Everybody wants to know “how long should I keep records?”  Each time I’m asked I refer clients to the IRS’s answer to this question to draw their own conclusions.  

Most are surprised to learn that they are keeping tax documents for about 4 years longer than necessary.  

A while back someone wrote in with a question on the Paper Tiger filing system. My email to her summarized countless conversations with clients I’ve had on the same topic. Though I have one client now who successfully uses one, I rarely see them in-use. In fact, I can’t go a month without finding one of these systems empty or abandoned in a new client’s drawers.

In a magnificently stuffed antique shop in Royal Oak, Maryland (Eastern Shore) last week I was reminded of how much I love vintage office supplies.  They combine my love of all things patina, quality, age, and good design with office organizing. I gasped when amongst the thousands of odd and beautiful objects, a vintage brass letter sorter jumped into my arms.

Often when speaking to a prospective client for the first time, they say, “My biggest problem is maintenance.”  There is no maintenance checklist that applies to everyone, but one way my clients learn to maintain their files is to update their dated folders shortly after the new year.