- Why is this a paper-based planner?
Introducing a paper-based planner in the computer age might seem odd, but not when you consider that the majority of
financial statements and records are still delivered in paper form – and will continue to be for the foreseeable
future. The fact of the matter is that you WANT to have paper copies of your financial statements. It is the most
reliable form of storage, it is readily accessible, and it is not susceptible to computer crashes or hacking activity.
It is often easier to look for a paper record in a well-organized storage binder than having to wait for the computer
to power up and search through myriad folders for the right file. For these reasons, one of our goals is to provide
you with a system to organize all of your important financial records into a convenient 3-ring binder for easy access,
storage, and retrieval
- How is this product different from any other “organizer” on the market?
Most every organizer solution on the market provides a place to store and retrieve financial records, and the Juggling Duck
Financial Organizer is no exception. Our product specifically focuses on important tax-related records, including bank
statements, retirement accounts, investment accounts, college savings accounts, Social Security statements, credit reports,
mortgage records, and tax receipts. (We recommend that non-taxable items like utility and phone bills be stored in a
separate place, which we refer to as a “bill box”).
But the Juggling Duck Financial Organizer is more than just a storage binder. It provides you with over twenty (20)
different types of “fill-in-the-blank” worksheets to help plan and manage your finances, including: maintaining account
login information, tracking bill payments, creating a personal net worth statement, defining financial goals, budgeting
and tracking expenses, and estimating your life insurance needs. It also gives examples of completed worksheets to show
you how to use them.
What truly distinguishes the Juggling Duck Financial Organizer is the Juggling Duck Financial Workbook, our 76-page,
easy-to-read tutorial that steps you through the process of organizing your records, developing a financial plan, managing
your money, and managing your “downside risks” (e.g., maintaining a good credit rating, ensuring adequate life insurance
coverage). As you are well aware, personal financial management is complex and encompasses a broad set of activities.
With so many things to keep track of, you do not always know where to start or what to do next. The Juggling Duck
Financial Workbook gives you the specific action steps and, equally importantly, the necessary background knowledge to
create your very own financial blueprint.
So before you buy any other financial organizer product, you should ask yourself four questions:
- Will it provide me with a place to store and retrieve my most important financial records?
- Will it help me plan my financial activities and manage my money?
- Will it explain things I do not know in a way that is easy-to-understand?
- Will it enable me to do all of these things in the limited amount of time I have to devote to these tasks?
In the case of the Juggling Duck Financial Organizer, the answer to all four questions is a resounding “yes,” and that is
why we believe we have the best product on the market.
- Who could benefit from using the Juggling Duck Organizer?
The Juggling Duck Financial Organizer was originally designed for Busy Families who are
trying to juggle multiple, conflicting, financial priorities –child care, housing, college savings, retirement, vacations,
new car, home improvements. The Juggling Duck Financial Organizer is also well-suited to:
- "Twenty Somethings" trying to figure out how they will ever afford a car, a house, a family, or a life.
- Newlyweds, and those planning to get married, trying to consolidate their finances and plan for the future.
- Prospective home buyers saving for a down payment.
- New parents trying to work child care and baby expenses into their budget, and thinking ahead to their child’s future.
- Retirement Savers preparing for their retirement years.
- Retirees now living on a fixed income.
- Suddenly Singles, including divorcees, widows and widowers, establishing a new financial foundation and moving forward on their own.
- How much do I need to know about money to benefit from the Juggling Duck Financial Organizer and Workbook?
Our objective is to empower people to build their own financial blueprint, regardless of how much or how little they know
about money. The Juggling Duck Financial Workbook provides you with the step-by-step process and the background
information to complete each step.
- How long will it take me to complete the Juggling Duck Financial Organizer program?
If you had uninterrupted blocks of time to devote to the program, you could probably complete the majority of steps within
a week or two. However, that is rarely the case for anyone, especially busy families trying to juggle their family
activities, school schedules, extracurricular activities, and work commitments. But one of the strengths of our program
is that the process is broken down into a series of specific “bite-sized” action steps. This enables you to put it down
and pick it back up as your schedule permits.
- Can I use the Juggling Duck Financial Organizer with personal financial management (PFM) software like Quicken® software or Microsoft® Money software?
Absolutely! The Juggling Duck Financial Organizer is a convenient place to store paper copies of the reports you create
with PFM software – for example, net worth statement (stored in Tab 3 of the Organizer), budget (Tab 6), and monthly
budget tracking reports (Tab 7).
- Can you help me identify which stocks to buy, how to reduce my tax liability, or help me perform estate planning?
No, no and no! The Juggling Duck Financial Organizer and Workbook are designed to provide accurate and authoritative
information with regard to the organization of your financial records. We are not in the business of rendering financial,
investment, legal, tax, estate planning, or other professional services. Therefore, the information provided in this book
does not replace the professional advice of your financial, tax and legal advisors. In fact, we recommend that you do
enlist the help of a competent, trustworthy financial advisor. Financial advisors can help you establish realistic goals,
identify promising investment vehicles, articulate the tradeoffs associated with making certain decisions, and educate you
on a host of topics related to personal financial management.
Look at our product as helping you to improve the quality of your communications with your financial advisor. Using the
Financial Organizer, you will be able to provide your financial advisor with a complete view of where you stand
financially, where you want to go, and how you plan to get there. Armed with this information, a competent financial
advisor can better support you.
- Is this a “one-size fits all” solution? Can I customize it to meet my needs?
When it comes to developing an organizer solution of any kind, one size does not fit all. The Juggling Duck Organizer and
Workbook are designed to address common financial scenarios for people who live in the United States. The Organizer is
formatted, as a starting point, for families consisting of two working spouses with up to three children. It also assumes
that neither of the wage earners is self-employed. But the Organizer and Workbook are by no means exclusive to that
scenario. The Organizer also comes with six blank dividers that you can customize to suit your particular needs.
- Can I buy all of the supplies direct through Juggling Duck Organizers?
To help you customize your Financial Organizer, we provide links on our web site, “Supplies and Links”, to the
Staples.com® on-line store where you can purchase useful accessories. Among the items that you may find useful are:
- 3-hole punch
- 3-ring folder inserts
- 3-ring zipper pouches
- 3-ring sheet protectors
- What other products are available/being developed?
Juggling Duck Organizers is developing a number of new products, including:
- Juggling Duck Family Organizer: The Juggling Duck Family Organizer is a comprehensive day-to-day family reference.
It provides one central location for organizing information and papers you use in your daily life, and provides you with
templates that enable you to manage your everyday life and plan ahead. Target Date: January 2008.
- Juggling Duck Home Organizer: The Juggling Duck Home Organizer is a storage binder for organizing all of your various
home records. It also provides you with tools for managing your home maintenance activities, as well as planning future
home improvement projects. Target Date: March 2008.
- Juggling Duck Budgeting Tool: The Budgeting Tool is an electronic spreadsheet-based tool that automates the budgeting
process described in the Juggling Duck Financial Organizer.
If you would like to be notified of new product offerings, click here. |
