Quick access to key items, papers can mitigate losses
When it comes to keeping important papers in a safe spot,
insurance agent GaryHatano vividly remembers one client’s solution.
MICHELLE
MCLOUGHLIN/ REUTERS PHOTO When natural
disasters hit, as Superstorm Sandy did here in Milford, Conn., protecting files
can be crucial.
While visiting the home of a retired military veteran, Hatano asked to see a
copy of his life insurance policy. “He said, ‘ Hold on a minute’ andwent to his refrigerator,” recallsHatano, a Farmers Insurance agent in Folsom, Calif. From the bottom of the vegetable bin, the retiree pulled out his insurance policy, neatly wrapped in aluminum foil.
While a tin foil packet under the refrigerated carrots may not seem like the most sophisticated solution, Hatano said he couldn’t argue too much with his client’s intentions. In a fire, the packet, presumablywouldn’t burn and everyone in his family knew exactly where itwas.
From torrential floods in Louisiana to blisteringWestern wildfires, this year’sweather- related calamities are a reminder that disaster can strike anyone, anytime, anywhere.
If a natural disaster hit your household, would you be ready? Everyone has important paperwork to safeguard: insurance policies, loan papers, marriage or divorce documents, even the vaccination records for children or pets.
Not to mention personal family photos, videos and music sitting on computers.
Knowing what to grab in case of a hurried evacuation could prevent the loss of irreplaceable family mementos, aswell as documents that could be tedious and time- consuming to replace. Here are some options:
Having a grab- and- go box or binder can be a lifesaver. Think of it as a onestop spot to keep all your key documents. It can be a binder, a file box, or anything portable enough to carry on your own.
Hatano, the insurance agent, says he keeps a document- filled binder hidden at home. It contains copies of all his family’s crucial paperwork: property records, bank accounts, names of key professionals ( financial planner, attorney, banker, insurance and real estate agents). There’s also a copy of his trust.
“Trying to recreate all those copieswould be a nightmare,” saidHatano, who also considers the binder a helpful resource for his wife, in case something happened to him.
The binder does not contain originals of those documents, however. Originals should be kept in a safe deposit box, a fireproof safe, at an attorney’s office or with trusted family members, Hatano advises.
Another essential safeguard: a household inventory.
In the event of filing an insurance claim, “It’s hard to remember what you have,” said Perry Ghilarducci, a Sacramento, Calif., CPA who heads Avaunt Ltd. He recommends keeping copies of receipts, warranties, serial numbers and appraisals of your household valuables.
You can record a video or simply make a room- by- room list of appliances,
furniture, electronics, books, clothing. Remember to include the backyard and
garage. Websites such aswww.
sponsored by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, have easy tips on creating a household inventory.
And don’t forget your cellphone. Especially when so much of our personal life resides in our hand- held devices, you don’t want to be stranded if your phone gets lost, drowned or burned. Keep a card, ideally laminated, in yourwallet with a list of important numbers, everything from your kids to doctors to the financial and professional contacts you might need in an emergency.
Whether it’s your home or office computer, a backup is essential. A simple hard drive that automatically backs up everything stored on your computer is the first line of defense. But if it’s damaged in a fire or flood, all your family, financial and business files and photos could be wiped out.
To better protect your hard drive, tech manufacturer ioSafe ( makes a series of hardy protective “safes” for computer hard drives that it claims arewaterproof and fireproof, whether submerged inwater for three days or burned in flames up to 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.
It’s essentially a second hard drive that plugs into aUSB port, acting as a tougher twin to your computer’s own hard drive.
“It’s for the things your insurance can’t replace: your family photo albums,” ioSafe CEO Robb Moore said. “Whatwould you grab as your house is burning? Your family photos and videos are the most compelling.”
Akin to an airline’s black box, the hard drive boxes are shown in online videos being dropped off balconies, burned in barbecues and run over by tractors. Starting around $ 249, they can be found at electronics stores or online.
Other people are storing computer data online in the so- called cloud, using backup systems that aren’t sitting on their desktops.
Ghilarducci’s firm, for instance, provides online document storage for its tax clients.
“It’s a virtual file cabinet, if you will,” the CPA said, noting that clients can log in, using a personal password, to retrieve their tax documents whenever needed. Clients are encouraged to use the access to scan and upload other financial documents: mortgage, insurance, household inventories, for instance.
For his office computer and personal laptop, Ghilarducci says he’s looking at companies such as Carbonite ( that automatically back up computer data to an online data storage center.
Safeguarding your possessions doesn’t necessarily have to be a high- tech solution. As ioSafe’s CEO put it: “Do something to protect yourself against natural disaster.”
sponsored by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, have easy tips on creating a household inventory.
And don’t forget your cellphone. Especially when so much of our personal life resides in our hand- held devices, you don’t want to be stranded if your phone gets lost, drowned or burned. Keep a card, ideally laminated, in yourwallet with a list of important numbers, everything from your kids to doctors to the financial and professional contacts you might need in an emergency.
Whether it’s your home or office computer, a backup is essential. A simple hard drive that automatically backs up everything stored on your computer is the first line of defense. But if it’s damaged in a fire or flood, all your family, financial and business files and photos could be wiped out.
To better protect your hard drive, tech manufacturer ioSafe ( makes a series of hardy protective “safes” for computer hard drives that it claims arewaterproof and fireproof, whether submerged inwater for three days or burned in flames up to 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.
It’s essentially a second hard drive that plugs into aUSB port, acting as a tougher twin to your computer’s own hard drive.
“It’s for the things your insurance can’t replace: your family photo albums,” ioSafe CEO Robb Moore said. “Whatwould you grab as your house is burning? Your family photos and videos are the most compelling.”
Akin to an airline’s black box, the hard drive boxes are shown in online videos being dropped off balconies, burned in barbecues and run over by tractors. Starting around $ 249, they can be found at electronics stores or online.
Other people are storing computer data online in the so- called cloud, using backup systems that aren’t sitting on their desktops.
Ghilarducci’s firm, for instance, provides online document storage for its tax clients.
“It’s a virtual file cabinet, if you will,” the CPA said, noting that clients can log in, using a personal password, to retrieve their tax documents whenever needed. Clients are encouraged to use the access to scan and upload other financial documents: mortgage, insurance, household inventories, for instance.
For his office computer and personal laptop, Ghilarducci says he’s looking at companies such as Carbonite ( that automatically back up computer data to an online data storage center.
Safeguarding your possessions doesn’t necessarily have to be a high- tech solution. As ioSafe’s CEO put it: “Do something to protect yourself against natural disaster.”
Even if it’s as simple as a zipclose bag or a dash- out- the-
door binder.
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