Make Sure Your Estate Plan and Other Essential Documents are Safe from Disasters

It’s an unfortunate reality that with the increasing number of natural disasters across the country, including fires, floods, and hurricanes, the chance that you could lose your house and possessions has become more likely.

You may already live in an area that is more prone to fires, and so have already invested in solutions to make your home more fire retardent in an effort to minimize the impact of fire on your property. Regardless of where you live, in the event of such a calamity, be it fire or something else, it is important that your estate planning and other important documents are beyond reach and easily retrievable. Yes, some furniture and artworks can be restored with the help of Contents Cleaning and Restoration services. However, you need to protect your property and financial documents that are a lot more important.

If your home is destroyed by a natural disaster or another event, you will want to be able to access important information quickly. First, you need to assemble all your crucial documents and information, including the following:

• Account numbers and passwords. Keep a list of your bank and e-mail accounts and securely store your passwords.
• Contact information. Make sure you know how to contact your attorney, advisors, and insurance company.
• Legal documents. You should have copies of all your legal documents, including your will, trust, power of attorney, and health care proxy. You also need to know where any deeds and insurance contracts are kept.
• Tax returns. It is recommended that you have three years’ worth of tax returns stored.
• Medical information. You need to keep track of any prescription medicine and health insurance information.

Once you have all your documents and information, you need to store them in a safe and secure location that will survive a natural disaster. A fireproof and floodproof safe in your house is one way to safeguard documents; a safe deposit box at a bank is also an option. Your attorney may be able to store your legal documents for you. Many firms offer secure storage of documents.