Spring has sprung, an old children's poem goes, which means many people are knee-deep in spring cleaning -- scrubbing floors, clearing out the garage and tossing all the clutter that's gathered over the winter months.

It's also an ideal time to consider sprucing up your financial life.

It's not just about tossing out old paperwork; it's about doing the regular maintenance to ensure that you're getting the most out of every dollar. A regular checkup can help you get -- and stay -- on track with your finances.

Spring is an ideal time to schedule in a few hours for your financial review. Clearing out the financial clutter won't just make your life simpler; it could save you some serious cash. Here are five good areas to get started.

Banking

● What to do: Consolidate accounts, streamline with online statements and bill pay, toss old statements and checks.

● Time involved: A solid hour will get the ball rolling, but you may need to follow up during the next few

A diversified strategy and periodic readjustments will help you steer clear of market madness. Tune out all the noise and stick to the game plan.

Question: I generally review my portfolio twice a year to see if I need to make any adjustments. But given that the market has been down in recent months, I’m wondering whether I’m better off waiting until the market rebounds or sticking to my usual schedule. What do you think? –Todd M., Bryan, Ohio

Answer: I assume that when you talk about adjusting your portfolio twice a year, you mean that you’re rebalancing to bring your mix of stocks and bonds back to its original proportions.

And if that’s the case, then the strategy you’ve been following up to now makes perfect sense to me. As different investments earn different returns, your portfolio’s proportions will shift over time. So you periodically need to sell some shares of investments that have done relatively well and plow the proceeds into those that have trailed - or just funnel new money into laggards - to bring your portfolio back to its proper balance of risk vs. return.

Granted, one could argue about which of the many different rebalancing strategies available is the most effective. (I’m a member of the “once a year is enough” club myself, mostly because it’s easy and investors are more likely to stick with what’s simple.) But the most important thing is that you’re consistent

NEW YORK (AP) -- JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s higher offer for Bear Stearns on Monday gave the investment bank control of nearly 40 percent of its ailing rival, blunting the threat that angry shareholders could scuttle the deal.

The $2.4 billion lifeline to rescue the investment house stands a strong chance of success -- assuaging investors unhappy with a $2 per share offer by upping it to $10 apiece. JPMorgan has faced an outcry among Bear Stearns shareholders about the lowball offer, and faced the possibility that rival deals would begin to surface.

Most analysts said a higher bid was unlikely, but some bondholders have reportedly been buying the stock in order to ensure their right to vote for a deal and prevent a bankruptcy that would wipe them out. Bear Stearns' shares -- which hit $160 last year and still traded near $80 earlier in the month -- nearly doubled to $11.25 on Monday.

However, for a company whose market value went from $8.3 billion to about $1 billion in a little more than a week, the revised deal was still not the outcome investors hoped for. It also didn't help out the 14,000 employees -- one-third owners in Bear Stearns -- who have seen the value of their stock holdings plummet and still face the potential of massive layoffs.

"Whether you got $2 or you got $10 was the difference between nothing and nothing," said John Buckingham, chief executive of Al Frank Asset Management, which held shares of Bear Stearns. "For an