September may be the month of three-day weekends, but a Financial Concierge never rests!

Who am I kidding? I am having a great September so far! After taking the month of August off from blogging, I am back with more stories to tell – like this diverse set of challenges presented to me on one day:

September 8, 2015

• Processing the mail: I read the mail to a client who suffers from macular degeneration and took her bills back to my office where they will be paid, scanned and shredded.
• Daily money manager: I stopped at another client’s house to pick up her mail and have a brief meeting. We discussed the state of her accounts, and whether or not she needs funds transferred into the bill pay account to pay her estimated taxes and mortgage as well as other monthly expenses.
• Interpreting a letter from the New York State government: Being a Financial Concierge also means being an interpreter of government jargon. The next client I helped had let go of their nanny and subsequently received a notice from the New York State Department of Labor. According to the letter, their employer contribution rate payable for compensation to the administrative unemployment office was increasing as a result. After explaining the situation to them, I provided them with an official New York State publication that explains the system.
• Tracking specific expenses: I was happy to see that one of my clients was keeping an eagle eye on his expenses when he contacted me for a report on landscaping expenditures. Because I categorize and track my clients’ expenses, it took no time to print an easy-to-understand report.
• College tuition: Another client needed me to verify that their child’s college tuition had been paid and credited properly.
• Internet fraud: A grandmother called me about some strange emails she had received. I helped her change her passwords on several accounts.
• Elder care: I met with an elder care manager in order to find a new caregiver who was the right fit for a 95-year-old client.
• A voice of reason: The daughter of a client got into a car accident, so I took care of the car accident report. I became concerned when my client’s home health aide inserted himself into the picture, claiming to be qualified to do the body work on the damaged car. I explained to my client why this was a bad idea (lack of insurance, experience, etc.). She agreed to take the car to a professional.
• Moving logistics: A couple I work for made the decision to downsize and move into a condo in a high rise building. It turns out the air conditioning for the building was down, so we had to make other plans for them.
• Shady car dealership: A client was interested in buying a car, so he gave a dealership his American Express card to cover a deposit. When he decided not to buy the car, he discovered that the deposit had not been refunded. We contacted American Express and disputed the charge.

And no matter how busy I am, when my day is over, it’s over. Barring any emergencies, after 6 pm is my time – and I hope you do the same for yourself. If you can’t, then it may be time to hire a Financial Concierge to free up some of your valuable time.

Judith Heft, Principal, Judith Heft & Associates is a personal financial concierge with offices in Greenwich and Stamford. She can be contacted via email at [email protected] or by phone 203-978-1858.