Tips and Tricks to Organize Important Documents
We all have important documents that reflect where we’ve been (birth certificate) and where we are headed (trust & will). Although these documents and their directives are essential, we find that oftentimes clients cannot easily access them or are underprepared. Like everything else in life, these types of documents are most needed when you least expect it – you’re traveling in a faraway land, you’re not home and need to access a copy your birth certificate, or, in a worst case scenario, when you’ve lost a loved one. In preparation for these types of situations it is a great idea to gather all of your important documents, organize them and make them easily accessible…and Main Street Research can assist!
The first step is to organize all of your important documents which can include the below:
- Social security cards, birth certificates, and marriage certificates
- Current financial account statements
- Current credit card statements
- Tax returns
- Insurance policies
- A list of passwords
- Wills and estate documents
- Health care powers of attorney and directives
- Financial powers of attorney
Store Your Documents
Once you have gathered your important financial documents, the second step is to create a filing system kept in a secure location – like a fire-proof personal safe or safety deposit box. Whether they are credit card statements, retirement benefits, or life insurance policies, it is important that these documents can be located in an efficient manner. As an alternative, these documents can also be stored electronically or digitally which allows you “on the go” access. Our firm can be a good resource for you since we can store each of these documents on our secure server along with your other personal information. We call it your “LifeCase”…a modern briefcase if you will. If you would like us to assist you with this please just respond to this email and we can work on securely and digitally storing all of these important documents for you.
These documents are always needed when least expected so let’s make sure they are at the ready when you do. It's also wise to share the location of your documents with a trusted contact or your attorney. If you have not yet created a trust or living will and are interested in doing so, please let us know so we can provide you some guidance and direction.
In the case of a loved one passing most of these documents are essential as well as some other “to-do’s.” Thinking about the possibility of this type of situation way before it occurs will provide one less thing to worry about. In the case of losing a spouse or a loved one please reach out to your team at Main Street Research to view our comprehensive check-list. Remember we will be by your side to assist in every way we can.
Let us know if you would like to get started!
Your Team at Main Street Research