Keeping Your Important Information Safe

In case of emergency, you can really assist your loved ones by providing them access to important documents. Below is a list of common documents that you might want to store and various options for storing them:

Important Papers that either prove ownership or that would be difficult to replace should be stored in a fireproof safe. These types of documents include things like:

Certificates (birth, marriage, death, citizenship)
Social Security Cards
Legal papers (divorce, settlement, custody, adoption, living will, durable power of attorney, or DNR directives)
Policies (Life, Insurance, Health)
Real estate deeds
Titles (automobile, motorcycle, boat)
Military Service Records
Immunization Records
Passports
Stock and bond certificates
Contracts
Household inventory
A list of Financial Accounts, the Account Numbers, Passwords or Pin required to access those accounts.
Any other documents, records or information that would be difficult to replace like:

Did you know that by law, tax returns are required to be retained permanently and supporting tax documents (like W2's, 1099's etc.) must be retained for 6 years. So, keep your tax returns in a safe location (maybe even in a safety deposit box).
If you have a life insurance policy for yourself or any family members you should store this information with your important documents. When storing this information you will need to store the original policy along with any changes or renewal policy information since many life insurance policies change from year to year. You should not rely on your Life Insurance provider to correctly interpret a policy that you began over 20 years ago. So, keep the initial policy as well as any addendums together along with any information that might be needed to access the policy.
Home/Automotive repair and maintenance bills should be retained as well and can be easily stored in a file to be accesssed as needed. Many folks like to also log any automotive repairs in their owner's manuals.
If possible you should create a video log of your possessions taking care to record the make, model and serial number of each item. If you do not have a video recorder you can purchase/use a camera to take photos of your belongings. Store this information in a safety deposit box or in a fire/water proof safe in your home. I recommend making copies and storing them at multiple locations.
Because a safety deposit box may be sealed, it is important that you retain copies of everything in an easy to access location. We recommend using the Vital Record PortaVault to help you keep your documents organized and the First Alert Fire and Water File Chest to store these important documents.