and buying more file drawers?

If you have sensitive documents, of course the man to contact is Mike Krauss at 619.295.5474 at Total Secure Shredding! You can drop off your items to be shredded at his place near the San Diego Sports Arena or arrange for mobile shredding services if you have quite a bit.

So, shed your sweatshirts and long pants, crank up some music and start creating more open space for new opportunities and experiences. Summer’s just around the corner; it’s time to spring toward it!

“What the world really needs is more love and less paperwork.” – Pearl Bailey 

Sue Crum is an international speaker and founder of De-Clutteryourlife.com and the owner of the RED team.  She consults and shows people how to de-clutter and organize their lives for better productivity. Her forthcoming book, De-Clutter Your Life – 50 Ways to Organize Your Life, Home or Business so that you can be More Calm, Focused, and Happy, will be available in June.  Call her to speak to one of your groups or help you with de-cluttering and organizing. 760.803.2786.

To receive her latest EBook, Red Hot etips List for De-Cluttering Your Life, sign up at www.de-clutteryourlife.com. You will also receive monthly RED Hot etips for energized and efficient people and learn where Sue is next presenting.

Build R.A.F.T.S.

Are You Suffering from March Madness

By Sue Crum, Ed.D., Professional Organizer

Yikes! It’s March already!!

We are heading to the end of the first quarter of 2013 and with that looming deadline there’s one right behind it…

Which deadline is that, you ask?

April 15^th!

As we’ve all heard there are two things we can count on in this world:  death and taxes!

Leaving death alone for now, we are right smack in the middle of tax season.

Does this year have you MAD again at yourself that you are MARCHING through the house looking for all those important papers from 2012?

If so, now is the time to grab hold and say – “NO MORE!”

Paper management continues to be a problem for most people. While a paperless society has been discussed since the 1970s, many of us are still drowning in it. If that is you, here are a few quick steps to get you marching through the mayhem without all the madness!

If your papers are everywhere:

Grab at least six banker’s boxes. These are available at any office supply store. They are easy to assemble, come with lids, and are made of cardboard and very inexpensive. If you have papers in every room, you will need more than six boxes.

When we are drowning, what do we need?  We need to build… R   A   F   T S

Label the five boxes as follows:

• R - Reading material;
• A - Action items: You need to do something with this – pay a bill, call someone, give to tax person, etc.;
• F - File: You have taken action but now just want to file for reference;
• T - Toss or recycle;
• S - Shred.

Line up these five boxes in the room with the most papers.

Can you see the word RAFTS?

If so, you are ready to begin, once you put on your favorite dancing music and set a timer.

Start with 30-45 minutes of time.  Grab a stack of paper and get sorting!

Do not stop to read the magazines or catalogs or long articles you haven’t had time to read yet. Simply quickly drop then in the R box for reading.

Do not stop to complete any action item. Just drop it in the A box for action later.

Keep working and stay focused. When the timer goes off after a block of time, take a five minute break, and begin again.

Continue this with the papers you have. The time this will take you will depend on three things

1. the volume of loose papers you have,
2. your energy level and
3. the amount of time you schedule for this.

When papers are sorted into these five categories, place the R box by a comfortable reading chair; put the T box out for trash/recycling; put the F box in the room with your filing cabinet. If your S box of shredding is not full, set aside to keep adding to it later. If you have several of these boxes for shredding, be sure and contact Mike at www.TotalSecureShredding.com and see which plan fits you best. Tell him “hi” from me!

Now you are left with the A box only. On the same day or another day that you put on your schedule (depending on your energy level), go back through the A box, and remove any paper item tied to taxes for 2012: W-9s, 1099s, stock transactions, business receipts, charitable contributions. Put all those in the sixth box and label it 2012 Tax Papers.

Hooray! Congratulate yourself that you have marched through the madness and schedule time to meet that April 15^th deadline! 

“Death, taxes and childbirth! There’s never any convenient time for any of them.”

-Margaret Mitchell, author, Gone with the Wind

Sue Crum is an international speaker and founder of De-Clutteryourlife.com and the owner of the RED team.  She consults and shows people how to de-clutter and organize their lives for better productivity. Her forthcoming book, De-Clutter Your Life – 50 Ways to Organize Your Life, Home or Business so that you can be More Calm, Focused, and Happy, will be available this spring.  Call her to speak to one of your groups or help you with de-cluttering and organizing. 760.803.2786. To receive her latest EBook, Red Hot etips List for De-Cluttering Your Life, sign up at www.de-clutteryourlife.com. You will also receive monthly RED Hot etips for energized and efficient people and learn where Sue is next presenting.

IT’S NOT TOO LATE FOR A NEW START TO THE NEW YEAR!!

By Sue Crum, Ed.D.

The New Year began last month and I hope you’re off to a great start!

Even if your year so far just looks like a continuation of last year and all your wonderful intentions are laying on the floor of your closet, don’t despair.

I’m here to tell you it’s not too late for a new beginning!!

It’s only February!! We still have 11 more months of 2013 and plenty of time to change those habits we’ve been meaning to improve.

Last month I said be sure and let go of those New Year’s Resolutions. Research from various sources continues to suggest that the majority of those who make resolutions fail to keep them beyond six months. Often, they fall by the wayside within 30 days and we start to feel like a failure pretty quickly.

According to the University of Scranton, Journal of Clinical Psychology, the New Year’s Resolution of getting organized is ranked second in importance right after losing weight.

The problem with getting organized as a resolution (and also the same with losing weight) is it is often said at a party or made as a cute remark without any serious thought given to it. Lacking specificity it just becomes some silly statement, sure to get a laugh at a holiday gathering.

Why do you think getting organized keeps showing up on these New Year’s Resolutions Lists?

It’s that clean slate, fresh beginning, new start of things, I imagine.

Forget resolutions – think goals instead: changing our habits, one day at a time!

We’ve been in this age of acquisition for a long time now, becoming acquisitive instead of inquisitive. By that I mean, we’ve continued to acquire (purchase, barter, find, create, or been given) possessions at a rapid rate.

As the New Year is still young, let’s use fresh eyes to examine all that we’ve accumulated and ask ourselves the all-important questions:

• Do I really, truly love this? 
• Do I really, truly need this? 
• Will I really, truly use this?

Make this the Year of Less but also the Year of More:

• Less clutter – More space
• Less rush – More methodical thought
• Less busy work – More important work
• Less noise – More solitude
• Less focus on the past or the future – More on the present
• Less junk food – More healthy food
• Less TV – More reading
• Less driving – More walking
• Less work – More play

Add to this list with your own Less______________ and More___________________.

If you’ve decided that 2013 is your year to live a healthier, clutter-free life, start out small and build in success.

Don’t know where to begin?

—> Start with your purse.

—> Start with the trunk of the car.

—> Start with a bathroom or dresser drawer.

The important part is to make a small start.

Create a new habit where a bad, old habit has been. What steps can you take that will move you forward into a New You Year?

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

-Tao Te Ching

Where will you begin?

Sue Crum, Ed.D., is an international speaker and founder of De-Clutteryourlife.com. She is the owner of the RED team, consulting and showing  people how to de-clutter and organize their lives for better productivity. Her forthcoming book, De-Clutter Your Life – 50 Ways to Organize Your Life, Home or Business so that you become More Calm, Focused, and Happy, will be available in March.. Call her to speak to one of your groups or help you with de-cluttering and organizing. 760.803.2786. Sign up to receive her FREE Ebook –  RED Hot etips List: Simple Strategies YOU can do NOW!  Contact her at 760.803.2786 to arrange to have Sue speak to your group. www.de-clutteryourlife.com.

The Case of the Baseball Player Who Struck Out

By David W. Taklender, CPA

Alimony is a very contentious issue for many reasons in addition to the emotional aspects.

For our purposes we are concerned about the tax law implications.  What you need to know is that when divorces are taking place where children are involved, spousal support and child support are also being negotiated.

If you don’t already know, spousal support (alimony) is deductible by the payor and is considered taxable income by the payee.  On the flip side of that coin, child support is neither deductible by the payor, nor is it considered taxable for the recipient.

Therefore, it should become obvious that during divorce negotiations the payor usually always wants their payments to be structured as all or mostly alimony and the recipient would prefer it be referred to as 100% child support.

Usually, a combination of the two is the end result and we, as tax preparers, follow the divorce decrees signed by a judge to determine how to report the payments.  I say, “usually” we follow the divorce decree.  This is because over the years, the IRS and the tax courts have ruled that regardless of what a divorce decree states by a family court judge, if the payments do not follow specific requirements written in the tax code, then the payments will not be considered alimony, regardless of what the separation agreement says.

The requirements for payments by a spouse to a former spouse to be considered alimony are:

1. Payments must be in cash or check/money order (transfer of property or services do not qualify)
2. Payments must be received by spouse (or on behalf of spouse – i.e. indirect alimony)
3. Must be received under divorce or written separation agreement (i.e. no voluntary payments)
4. It is not alimony if the agreement designates the payments as excludable from payee spouse’s gross income
5. Payee and payor spouse cannot live together (no joint return)
6. Alimony must stop after payee spouse’s death

Child Support

Payments are NOT alimony if the agreement fixes part of any payment for child’s support

1. in dollar amounts or
2. as a percentage.

A payment IS child support (not alimony) IF the reduction occurs at a time “clearly associated with a contingency.”

Examples of a Clear Contingency include

1. reduction occurring six months before or after a child attains age 18, 21, or majority age;
2. reduction occurs more than one year before after two children reach the same age, and
3. the child:
   • attaining a specified age,
   • dying,
   • leaving school,
   • marrying,
   • leaving home, or
   • gaining employment.

THE CASE OF THE BASEBALL PLAYER WHO STRUCK OUT – David LaPoint

Strike One - Signing away your rights.

Dave LaPoint ended his 11 year major league baseball career in 1991, the year after he married Laura Jean Clear.  In 1992, the couple signed a post-nuptial agreement which provided that in the event of divorce, Ms. Clear would receive: 1) rights to any monies Dave received from the Baseball Players Association resulting from any “collusion settlement”; 2) $50,000 per year as long as Dave was being paid to play or participate in baseball; and 3) health insurance and medical reimbursement.  Unfortuately for Dave, the post-nuptial agreement also contained language requiring that the agreement terms came to the benefit of, and were binding upon, “the parties herto, their heirs, exectuors, legal representatives and assigns.”

Strike Two – Dave gets divorced in 2002 and post-nuptial agreement becomes part of the decree.

The New York Supreme Court rejected Dave’s claim to have the post-nuptial agreement set aside and instead granted Ms. Clear’s motion to have the agreement incorporated into the judgment of divorce. Dave and Laura’s divorce was finalized in 2005 and all marital assets were divided in accordance with the post-nuptial agreement.

Strike Three – Collusion settlement payments made to ex-wife are NOT deductible alimony as no termination of death clause was present.

On his Federal income tax returns for 2002 and 2004, Dave reported as gross income collusion payments (funds that Dave will receive from the Baseball Players Association, aka “baseball collusion” monies) he received from MLB in the amount of $294,749 and $385,964, respectively.  Dave, in compliance with the post-nuptial agreement, handed over the income to his soon to be ex-wife. He then deducted the payments as alimony. But, because it was written that Ms. Clear’s rights to the MLB collusion payments would continue “even after her death,” meant no alimony for Dave….ouch!

What would have been a good solution? 

Well, because of something called the assignment of income doctrine, he couldn’t simply assign half of his income to his ex-wife and expect her to be taxed on it; so, the only possibility would have been for LaPoint to adjust his property settlement with his ex-wife during negotiations in order to equalize the situation by taking into consideration the tax he would pay on the money that his ex-wife receives on an after-tax basis.  His lawyer? I don’t know….sleeping maybe?  I’m sure after that he probably lost a client.

Ain’t love grand?!

Read more about David Taklender at www.dtakcpa.com