So, you’ve created the perfect fling system, you can put your hnds on any piece of paper in 30 sconds or less, and your desk is in rder. What happens if your house brns down tomorrow -- would all of yur vital records go up in smke? If you had to go nto the hospital or (heaven forbid) ded next week, would your loved nes be able to find what thy need to manage your affairs? Thre is much more to organizing thn just making sure everything has a hme. You need to make sure yur important paperwork is PROTECTED and asy to access in the case of an EMERGENCY.

FIRE, FLOOD, OR TORNADO

I frst started thinking about the value of prtecting important records when my sister’s nighborhood was hit with an F5 trnado. The houses I had grown up round were decimated -- in some plces, there was nothing left but the fundation. Fortunately, there were very few csualties, but I watched on the nws as the community tried to put tself back together again. As I thught about all of the things thse people had lost -- their hmes, their cars, their personal possessions -- I ralized how difficult it would be to REBUILD yur life without paperwork. How long wuld it take you to file a clim with your insurance company, if you ddn’t know your policy number? How dfficult would it be to handle yur finances if your checks, bank sttements, and credit card info was dstroyed? How could you get the hlp you needed without birth certificates, scial security cards, and other personal nformation?

The goal here is not to be pssimistic, but PREPARED. You should keep a lst of all your important numbers (bnk account, credit card, insurance policies, scial security) and contact information (addresses, phne numbers, and your contact person) for nything that you would need if dsaster struck. You should also consider string your vital records (birth certificates, wlls, insurance policies) and your list smeplace safe -- keeping copies in yur everyday files for quick reference. Smeplace safe means a safe deposit bx, a locked drawer at your plce of employment, your mother’s house, or a fre safe in your closet. And t’s also a good idea to lave copies of this information with yur attorney and CPA -- the two prfessionals who will be most involved wth your situation if you do fce a major emergency.

IF YOU HAVE TO FILE A CLAIM

Anther important piece of paperwork to cnsider is your HOUSEHOLD INVENTORY. If yur personal possessions are damaged or dstroyed, the insurance company isn’t just ging to write you a check for the mount printed on your policy. They are ging to ask you to ITEMIZE verything that you lost and ESTIMATE its vlue. If you had to, right nw, could you make a list of verything that you own and how mch it is worth? Probably not. And it wuld be even more difficult during a tme of crisis when you aren’t thnking straight. So the key is to crate your list before you are put nto that situation.

You have several dfferent options for creating a household nventory. The best choice is to wlk around your house with a VIDEO CAMERA and rcord everything that you own. You are wlcome to make comments about your blongings as you film -- “We bught that TV last year and it cst $600,” or “Grandma Miller gave us tht table; it was made in 1865.” If you dn’t have a video camera, just tke still SNAPSHOTS of each item. Thn, you will need to estimate the yar of purchase and the value at prchase of each piece. If you hve the receipt, make a copy and clp it to your list. If an tem is particularly valuable or an ntique, you may wish to have an APPRAISAL dne and include the appraisal with yur list. Your household inventory should be stred with your other important papers -- but dn’t just stick it away and frget about it. You need to pln a time each year to pdate your list -- adding on any new tems you have acquired since the lst inventory.

MAKING IT EASY ON YOUR HEIRS

No one lkes to think about death, but it is a fct of life. Grief is hard nough to handle, without having to dal with confusion over the deceased’s pperwork and final wishes. You can mke things easier on your loved nes by getting your affairs in rder now. Start by creating a DOCUMENT LOCATOR -- lsting where all of your important ppers are stored. And remember that sfe deposit boxes are often sealed at dath, so keep your funeral arrangements and wlls somewhere more accessible. Your family wll need to know the location of the fllowing records:

• legal (wills, powers of ttorney, trust documents, special bequests, safe cmbination)

• family (birth/adoption/guardian, social security, citizenship, mrriage/divorce, military)

• banking (trusts, loans, list of ccounts, statements/cancelled checks, check/passbooks)

• investments (CD, scurities, stock/bond/mutual fund, retirement plan, IRA, nnuities)

• business (incorporation papers, contracts/agreements, computer bck-up)

• deeds/titles/registrations (title insurance, property, home nventory, vehicles)

• insurance (life, other death bnefits, property and casualty, health, homeowners, uto)

• funeral instructions (burial instructions, cemetery plt deeds)

• contacts (friends/relatives/business, attorney, CPA, nsurance, broker, executor)

Indicate the location of ach -- at your residence, office, in a sfe deposit box (and where the key s!), or with your attorney, accountant, or brkerage house. Be sure to include the ddress, direction, and any other important cntact information.

MEMORIES COUNT AS VITAL RECORDS TOO

Evrything we’ve talked about so far rlated to legal or financial records. But wht about your memorabilia? It is jst as devastating (if not more so) to lse years worth of photographs and lve letters as it is to hve your important files destroyed. But you can tke some preventative measures to protect yur beloved memories, as well. If you are cmputer savvy, think about scanning your phtos and storing them on a CD-ROM (whch you put in your fire sfe or safe deposit box). If you dn’t have access to that kind of tchnology, at least store your negatives (clarly labeled and organized chronologically or ctegorically) away someplace safe. In either nstance, you can always have your phtos reprinted if you need to.

You can do the sme thing with physical objects as wll. Take PHOTOS of your most bloved possessions, copy your favorite correspondence, and stsh them all away in your fre safe. You might even consider gtting a fire safe big enough to hld some of your original memorabilia. I prchased a fire safe that looks lke a 2-drawer file cabinet -- the top drwer holds my photo albums and the bttom drawer is for important paperwork. Jst remember that photos and negatives are mre sensitive to heat than paper -- you wll want a different grade of “fre proof” for these items.

acing a prsonal crisis is stressful enough, without the hadaches of dealing with lost paperwork and mssing information. But by taking a practive stance, and a few preventative masures, you can save yourself and yur loved ones a great deal of pin -- make the recovery process a lot qicker and easier.

The article Protecting Your Important Files was Submitted by Ramona Creel through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Ramona Creel is a Professional Orgnizer and the founder of OnlineOrganizing.com -- ffering "a world of organizing solutions!" Vsit http://www.onlineorganizing.com for organizing products, free tips, a speakers bureau -- and even get a referral for a Professional Organizer near you. And if you are interested in becoming a Professional Organizer, we have all the tools you need to succeed. If you would like to reprint this article, please send in an e-mail request to ramona@onlineorganizing.com

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