Organizing Important Paperwork

Organize your important legal, financial, health, and insurance paperwork into a file that you can take with you if you need to leave your home. Consider including copies of birth certificates, Social Security cards, copy of your driver's license, financial statements (checking, savings, credit cards), insurance policies (homeowner's, auto, life, health), health information card (name, address, phone #, blood type, physicians names and telephone #s, medications, allergies, equipment needs, communication needs, emergency contacts), copy of your household inventory, passports, safe deposit box information, copies of vehicle titles, military service records, and some emergency cash.

Prepare a household inventory. After a disaster, you will probably not be able to remember all your belongings for an insurance claim. A written list, photographs, or a video walk-through of your home will help you avoid this problem. Store the inventory somewhere other than your home, with a copy in your grab-and-go kit.

Take the time to review and update your affairs annually. Have you changed insurance policies, have you changed jobs, has your health changed? Change is the one constant in life. Make sure your plan reflects the changes in your life.

To protect yourself, store backup copies of important documents in a safe-deposit box or with a trusted friend, relative or adviser. As a general rule, don't keep anything in a safe-deposit box that may be needed in an emergency, as the safe-deposit box may not be accessible. Your primary focus should be on keeping your information secure.