Important household papers include family, property, financial, and legal papers that legitimize and protect you, your family, and your estate. They document identification, ownership, legal and financial status, employment, education, and family history.
Take an inventory of your important household papers, which may include:
- Adoption papers
- Advisers and contacts lists
- Baptism and confirmation records
- Birth certificates
- Business ownership papers
- Citizenship and naturalization papers
- Credit card information
- Death certificates
- Debts owed and those to be collected
- Divorce papers
- Easement papers
- Educational records
- Employment records and identity cards
- Family history
- Financial accounts
- Funeral and burial plans and records
- Household property inventory
- Income and expense records
- Insurance policies
- Investment records and pension plans
- Marriage certificates
- Medical records
- Memberships and subscriptions
- Military records
- Net worth statements
- Passports
- Patents and copyrights
- Powers of attorney
- Property appraisals, deeds, and titles
- Safe-deposit box inventory
- Social Security cards and numbers
- Tax records
- Veterinary records
- Warranties, guarantees, and owner manuals
- Wills and trusts
Knowing what you already have can help you decide which important papers you will need to start organizing and/or updating. For your convenience, fill out the Record of Important Papers interactive form (available in rtf format) and save it to your computer’s hard drive. Be sure to update the information at least once a year.
Keeping a list of important household papers can save you time and give you the peace of mind of knowing that you’re prepared. Properly completed and kept current, your Record of Important Papers can help you find records when you need them and be a guide to you or others in an emergency. Keep an extra copy of the completed form in a secure location outside your home and double-check it periodically against your working copy to make sure the two versions are the same.
Lesson Contents
I. Introduction
II. How to Get Organized
III. Organize Important Papers
- a. Which Papers to Keep
- b. Where to Keep Papers
- c. How Long to Keep Papers
- d. When to Update Papers
- e. How to Replace Papers
Organize Your Important Household Papers belongs to a series called Legally Secure Your Financial Future. The series also includes information to help you communicate with others and begin preparing your estate plan.