Five minutes to grab every crucial financial document before the house crumbles -- property titles, wills, insurance records, Social Security cards -- and not to mention irreplaceable items like photos and negatives. You need to do it, even with all the chaos surrounding you.  Could you do it? Think fast! Would you even know what to grab?

Fortunately, with a bit of planning you can track your most important financial records and keep them out of the clutches of flames, floods, hurricanes or any disaster -- natural or manmade. By spending a little time now preparing for the worst, you'll be more likely to remain calm in the eye of a storm -- confident in the safety of your financial documents and your most precious memories. That will allow you to spend the crucial moments in disaster thinking about more important things.

Like getting yourself and your loved ones out of the house safely.

Keep all documents organized, perhaps by filing each in a separate manila folder. If you are concerned that any documents will get lost, make copies. Put a copy of all items in your safe deposit box at your bank or at a nearby family member’s house. Update these copies on a regular basis.  This goes for negatives too, or those duplicate prints, put them in a file or get them out of your house completely. Put them in your safe deposit box.  You should also keep all incoming mail so bills and checks won’t get lost. Don’t throw anything away until you have a chance to go through it. Be on guard for unordered merchandise or bills for services never performed. Some scam artists take advantage of the recently bereaved in the hope that they will pay phony bills without investigating. It’s a good idea to ask for itemized bills from doctors and lawyers. Avoid accepting bills “For Services Rendered” only.

Remember that this is an emotional time when your concentration and memory may not be at their best. Keep records of all outgoing mail, particularly if it is business related. So no matter how you organize your records or where you store them, the bottom line is to take action today. Be sure to involve your family, friends and financial professionals whenever possible in decision making and planning. Do it now, before the unexpected becomes a harsh reality

The information provided has been compiled from several sources, and is updated periodically.
It is provided as a service by The Allenbrook Agency.
The Allenbrook Agency is not responsible for it's use, content or accuracy.