This is Week Five of 2020: The Clarity Project, a yearlong effort to get organized and simplified with your money.
It is a new month, so a new theme–February’s theme is TAXES.
This week, I’ve been busy with:
*finally getting a Real ID driver’s license. This is the type of ID that people will need to fly after October 1. Many people have already done this by now, or your state’s licenses qualify as Real IDs, but Illinois requires a separate process. I am glad to have it behind me, and I will be nudging the other members of our family to get theirs ASAP. Have you gotten yours yet?
*taxes! I try to complete the challenges before I post the challenge. So in the past few weeks, I’ve been diligently focusing on taxes. I actually enjoy doing taxes (until I hit a snag, and then it can be frustrating). I try to file taxes as early as possible, and I hope that this year is no different.
**listening avidly to this podcast episode of “HerMoney”–an interview with former con artist-turned FBI agent Frank Abagnale– on how everyone i susceptible to being scammed, and ideas on how to protect yourself. I had never heard of the movie “Catch Me If You Can,” which is based on his early life (before he turned good). I see it’s not available on Amazon Prime or Netflix. I can get it from the library, but I wonder if it’s worthwhile. If you’ve seen it, let me know. I definitely want to check out his new book about avoiding scams.
*getting more organized about my reading, and sharing favorites. I wrote about January’s reads here.
What is new with The Clarity Project?
I intend for these (mostly weekly) e-mails to be quick to read, easy to understand, and simple to implement.
Simple, but not necessarily easy.
The word for February is TAXES.
This Week’s TAXES Challenge:Get an IRS Identity Protection PIN (if you are eligible).
The challenge has a blog post with resources and more about the topic.
As with the others, this post follows the 5W1H format–who, what, when, where, why, and how.
Here is my weekly reminder to you: you may be way ahead of a particular challenge, or way behind. It is okay either way.
But you can take some kind of action on the challenge, even if that is just learning about the topic. (though this week’s challenge is one of the easiest all year). Studies show that people often have to hear about something seven times before it “sticks.” Consider this one of the seven.
This week, I write about why it’s a good idea to get an IRS Identity Protection PIN. People in 19 states and the District of Columbia are eligible, as well as people who have been victims of identity theft.
You can reply to this e-mail with any questions, suggestions, or anything else. I love to hear from you!
Remember, you’re doing well with your money, and you can do better.
All the best,
Nancy
Your Money Mom
