I hate, hate, hate the mail, and it’s probably been about nine months since I last checked it. That, of course, has its disadvantages—for example: creditors don’t accept “out-of-sight-out-of-mind” as a valid reason for being late with payments.
I’ve decided hiring a bookkeeper would solve all my problems. I could just forward all my mail, and the bookkeeper could open all the bills and toss everything else. Is there a company anyone would recommend I use to outsource my bookkeeping? I have the typical bills and two bank accounts, and I’m not the paranoid type.
Where are you located? I have a relative in Phoenix who does this (she provides the service). People might be able to recommend something more easily if they know where you live.
That’s what I was thinking. Why do you need to receive bills in the mail at all? Just arrange them for online pay - pretty much everything can be done online now and automatically deducted from your accounts if you want to arrange that as well.
I have an excellent bookkeeper in Georgia. PM me if you’d like her contact info - I don’t know that she’d be able to do precisely what you’re looking for, but it’s worth a try.
You want someone to have access to your bank accounts and be authorized to make payments out of them? That’s a risky area, my friend. If it were me, I’d have them do the bookkeeping and prepare the checks, but I would still want to be the only person who could sign the checks.
P.S. It may be that you will not be able to (or should not) have all of your utility bills sent to a second address – sometimes those accounts have to be associated with the physical address where the services are given.
A CPA is probably overkill for this kind of service, unless the OP has enough money or some complicated issues - trusts, family partnerships, certain investments, etc.
Besides looking for bookkeepers, also look for personal assistants and virtual assistants. They’re usually less about the bookkeeping side, but the ones I know can still do everyday bookkeeping with no problems.
I do agree about signing the checks. I strongly recommend that whoever helps you only prepares the checks and that you still sign them or approve of them in some other manner.
That cracks me up. You sound like a more extreme version of me. I get contacted all the time by people of all types saying that they sent me a bill/letter/e-mail/voice-mail and I never responded. My only response is that I noticed it being there and never opened it or listened to the message. Most people aren’t familiar with that concept and it probably isn’t the best personality trait to have.
I agree that paying everything electronically is the best solution. You still get backup statements in one form or another.
I know this isn’t what the OP wants but there are many good cheap software that can make your bill paying very simple. And I am willing to bet even if you find someone to do this for you, they’ll be using that same simple software to do it.
You don’t need a personal bookkeeper you need an hour’s lesson on how to use Quiken or some other similar software
Also, in NYC and I imagine other places, utility bills are often used to verify your place of residence when you register kids for school, among other things.
Really? Where would this be the case? Sounds like it would be a bitch for vacation or investment properties. I have no problem having all my utility bills, insurance bills, and even property tax bills sent to my actual residence. I think it’s because people realize that if they insist on sending bills to the address the service is given rather than where I live they’re unlikely to be paid.