Recording personal information so it’s available when you need it most

The first step is to identify the stuff in your life that needs documenting, starting with large assets like homes and vehicles. Simply take a few minutes to record a video with that smart-camera-phone probably in arm’s length of you right now. We recommend beginning with wide-angle shots of your properties taken from multiple perspectives. Include anything parked in a driveway such as cars, trucks, motorcycles, ATVs, and watercraft along with their license plates and VIN numbers. If other craft are someplace else just do this the next time you go for a spin. Having recent photos will help prove to your insurance company that you get what you are owed and not a default depreciation value.

Next, step inside your home and record a video walkthrough or take multiple photos of all rooms. This should offer various angles including closeups of your valuables, such as stereos, computers, jewelry, and art.

Now start thinking about the paperwork for these items, receipts, purchase and lease agreements, or order numbers that indicate an item’s value. Include related items like tax statements for your home, and the address where each asset is located. With these thought and your documented images you’re ready for the next step.

With photos and videos in place, you’ll now want to set up some method of electronic storage for yourself and to share easily with others. Digitized records ensure exceptional disaster recovery when compared to paper files, which are easily lost, destroyed, or misplaced. These might go on a physical hard drive, a cloud storage solution, or in an email account by simply routing files to yourself or to a trusted representative.

Let’s first look at cloud storage, which is the most popular option. If you’ve already set-up a cloud storage account, there’s no need to change providers. But if you don’t currently have any accounts and would like one, there are lots of options from which to choose. The top players in this space, which all provide a free entry level accounts, include Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Apple iCloud, and Dropbox. When creating a new account they require a login name, usually your email, and a password. Make sure to store this login information in a safe place – more on that in the next section.

Google Drive: Google offers free, secure cloud storage accounts that give you the ability to share files with others.

Microsoft OneDrive: Microsoft also offers free, secure cloud storage accounts that provide the ability to share files with others.

Apple iCloud: Apple’s iCloud storage provides similar security and data sharing capability and is typically built into every iPhone. If you choose iCloud, simply check settings to ensure backups are enabled.

Dropbox: Another great option for free, secure cloud storage paired with intuitive file sharing. The Dropbox app is available for all major platforms and allows for easy and automatic file syncing.

In the event of an emergency, keep important contact information at your fingertips should you need to reach anyone. This includes family, friends, your child’s school, your employer, and neighbors or homeowner’s association, if applicable. You can save this in a text or Excel file, include in your phone’s address book, or in any location you know will be accessible in the event of an emergency. Be creative, even if that means taking photos of business cards for trusted services like home repair and maintenance.

Financial information is another often overlooked but crucial lifesaver in the event of a disaster because you never know when you’ll need to access emergency funds. Create and maintain a list of financial account information, such as banks, credit cards, loans, any outstanding debts, savings accounts, and investments. Note the bank name where you hold each account, what type of account you hold, account numbers, and their contact information. It’s also good to store information about current employment, like a copy of a recent pay stub, any ongoing contracts or agreements, and don’t forget any retirement plans..

Computers increasingly need more user accounts and passwords from us so, you’ll want to write down your local computer logins, both user and administrator if necessary, along with online accounts like email addresses, website logins like bank accounts and any social media account. If you are surprised how many you can come up with then you’re on the right track. Having a trusted computer technician is not a bad idea for many reasons, sharing with them just your computer login information is necessary in the case of any computer recovery or helpful if the password gets forgotten.

But this data is only helpful if you have access to it when you need it. If you chose to store information online or encrypt the data you’ll need the password in order to read or update it. That in itself is its own challenge, if it’s safe and secure write it down someplace you can easy get to, anything better than a Post-it Note on the screen should do. Some online services are technically advanced enough to use a smart phone for secure access, removing the need to remember a password.

Any remaining paper records should be stored securely in a metal drawer, a fire-resistant personal safe, a bank safety deposit box, geocached, or handled in a similar way by a trusted family member or friend on your behalf.

Until we live in a paperless world many official documents will still need to be physically stored. Begin with your health insurance carrier and policy number, your family’s primary physician and contact data, and disability records, burial documents, and plans, if applicable. Next, store your homeowner and auto insurance policies should you need to file a claim. Then create a list of carriers, account numbers, and contact information where you can reach each company’s claims department.

Oftentimes, a call to the insurance company is all your agent will need to pull up details on your account. Many also now have smart phone apps for easier access. If you have a smart phone consider downloading their app. Having this information ready after a disaster will save you a lot of time and mental distress.

Now it’s time to gather and store legal documentation, such as wills, powers of attorney, child care authorizations, as well as child travel consent forms, healthcare powers of attorney, and end of life plans. Any documents you don’t have may be developed and added to your legal library either independently or with the support of an attorney. While collecting these documents take a moment to photograph them, make sure to include dates, account numbers and signatures, then store along with your other digital documents. Below is a list to help you with these big life decisions—along with links to websites that can help you create those contracts yourself.