Hello,  

Where do you keep your most important financial records and documents?

Do you know exactly where everything is?

Those may sound like silly or simple questions, but the reality is it can be challenging for any of us to keep track of everything in our financial lives.

And it can be really easy for clutter to build up — especially if we’re ignoring it.

How can we deal with the financial clutter so it doesn't get in our way?

Let's find out by checking out these simple and painless financial spring cleaning tips.

#1 Purge the paper

Go paperless for recurring bills and monthly financial statements. Also, go through the financial documents you have on hand and shred the old paperwork you don't need any more. If there are papers you need to keep, make a digital version by scanning them. Not sure what you need to keep? Just ask us.

Pro Tip: Got a lot of paper? Let technology help you out! Apps can help you digitize and organize your paper records. Also, visit optoutprescreen.com to stop getting irritating mail solicitations, like credit card applications and loan preapprovals.

#2 Audit your subscriptions

Review ALL of your subscriptions and cancel any you no longer use or need. That includes subscriptions for streaming services, software, magazines and newspapers, gaming, and even product deliveries.

Pro Tip: Use your credit card and bank statements to figure out all of your subscriptions, so you don't overlook any. Also, consider signing up for subscriptions using the same card, so it's easier to audit them in the future.

#3 Consolidate accounts

How many bank accounts, retirement accounts, and brokerage accounts do you have? Are they at different financial institutions? This type of account sprawl can get complicated fast. It can also mean paying lots of maintenance fees. Take a careful look at your accounts and try to consolidate them. Look at both reducing the number of accounts you have and consolidating your accounts at fewer institutions.

Pro Tip: Check out account fees and requirements as you decide which ones to keep versus shut down. And don't forget to look at transfer fees too, especially if you're moving money around to streamline your accounts. We can help you avoid unnecessary fees or inconvenient restrictions.

#4 Automate savings

Set up regular transfers to a designated savings account. Choose a comfortable amount you can stick with. If you don't know how much to set aside, start with a number you know you can commit to. And if you're already doing this, check your automatic transfers and consider whether now's a good time to adjust or increase them. 

Pro Tip: If your savings account is already pretty healthy, reroute your automatic deposits into a retirement account, college fund, or investment account. Also, consider earmarking chunks of cash you get, like annual tax refunds, for savings too.

#5 Back it up

Create backups of all of your important financial documents and account information. That means backing up digital files on another hard drive and backing up your backups by storing them in the cloud.

Pro Tip: Create a "master" file as a "key" to explain how your backups are organized and where to find what information. You can also organize financial access passwords with a secure password manager. This reorganization can help you out with your next financial spring cleaning. This can also give you a head start on estate planning, allowing an estate executor to access all of your digital assets and information.

#6 Check in with your bigger financial goals

How are you doing on your financial goals, big and small? What progress have you made and where are you falling short? Reviewing where you're at, how far you've come, and where you want to be can help you figure out when and how to adjust course, so you stay on track.

Pro Tip: Turn this step into a conversation so you can get feedback and a fresh perspective. Talking about your bigger financial goals can motivate you to stick with them.

Tackling the financial clutter in our lives can be much easier if we know what that clutter looks like—and our brains can help with that!

Clutter overstimulates the part of the brain responsible for processing information (the visual cortex).¹ That tends to put our stress hormones (cortisol levels) into overdrive.

When that happens, it’s much harder to focus on anything, and we can easily get distracted. That difficulty concentrating can lead to cognitive overload.²

Why?

Because our brains crave order. It helps us process information faster.¹

And, whether or not we realize it, our brains rebel against the disorder of clutter.

Financial spring cleaning is all about doing routine maintenance in our financial lives. And it only takes a few minutes to get started.

When you do, that well-invested time could yield some remarkable, life-improving rewards later.

Happy cleaning,

Your Eagle Wealth Team

P.S. How long do you keep your financial records around? How do you know or decide when to get rid of them? Hit “reply” and share your thoughts. We’d love to hear more about your experiences with financial clutter and the impressions they’ve made on you.

Tips for Making Cleaning Your Closet Easier

There’s something satisfying about cleaning out your closet, especially at this time of year. Here are some tips on how to make spring cleaning your closet a little easier.

• Not sure what to keep or get rid of? Try the clothes hanger hack! Turn all your coat hangers around so they face away from you, and over the course of a month or two, turn the hangers around as you wear your clothes. Then, you can see what you wear and clean your closet accordingly. 

• Separate your clothes by season and neatly pack away the clothes you aren’t wearing for future use. To save space, use a vacuum sealer. Label your storage containers or bags to remember what’s in each.  

• Save space by shopping for wardrobe accessories like shoe organizers, slimmer hangers, or necklace/scarf organizers.

Tip adapted from Who What Wear³

The Week on Wall Street

Stocks pushed higher last week as investors cheered the White House’s constructive comments on trade, upbeat Q1 corporate reports, and an encouraging jobs report. 
 
The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index gained 2.92 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite Index rose 3.42 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 3.00 percent. The MSCI EAFE Index, which tracks developed overseas stock markets, advanced 2.56 percent.^4,5

Longest Winning Streak in 20 Years

During the first two trading days, stocks increased as investors responded favorably to White House comments on tariff deals.⁶
 
Then midweek—on the last day of the month—fresh data showed the economy contracted by 0.3 percent in Q1—the first decline in gross domestic product (GDP) in three years. Stocks initially fell on the news, but staged a stunning recovery to add a seventh day to the S&P 500’s and Dow Industrial’s winning streaks.⁷
 
Q1 corporate reports from a couple of mega-cap tech companies boosted all three major averages over the next session, with Nasdaq leading the rise. By Thursday’s close, Nasdaq had returned to its pre-April 2 levels.⁸
 
The rally accelerated on Friday as a better-than-expected April jobs report eased some concerns about the economy’s strength. Signs of a potential thaw in Washington-Beijing trade relations also boosted enthusiasm. The Dow Industrials rose for a ninth straight session, as did the S&P 500—its longest winning streak in 20 years.⁹

Solid Jobs Report

The April jobs report showed employers added 177,000 jobs last month—34,000 more than economists expected. 

The report quieted talk about a recession, which was welcomed news. The April figure also showed the economy was still adding jobs despite a sluggish Q1 GDP report. However, the strong report did prompt some traders to push out expectations for an interest rate adjustment until the Fed’s July meeting.^10,11

<sup>1. https://bewell.stanford.edu/a-clean-well-lighted-place/
2. https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/clinical/what-does-clutter-do-to-your-brain-and-body
3. Who What Wear, October 3, 2024
4. The Wall Street Journal, May 2, 2025
5. Investing.com, May 2, 2025
6. CNBC.com, April 29, 2025
7. The Wall Street Journal, April 30, 2025
8. CNBC.com, May 1, 2025
9. CNBC.com, May 2, 2025
10. MarketWatch.com, May 2, 2025
11. CNBC.com, May 2, 2025</sup> 

^{Investing involves risks, and investment decisions should be based on your own goals, time horizon, and tolerance for risk. The return and principal value of investments will fluctuate as market conditions change. When sold, investments may be worth more or less than their original cost.}

^{The forecasts or forward-looking statements are based on assumptions, may not materialize, and are subject to revision without notice.}

^{The market indexes discussed are unmanaged, and generally, considered representative of their respective markets. Index performance is not indicative of the past performance of a particular investment. Indexes do not incur management fees, costs, and expenses. Individuals cannot directly invest in unmanaged indexes. Past performance does not guarantee future results.}

^{The Dow Jones Industrial Average is an unmanaged index that is generally considered representative of large-capitalization companies on the U.S. stock market. Nasdaq Composite is an index of the common stocks and similar securities listed on the NASDAQ stock market and is considered a broad indicator of the performance of technology and growth companies. The MSCI EAFE Index was created by Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) and serves as a benchmark of the performance of major international equity markets, as represented by 21 major MSCI indexes from Europe, Australia, and Southeast Asia. The S&P 500 Composite Index is an unmanaged group of securities that are considered to be representative of the stock market in general.}

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^{Please consult your financial professional for additional information.}

^{This content is developed from sources believed to be providing accurate information. The information in this material is not intended as tax or legal advice. Please consult legal or tax professionals for specific information regarding your individual situation. This material was developed and produced by FMG Suite to provide information on a topic that may be of interest. FMG is not affiliated with the named representative, financial professional, Registered Investment Advisor, Broker-Dealer, nor state- or SEC-registered investment advisory firm. The opinions expressed and material provided are for general information, and they should not be considered a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security.  Copyright 2025 FMG Suite.}