Money Tips for Women- dovetail organizer

Recently, I read a Magazine called City Woman. One of the first articles in the magazine really spoke to what we believe in here at Dovetail. The first message was by Colette Southam and she says "One of the best investments you can make is in your own education...You can it slowly over time."
When we developed dovetail organizer, it was exactly for that reason. A very easy comprehensive tool to help you understand what you have, what your partner has if you have one, where the information is kept and if you need to make any decisions on what you have and if it is up to date. As you uncover information, you learn and you grow. And you are much more prepared for dealing with your information because you know what it is. You are empowered by the knowledge.

The checklist that appears in this magazine is to the point and is a follows:
All women should:
*know their current net worth
*have a solid grasp of their household's monthly cash flow and expenses
*have an understanding of their retirement plan
*understand the risk in their investment portfolio
*know where important documents are kept (which includes investment statements, life insurance policies, wills) *****all this in included in the dovetail organizer***
*ensure they have enough life insurance on their partner or their own life
*plan for the unexpected death of their spouse, or divorce
*understand their tax situation and ways to save taxes today and in retirement (i.e. income splitting)

Spend sometime on yourself in the next few months and work through this checklist. You will be glad you did. And I bet you will learn more than you thought you would.

Gayle White-Malloy
www.dovetailorganizer.com

Six easy tips to focus on wellness

Last week I focused on financial health.
This week, my #2 tip is to focus on personal health.
As Dr. Jonathan Kerr, a member of the College of Family Physicians of Canada,said "The healthiest people are the ones who do things on a regular basis".
Even making small choices throughout the day, he adds, leads to better health because they turn into positive habits. Sounds easy.
The following six easy tips can make a big impact on your health and they will not take long. Promise.
1- Review your annual health appointments. When was the last time you had your teeth checked, had your annual physical exam, or had your eyes checked? Set up the appointments based on your schedule and make sure you keep them.
2- Brush your teeth at least once a day and floss daily. Taking care of your mouth can help prevent cardiovascular disease, and fight infection and tooth decay.
3- Check your smoke alarms and ensure you test alarms monthly and replace the batteries twice a year. Smoke alarms save lives.
4- Take time to recharge your battery each day. When you are mentally calm, you make better decisions and have a clearer head.
5- Be an informed consumer of everything you put in your mouth. Make healthy choices and check labels of food you purchase to know the percentage of calories, fat and sodium in particular. Some food seems healthy on the surface but really aren't. Remember when a can of soup was the lunch time choice?
6- Educate yourself on heart attack and stroke symptoms. And washing your hands is one of the simplest ways to prevent spreading of cold and flu germs.
Enjoy and live well.
www.dovetailorganizer.com

"5 Key Things to do to help you sleep at night"

If you are anything like me, life is just moving too fast. Some days it feels like I cannot catch up. And yet, alot of it is self inflicted. Saying yes to too many things that all sound good on their own merit, and yet it is the cumulative effect that can get tiring. And at the end of the day, I ask myself did I take care of what I really needed to? Some days yes, and alot of days no.
So the following list is where I am starting to help me stay on track.

#1- Is my financial house in order? Are my bills paid, what expenses are coming up this month, and how much income do I have coming in to match the black with the red. The more I know about my day to day numbers and long term needs, the more informed I am. It makes it alot easier to know what to say no to. So I am taking the time to really understand the dollars and cents of every decision I have made or am considering both personally and professionally. What will give me the best return on my investment. And it is not always money.

Till next time, enjoy today, remember what gave you joy and what you can let go of.
Tip #2 to follow!

Gayle White-Malloy at www.dovetailorganizer.com