FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 27, 2004
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Maria Hatzikonstantinou
Creative Response Concepts
703.683.5004 ext. 131
maria@crc4pr.com
Kristy Thomas
Creative Response Concepts
703.683.5004 ext. 136
kthomas@crc4pr.com
Visa USA and Professional Organizer Develop M.O.N.E.Y. System to Help Consumers Cure the Financial Clutterbug
Five Steps, Five Minutes Daily to Organizing Your Financial Life
San Francisco, CA - April 27, 2004 - To help cure the clutterbug in consumers' financial lives, Visa USA and professional organizer Christy Best have developed the M.O.N.E.Y. system, which provides five easy steps to help consumers organize their personal finances.
"The biggest mistake people make with their finances is letting them get so out of control that they feel overwhelmed," says Christy Best, a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers and founder of the Clutterbug Internet Network.
"From paying bills on the internet to keeping track of your debit card purchases, organization can help take the stress out of managing your money," said Rosetta Jones. "Through Visa's program, Practical Money Skills for Life, we're helping consumers learn better ways to make the most of their time and money."
By devoting five minutes every day to organizing expenses and bills, the M.O.N.E.Y. system can help consumers sort papers on their desks, keep track of receipts, create a filing system, and ultimately keep a monthly budget to track your income and expenses. The five rules of M.O.N.E.Y. include:
Move paper: File what you need and trash what you do not need.
Online bill payment: Let the Internet help reduce the hassle of paying bills and ensure they are paid on time, every time.
New ATM and purchase receipts: Keep in a decorative bowl or box on your desk and cross check against your monthly statements. Shred the receipts when you're done or file for tax purposes.
Evaluate expenses monthly: Most Americans are surprised to know how much they spend on everyday items like cabs and coffee. Keep track so you're aware of your spending as much as you're aware of your paycheck.
Your bottom-line: Manage your bottom line by creating a monthly spending plan and sticking to it.
"Once you create an organizational system, make it a habit," added Best. "Confronting paper, bills, documents and receipts daily may be the most liberating thing you can do for yourself and your finances. All it takes is a commitment on your part to improve your surroundings and tackle your financial responsibilities."
For interactive budget planning and money management tools to help organize finances or for more information on how the M.O.N.E.Y. system can help get rid of the financial clutter visit Visa's Practical Money Skills for Life website at www.PracticalMoneySkills.com.
About Visa
Visa is the world's leading payment brand and largest consumer payment system, enabling banks to provide their consumer and merchant customers with a wide variety of payment alternatives. Nearly 21,000 financial institutions worldwide rely on Visa's processing system, VisaNet, to facilitate $2.5 trillion in annual transaction volume with virtually 100-percent reliability. Consumers in more than 150 countries carry more than 1 billion Visa-branded cards, accepted at millions of locations worldwide. Within the United States, nearly 14,000 financial institutions issue 429 million Visa cards, accounting for more than $1.1 trillion in annual transaction volume. Visa offers a trusted, reliable and convenient way to access and mobilize financial resources - anytime, anywhere, any way.
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