Get Your Act Together: If your clients are disorganized, they-and you-need professional help

If clients are not organized, the whole planning process can come to a screeching halt. Just as different planners work in different ways, so do organizers. Kate Rhoad, a professional organizer in Woodlands, Texas, specializes in sorting, arranging, and rearranging every room in the house until homeowners can feel mastery of their domain - and their stuff. Since most people today are inundated with paper and mail, her skills extend to a client's most important financial records as well. Taking a high-tech approach is Debbie Gilster, an organizer in Laguna Nigel, California, whose business is called "Organize and Computerize." That is just what she does for her clients, who are small- to medium-sized businesses. She reconciles their books and financial statements, prepares their data, and interfaces with their accountants. Organized clients are better clients, who generate more revenue and actually allow the planner to offer better planning advice.