​It’s hot outside, 90 degrees in Athens today. If you are spending more time indoors then why not spend it organizing? When is the last time you organized your address book (paper or digital), business cards, files (digital and paper), junk drawer, sock drawer, kitchen, craft area, photos, wrapping paper, book shelves, basement, attic, garage and much more?

A few years ago I challenged my Newsletter readers to organize 1 particular area of their home or office each month and I want to bring that back. Are you up for the challenge?
I challenge you to organize your address book(s) this month. All of your address books: paper and digital. You may have multiple books for different areas of your life:

• Friends
• Family
• Professionals
• Physicians
• Repair Service Companies
• Church
• Volunteer Activities
• School
• Business
  • Colleagues
  • People you meet at Conventions
  • People you meet through Associations and Networking
•  Kids
  • School
  • Activities

Contacts in your address books need to be organized in a way where you can find the information you are looking for. As you can see in the list above it can get complicated quickly. I certainly can’t remember the names of every person I associate with or have done business with. It is imperative that I organize my address book in a logical manner for me. I no longer use a paper address book and I’m sure many of you do not either.
How to Organize an Address Book (paper and digital):

• Merge duplicates 
• Clean up contacts information
• Delete contacts
• Add contacts
• Add notes to contacts for example I know John through my son’s soccer team and his son’s name is Austin.
• File under business type or professional type, if you don’t think you will remember the contacts name. For example Plumber John’s Plumbing, Painting Southern Painting Co., Doctor Dr. Smith Dermatologist for all of your doctors, Hair Dresser, Etcetera
• If you purchased a new address book for this project make sure to THROW away or shred the old one when your done

If you decide to play along and actually organize your address book this month….or in the next few months I would love to hear from you.

Happy Organizing!
Adele Gross 

Tax Deductions

Finding, tallying, and reporting tax deductible deductions are a worthwhile endeavor. Itemizing deductions, if you qualify, can make a substantial difference to the amount of taxes owed. So why do so many people wait until the last minute to figure them out or not bother to calculate them at all? We all know the process is NOT fun, unless you are getting a refund, however those days are long over for most of us.

Do you still do your own taxes? My husband and I switched to a CPA many years ago when we received a dreaded letter from the I.R.S. about an error on our return. My husband and I decided to hire a Professional. Our taxes were becoming more complicated each year.
A large portion of my business is prepping taxes for clients. I get their tax forms and deductions summarized and ready for their CPA’s. I work with these clients on a regular basis. They appreciate not having to compile everything themselves.   

Here is a list of some common tax deductions:

• Home Mortgage Interest
• Ad Valorem Tax
• Safe Deposit Box Fee
• Investment Fees
• 529 Plan Contributions
• Charitable Donations
  • Mileage for Charitable Work
• Student Loan Interest
• Business/Professional Expenses that were not reimbursed through your company
• Medical & Dental Expenses – If they exceed 10% of your gross income 7.5% if you are age 65 or older. Check out all the medical expense deductions. It also includes a weight loss program if your physician says it is medically necessary.
  • Medical Mileage
• Medical Premiums (Some exemptions apply click the hyperlink above)
• Long Term Care Insurance Policies
• Click here for a comprehensive list of credits and deductions on the IRS website

Printing and keeping track of your own deductions is becoming more commonplace. There are many companies that don’t mail tax forms. Here are a few examples: Student loan interest, if you or your child paid interest on a student loan and you did not get a form in the mail go to your online account and print it. I contributed to my son’s Georgia 529 plan this year and last year but Path 2 College did not send me a tax form. This saves my family a lot of money on our state taxes. This is upsetting but it is just the way it is. You have to be your own tax advocate.

Did you pay a fee for your IRA, Brokerage or any other Investment Account? Make sure you claim it. You may need to “find” the fee on a yearend statement. Investment companies have not had to divulge all of their fees but that is changing in April 2017. Are you over the age of 70 1/2 and not taking your Required Minimum Distributions (RMD’s)? You will be penalized. RMD’s are only required on regular IRA’s not Roth IRA’s. This happened to one of my client’s. Do you have older parents? Find out if they are taking their distributions.

Did you donate items to a non-profit this year? Claim a realistic valuation. If you have no idea what your items are worth here are some options. Here is Goodwill’s Tax Deductible values and Salvation Army’s. According to the website Charity Deductions.com taxpayers are leaving $42 Billion unclaimed for non-cash donations. I was surprised when I looked at Salvation Army’s valuation guide; I was undervaluing everything I donated.

Tax deduction forms and some tax income forms are not sent out. My daughter had an internship last summer with a large corporation. They did not send her a W-2 (It is a significant amount of money). She had to call the company to find out how to get it. I thought companies had to send out W-2’s? I know they sent it to the Internal Revenue Service……

Anyway the moral of this blog post is to be your own Tax Saving Advocate. It is worth your time to go through all of your check registers, credit card statements and investment statements to look for your hard earned deductions.

Happy Tax Organizing,

Adele Gross
Chief Executive Organizer
Adele@simplesolutionorganizing.com
706-714-1314

Valerie, is ready to use her office as an office again. She will use it for her work as an Artist.

Transformed into a beautiful office 

Does your office resemble this photo or maybe the before photo? Your office does not need a complete overhaul for Simple Solution Organizing to help you. We work with individuals and small businesses to increase efficiency and productivity. We begin this process through our comprehensive evaluation. Our consultation consists of reviewing your evaluation and current systems. Client's tell us, this exercise is extremely beneficial. 

The evaluation takes approximately 30 minutes to complete and an hour to review. The client fills out the evaluation on their own and we review it during our first appointment. Our session consists of brainstorming, goal setting and developing an individualized plan, including recommendations and solutions, to help you and your business streamline processes. 

Here is a list of a few clients we have worked with: Heyward Allen Motor Company, Stanfield Air, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Keegan (now Raymond James), EO Studios, Connected Technologies, Athens Atlas Chiropractic Center, The Retreat Day Spa.   

Adele Tusson-Gross
706-714-1314