Prepare Now
Take Stock
Before you can minimize your risk of disaster, you need to take stock of what's at risk by taking photos of all your significant possessions. This is critical if you ever have to put a claim in with your insurance company. As Jeanne Salvatore of the Insurance Information Institute puts it, “If your house is destroyed, and all you remember about your sofa is that it was ‘beige,’ you can pretty much count on being reimbursed for just your basic, no-frills beige sofa.”
- Go to the Know Your Stuff website, to download the Insurance Information Institute's hugely popular free home-inventorying software.
- Follow its pointers for photographing and recording the costs of your belongings. Everything of value should be included, from the biggest pieces of furniture to cherished keepsakes and favorite shoes. If you can't find receipts to scan in, just record the purchase prices to the best of your recollection.
- Download the photos and completed forms onto a flash drive and store with the rest of your vital documents described in “Get Affairs In Order.”