Bringing Order To Your Records Doesn't Have To Be Such A Big Ordeal Sorting Your Books And Bites Software helps you track investments; workbooks guide your heirs to wills.(B)

Byline: DAN MOREAU

In the thick of finishing your taxes, you scramble to find that missing form that's somewhere in the pile on your desk -- and remind yourself you need to be more organized.

There's plenty of advice and help that can make organization relatively easy. Following it is always the challenge. But you need to do this not only for the Internal Revenue Service, but also for emergencies and financial planning. Your survivors, heirs and the executor of your estate will thank you.

You can find books, software and plain old paper filers that can make some sense of the mess.

In "Taming the Paper Tiger" (Kiplinger Books), author Barbara Hemphill says the first step in organizing records is to pick one place where you'll keep them. Then you devise a system to determine what you'll keep, and for how long.

She favors simple paper systems of file folders labeled for each category: medical records, tax receipts, interest income, etc.

The most telling bit of advice she offers: "Any paper you pick up off your desk and then put back down is a decision delayed."