Before emergencies hit, you need to be prepared. It’s important to have a disaster plan in place. The best bet is to create a disaster checklist to make sure you don’t forget about important documents, files, and records that you may need. It might take days or weeks to get you life back in order. Having this disaster checklist in place will enable you to move faster. One quick thing maybe to store some of these records in a password protected file online.
Related: Natural Disaster – Financial Toolkit
Be prepared:
Protect your personal finances
If you had to leave your home in an emergency, you would have only minutes to choose what stays and what goes, and your financial records may be one of the last things on your mind.
Collecting, copying, and storing your financial information now could help you avoid problems and recover faster after a disaster. This checklist can help. Use it to make sure you have the information
and documents you need. Then, keep it with your important documents so you can refer to it when needed.
Make and store copies of:
Most financial records can be replaced, but you need your insurance information if your property is damaged, or if you or a family member needs medical care. Keeping records safe also helps you avoid trouble if questions arise later about your investments, taxes, or workplace benefits.
Make and store copies of:
Related: 5 Tips to Increase Your Emergency Fund
If you keep financial records, passwords, family photos, and videos on your computer, consider backing the information up to a secure cloud storage service, or back up your data regularly and keep the backups somewhere safe.
Print out the table below, or on a separate piece of paper organize your account and customer service numbers. It will be very important you do so, before the disaster hits.
Account number | Customer service number | |||
Loans and credit cards | ||||
Mortgage | ||||
Home equity loan | ||||
Car loan | ||||
Credit card | ||||
Student loan | ||||
Other: | ||||
Home and utilities | ||||
Rent | ||||
Cable or satellite | ||||
Water | ||||
Electricity | ||||
Phone | ||||
Other: | ||||
Other financial accounts and insurance policies | ||||
Homeowners or renters insurance | ||||
Auto insurance | ||||
Medical insurance | ||||
Checking account | ||||
Savings account | ||||
Investment account | ||||
Other: | ||||
Important Contacts | ||||
Family members | ||||
Accountant | ||||
Lawyers |
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