Prepare for Your Next Insurance Claim

Preparing for disasters typically involves learning about the threats, creating a plan, securing property, and stocking up on emergency supplies. While these steps can help you survive, there's one more issue to address: the aftermath and rebuilding.

If your house were to be completely destroyed, would you have the information needed to file a complete insurance claim or would you have to rely on your memory and hope for the best? In order to make future insurance claims as smooth as possible, it's smart to have the information that you need stored in a safe place.

What Information Do You Need?

Obviously, you'll need your insurance policy and the claims department's contact information in order to file an insurance claim. In addition, you should also have an inventory that details your belongings and their values as well as any important documents such as deeds, wills and trusts, birth and marriage certificates, and so on.

Where to Store Insurance Information

Safe deposit boxes have been traditionally used to store important documents and valuables such as wills, insurance policies, and jewelry. In addition to storing hard copies in a safe deposit box, you may want to take advantage of online storage to store digital copies of your insurance policy and home inventory. Your home inventory should include written, room-by-room descriptions as well as photos or video. Make sure to document as much information as possible including serial numbers, purchase price, and any distinguishing or unusual features. Many services offer several gigabytes of online storage for free, making this a convenient and affordable option. Choose a secure storage solution so that the risk of identity theft is minimized.