Introduction

Have you ever been faced with an emergency such as a fire or flood and not remembered where you kept your disaster insurance documents? Have you ever tried to draft a resume for a new job but couldn’t remember specific information about your former employers and training? If you are like most adults you will be faced with one or more of these types of situations where you need to have access to specific documents and information in a hurry, but are unable to remember where the information or documents can be found. To help alleviate the stress and frustration associated with trying to hunt down important documents in an intense situation you should collect and store eight categories of documentation in a fireproof and waterproof container for quick access. Also to help make retrieving specific pieces of information, they should also be filed by category in either individual pocket portfolios, or in a multi-pocketed accordion folder with each pocket properly labeled: Identification, Insurance, Medical, School, Work, Death, Legal, and Banking/Financial.

Each of these categories will have important documents for every person in your immediate family. You should try to keep each individual’s information separate and if you are able to, try to create a document kit for each person instead of keeping everyone’s documents in one folder. Pocket folders can be purchased for about 10 to 20 cents a piece, so even for a family of four making a document kit for each person, and with each kit containing seven folders, the folder cost for the entire family would only be $2.80 - $5.60. (If a category isn’t applicable to a specific family member than a file doesn’t have to be used for that category.)

Personal Identification

Under the category of personal identification you should keep a photocopy of your drivers license, green card, and an authorized copy of your birth certificate. In addition to these copied information you will also want to keep your original social security card and passport in the file.

Insurance

With the increase in natural disasters from hurricane damage, to wildfires, insurance information is critical to keep safe and accessible in times of emergency. In general, most people will have at least car insurance and property insurance, either for homeowners or for renters. You should keep your policy information, agent’s contact information, and instructions on how to make a claim and get immediate help in the folder. Paper clip or staple each policy’s information together so that contact information and the policy are close together during an emergency or accident. This way you will be able to retrieve the proper insurance information quickly, even if you are swarmed by the chaos of the situation.

In addition to car and property insurance, you should also keep your health insurance, life insurance, liability insurance, disability insurance, etc. policies together in your insurance file. This particular file will probably need a larger and sturdier folder as it will have more papers, cards, and supplemental materials attached to each policy that you own.

Because insurance may cover more than one person in your family a single insurance folder for the entire family is probably sufficient. If there are specific insurances that cover only one member of the family, for example life insurance policies, you can designate specific pockets in a multi-pocket folder to a person and keep all of the member specific policies separated by individual, and then have a general purpose pocket for insurance that covers all family members or family property such as homeowners insurance, etc.

Medical

While keeping identification documents and insurance information on hand is probably a common occurrence, keeping your medical information organized and on hand is probably less common. For this folder I would highly recommend keeping the following documents on hand:

1. Medical records – Ask for a copy of your medical records from every doctor that you have seen. This will allow any new doctor that you visit to know your complete medical history quickly, without having to request medical documents and wait for them to be shipped to their office. This is especially important in an emergency situation that you experience if you have recently moved to a new city, state, or country.
2. Medical log – Keep a journal of your medical and health experiences. For example you may document that your child was immunized on October 15, 2004 and then he ran a fever of 102.5 12 hours later, and that he also broke out in a rash. You will also want to document when you have reactions to certain foods. To document this type of reaction you need to write down what you ate, how long it took before you experienced the reaction, what the reaction was, how severe it was, how long it lasted, and what treatments (either over-the-counter or professional medical treatment) you received. By keeping a log of these types of events you can find patterns of causes and effects that may otherwise not be able to be identified. This log is especially important to make for children and the elderly.
3. List of prescription drugs – Keep a list of what drugs you take, when you take them, how long you have been taking them, what the drug is intended to treat, who prescribed the medication, and why they prescribed it.
4. List of allergies – Keep a list of all the things that you know you are allergic to. You may even want to make a second list of items that give you heartburn or upset your stomach in some other way. Also provide treatment information on what should be done in case you accidentally eat one of the foods that you are allergic too, including doctor contact, and what immediate steps need to be taken such as giving an injection or adrenaline.
5. List of over-the-counter drugs and supplements that you are taking. This will include aspirin, herbs, and antacids. The importance of this list is based on the potential for drug interactions with these types of items to occur that may threaten your health if a doctor is not aware that you are taking these OTC items.
6. Doctor information should also be kept in this folder. Include doctor’s name, address, phone number, what kind of doctor they are, and how long you have been seeing them.

School

School information should be kept for every member of your family. For adults school information may include transcripts, photocopy or original copy of degrees and diplomas, awards, clippings from newspapers, etc.

For children you will want to keep a copy of their immunization record, their report cards, IEPs, list of schools that they have attended, and any forms and documents that have been sent home with your child.

Work

The work folder will only apply to the people in your family who have held a paid or unpaid position. The purpose of this folder is to provide you with a history of your work experience. This folder may also be started for children as a way to develop their resume.

Included in the child’s work folder may be summer jobs such as mowing lawns or babysitting, and later include volunteer work or participation in family businesses. This will help children remember what they have done in the past, and it will help them get a job once they turn 16.

For adults this folder can be used to retrieve work experience and training information in order to apply for a new job or to apply for a better job in their current company. Adults should keep detailed information about their past employers including the company’s name, address, phone number, website, and contact information, as well as what position they held, what their main duties were, and how long they worked there. Adults will also want to keep their training information in this folder including seminar and CPE information.

Death

The death folder will contain documents that will be important in case someone in your family dies. The first document you will need for every adult in your family is their last will and testament. Make sure that you update this document at least every five years, or after a major change occurs in your life such as marriage, divorce, birth, or death. Keep a list of updated contact information for your beneficiaries, guardians, and executors of your will so that they can be contacted easily for the reading of your will.

You will also want to draft a living will, in the case that you are injured or become seriously ill. This will help to ensure that your wishes concerning your medical treatment and the prolonging of your life are carried out.

Finally keep your funeral arrangement information in this folder. This may include burial plot information, insurance programs intended to cover funeral and burial costs, and a description of what you would like done at your funeral. For example if you want to be cremated instead of buried you need to write this down, most likely in your will, to ensure that your wishes are honored. Organ donor information should also be filed in this folder. A form can be downloaded from the Internet that you can fill out and keep in this folder that will identify what organs you are willing to donate if they are still viable when you pass away.

Legal

The contents of the legal folder will vary depending on each situation. Basically you will want to file a copy of all legal proceedings, contracts, warranties, etc. that you have been involved in. For example you will want to include a copy of your marriage license, divorce decrease, appliance warranties, settlements, etc.

Banking/Financial

The final folder will contain all of your banking information including checking, savings, IRAs, 401(k), annuities, bonds, stocks, loans, etc. Keep disclosure statements, account identification information, monthly statements, and access information in this folder. Depending on how many assets you own the size of this folder may demand a larger more secure folder than other categories.

Conclusion

By keeping all of these documents safe and accessible you will be able to retrieve them quickly when you need them. In cases of emergencies such as a fire or flood, having quick access to these documents may mean the difference between sleeping in your car or sleeping in a comfortable hotel.