Chapter Six
"Very Important Papers"
Some of the following may be of use to you-some not. Take time to look at these sheets and fill out those that will help your family.
Since you have been gathering your financial documents, this is a good time to think about all of your other family records and get them all together. Knowing where important documents and specific information are located helps keep your financial life in order.
Complete this Very Important Papers (VIP) checklist. If you have the item stored in a safe place, check yes. If it is a document you may need and you do not know where it is, check "no". Skip items that do not apply to your family.
| VIPs you need every month: | Yes | No |
| Current family spending plan | | |
| Current checkbook | | |
| Unpaid bills | | |
| Loan payment books | | |
| VIPs you need for emergencies: |
| List of credit cars, card numbers, and phone numbers of companies | | |
| Guarantees and warranties | | |
| Appliance manuals | | |
| VIPs you need in case of personal Emergency: |
| Military discharge papers | | |
| Wills | | |
| Adoption papers | | |
| Marriage certificates | | |
| Death certificates | | |
| Divorce decrees | | |
| Citizenship papers | | |
| Household inventory list | | |
| Insurance policies | | |
| Birth certificates | | |
| Family health records | | |
| VIPs you need for big financial events: |
| Deeds | | |
| Lease or mortgage on farm, home or apartment | | |
| Abstracts | | |
| Bonds and stock certificates | | |
| Employment records | | |
| Social Security cards | | |
| Union identification | | |
| School and trade certificates (diplomas) | | |
| Confirmation or baptismal certificates | | |
Take the time to find those items check on the "no" list. You will be glad you did, especially if an emergency occurs.
Safekeeping of records
Where are you keeping your grandchildren's birth certificates, immunization papers, and other important papers? A safe deposit box at a local financial institution if the safest place to store valuable papers. They range in cost from $20 to $100 per year.
Keeping Very Important Papers at home would eliminate the cost, but you must be sure to find a place free from moisture and other natural threats such as fire. One possibility is a fireproof box. Another is to wrap the papers in moisture-proof paper and store in the freezer.
Depending on the age of your grandchild, you may want to tell him/her where you keep these Very Important Papers.
