1. Review your homeowner's insurance policy coverage and limits - Be sure you have replacement insurance which will allow you to replace all items (up to a certain amount). Make sure you have enough insurance to cover four specific areas: the dwelling itself, the contents of the dwelling, any outside buildings (like storage) and living expenses during the interim (temporary housing, food, etc.).

2. Take an inventory of EVERYTHING in your home - Take pictures of each room and list each item in that room separately. Include the year purchased (or given as a gift), purchase price, and estimated value. Keep this document online (in the form of a back up on an Internet server or at a document housing site) or saved to a zip drive stored somewhere other than your home.

 3. Scan all important personal documents - Birth certificates, insurance policies, medical information, etc. and store them at a secure document storage site or on a zip drive that you store somewhere besides your home.

 4. Take safety precautions - Install smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, 2nd story ladders, and heat sensors in your home. Have a "safe" place with no windows and surrounded by concrete. Store helmets, pillows, flashlights, batteries, and a weather radio here.

If you would like assistance with any of these items please contact our office and one of our financial planners would be happy to assist you.