Financial Info: Be Ready To Grab and Go!

If you live in an area prone to hurricanes, tornados, floods, or other disasters, you probably have an emergency plan for safeguarding your family. But what about a plan for preserving important personal and financial records? Disasters — natural or otherwise — can occur with little warning. Would you be able to track down important documents if you had to leave your home in a hurry?
Having the following information ready to bring with you could be critical if you ever had to evacuate.

• Bank, checking, savings, investment, and retirement account numbers and PINs


• Safe deposit box number and key


• Birth, marriage, death certificates, military and citizenship papers, adoption and custody agreements, and divorce decrees


• Real estate deeds and mortgage documents


• Credit card account information


• Motor vehicle titles and vehicle identification numbers


• Insurance policies (car, homeowners, life, etc.)


• Wills, trusts, and other estate planning documents


• Health and medical records, including prescription numbers, for your family and pets


• Social Security card, passports


• Names and phone numbers of contacts (relatives, attorney, executor, health care providers, etc.)


• Household inventory, ideally in photos or on videotape


• Extra cash or travelers checks for emergencies

Gather all your information in a portable fireproof and waterproof box that’s easily accessible in an emergency. You may be able to store electronic copies of some of the information on a flash drive. You may never need the contents of your box. But if you do, having the information in one place will be priceless.

FR2017-0504-0006/E