Protecting Your Important Papers

The recent California fires serve as a reminder that a disaster can strike at any time. To avoid losing your important papers if you have to make a quick exit, take the time now to protect them.
 
Rules of thumb for protecting your papers: Have everything in at least two places. And concentrate on duplicating and protecting those items that you would need access to immediately, or that would be difficult or impossible to replace.
 
Keep one set of papers in a lockable, fireproof box at home. It should be lightweight enough that you could easily carry it out of the house if you needed to evacuate. Of course, if your home becomes inaccessible while you’re away, you won’t be able to reach the box. So keep another set of papers off-site, with a friend or relative out of the area, for example.
 
Or use a few tech tools to make back-up and storage even easier. Use a scanner to convert documents to PDFs (electronic files) and then upload them to your personal Web space. Or, copy them onto a USB flash drive that is small enough to fit inside your pocket or on your keychain. Be sure to get one that offers password protection, though, in case you lose it.