Keep valuables and critical legal documents in a fireproof safe, a bank safe deposit box, or both.
During your lifetime you will likely collect numerous legal documents. Marriage licenses, wills, birth certificates, social security cards, tax returns and deeds are the most common legal documents. Some of these documents can be replaced if lost (such as most legal documents issued by the government); others may need to be completely rewritten (such as unrecorded deeds or wills). When choosing store your legal documents, rocketlawyer.com suggests keeping in mind two factors: security and ease of access.
Instructions
1. Make copies of your important legal documents. Important legal documents pertain to you and your identity. Marriage licenses, birth certificates, social security cards, wills and a list of your bank account numbers are examples of important legal documents.
2. Store one set of your important legal documents in an emergency kit. Use a fireproof safe that locks. Keep your important documents in the safe and remember where the key is or what the combination is. Keep the safe hidden, yet easily accessible, perhaps in a small closet crawlspace.
3. Take copies of your important documents and place them in a bank safe deposit box. This creates a backup for your important legal documents and provides you security (although you can't access the documents as quickly if they're not in your home).
4. Place other legal documents in a locking filing cabinet. Organize the documents by type for ease of access. Other legal documents include less-important items such as tax returns, credit card statements, investment records, bills and paycheck stubs.
5. Keep tax documents, investment records, and lawsuit judgments in the filing cabinet for seven years. Shred after seven years. Keep bank statements, credit card statements, and paychecks for no longer than one year and then shred; typically you do not need these documents after one year (usually after you file your tax return) and these documents should be destroyed since they contain personal information.
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