Teresa Giudice’s Gold and Brown Shield Sunglasses on the Boat

Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip Season 1 Episode 2 Fashion

We love love love Teresa Giudice’s gold and brown shield sunglasses that she wears on the boat on episode 2 of Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip. And while it wouldn’t be in our personality to go ahead and write them eight different love letters (), it definitely is to write about 2-3 sentences straight from the heart. 

Fashionably,

Faryn

Click Here to See Her Fendi Sunglasses

Originally posted at: Teresa Giudice’s Gold and Brown Shield Sunglasses

You may have heard the acronym K.I.S.S. which stands for Keep It Super Simple (or is it Keep It Simple Stupid?). Simplifying, decluttering, downsizing, uncomplicating (is that a word!?!) are all referring to great advice, in my opinion, to clarify the situation and make life less complicated, less overwhelming and often easier on yourself.

And that goes for whatever subject you are thinking about… simplifying paperwork, your household, a recipe file, a large project, or your finances.

Simply Rewarding

Marie Kondo’s KonMari Method, for example, has really taken off in popularity as a method to declutter rooms, closets, kitchen areas, etc. There is something rewarding about “tidying up”! And that rewarding aspect rings true when it comes to your finances for you now as well as down the road when someone else has to deal with them.

Make a List

So, just like anything, where do you start? I am a big proponent of starting with a list and in this case, that means an asset list, a net worth statement, a personal financial statement, whatever you want to call it.

A list of what you own, and what you owe helps you see clearly what you have in place. Think of it as your financial inventory. In fact, I think it is so important that I created a downloadable Net Worth Summaryfor people to use (AND I offer it free in my monthly free workshop).

Just the process of compiling a list of accounts, real property, policies, etc. can be eye-opening. Take bank accounts for example. You may find that you have more accounts than you realize when you list them all in one place. Maybe you opened an account at a Credit Union when they were running a special. Or you started a Christmas account when those were in vogue.

Maybe you moved a couple of times along life’s journey and you still have some old accounts that were necessary for local or employment purposes. Or you have several small balance accounts that could be closed or consolidated.

It’s Time to Consolidate!

Consolidating accounts, whether they are at the bank, old employer plans, or old IRAs that you started at various institutions is a best practice that we often don’t hassle with. Yet when it comes time to withdraw money for income to cover expenses, income in retirement, or to take Required Minimum Distributions from retirement accounts, having a zillion accounts can be a nightmare! And if you are in a blended family relationship, that usually doubles the “mess.”

When consolidating accounts, you need to pay special attention to the type of account and be sure you are transferring a like account to a like account (IRA to IRA, taxable account to taxable account, etc.). In-kind transfers vs liquidating holdings in a taxable account will prevent a tax impact.

Rollovers vs transfers of IRAs have different rules. It is a paperwork process and needs to be monitored. So the bottom line is that working with someone experienced with the consolidation process is imperative.

Take Care of Stocks

One other common issue I still see quite often is paper stock certificates. If you or your heirs ever want to sell them, they must be in an account in order to be sold. You could physically send them in to a Transfer Agent, like Computershare, where they would then be held in “book entry” form (electronic record of your shares instead of paper copies).

Or you could send them into a brokerage account that you already have or open at a custodian like E-trade, Schwab, etc. Call first for special shipping instructions for both situations. Either way, once in the account, you would be able to sell them when you want. Taking care of that well in advance of ever wanting to sell the shares is a wise idea.

Plan for Someday, Now

Aside from organizing your financial files so everything is labeled, findable, and reflects all of your assets/liabilities (electronically or in paper file form), consolidating is the main K.I.S.S. step to decluttering your finances. Think of each account, contract, policy as a set of paperwork that someone, someday, will need to submit in order to access or disperse the holdings.

Would you rather deal with 3 IRAs, 4 taxable accounts, 2 old employer plans, and 6 bank accounts at 3 banks OR 1 IRA, 1 taxable account, and 3 accounts at 1 bank? Your answer is likely the same whether you are alive or your heirs are the ones dealing with things.

K.I.S.S. is a short but powerful chapter in my checklist book, but it can mean the difference between a headache and smooth sailing!

Have you started your consolidation journey? What motivated you to take action? Have you seen family situations where decluttering finances would have been helpful? Let’s have a discussion!

I have a confession to makeup. I use a lot of Lady Gaga’s beauty brand, Haus Laboratories, because I like the formulas and the shade options and the unexpected offerings. But I don’t love the packaging. It works fine but it doesn’t feel as luxe as the products actually are. Enter Haus Laboratories’ Casa Gaga collection. Now this limited-edition line feels up to par with a star like Gaga. Even the formulas are more luxe.

Casa Gaga Italian Glam Capsule Collection features seven new products inspired by the “lifestyle of Italy.” The brand has never done a seasonal collection like this before. The ivory and gold metal packaging is so chic, I wish the brand would actually go in this direction permanently. There’s even a Saffiano Vegan Leather double-zipper train case adorned with the Casa Gaga label inside to house all your new products. It’s all inspired by Gaga’s love of Italy, especially her experiences filming the upcoming House of Gucci film.

“There’s glam, then there’s Italian Glam,” Lady Gaga said in a statement. “Benvenuto a Casa Gaga, my collection of high-performance formulas and a love letter to Italy inspired by the beauty and wonder of all things Italian. I wanted to share the feeling of growing up in my house and seeing moments of glamour beaming from my mother and grandmother. I wanted to share a piece of my heart with you.”

The collection is available on the Haus Labs website now and launches on Amazon on November 25. You can pre-order the products now on Amazon since there’s a good chance they’ll sell out!

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.

Haus Labs.

Tutti Gel-Powder Highlighter

This new gel-powder, made-in-Italy highlighter promises a lit-from-within, multi-dimensional glow on all skin tones. Use it with the Italian Glam Highlighter Brush, a cruelty-free, vegan version of Japan’s famous Blue Squirrel brushes.

Haus Labs.

Tutti Gel-Powder All Over Rouge

There are four versatile cheek-and-lip shades formulated in Italy with plant-derived squalane.

Haus Labs.

Liquid Eye-Lie-Ner in La Vita Punk

Haus Labs’ best-selling liquid eyeliner now comes in an even blacker, matter hue in gold packaging.

Haus Labs.

Tanti Baci Extreme Cream Mini Lipstick Set

This perfect-for-gifting set includes five luxe cream lipsticks in a Saffiano vegan leather lipstick pouch. Shade names celebrate famous Italian icons. Lady Gaga even wore Elsa (a plum berry shade) in the House of Gucci film posters!

Haus Labs.

La Luce Lip Glaze

Wear one of three high-shine shimmer glosses alone or as toppers over lipstick.

Haus Labs.

Limited Edition Casa Gaga La Collezione

Get the entire collection (a $260 value!) packaged in a chic Saffiano vegan leather train case.