Have you suddenly lost a loved one, so unexpected you can’t believe it is true?  You look around as if they will walk up to you and tell you it has all been a bad dream.   When you loose someone so suddenly, you realize how much you need to do in case this ever happens to you.  Sudden loss gives you a reality check of what it is you want out of your life.  It also give you the wake up call to make sure your affairs are in order.  I have seen the devastation of a family who’s mother suddenly passed away.  This mother was my step sister.  She had a will, but not executed in the state she was living in.  She had meant to get around to updating it for the current state she lived in, but like most of us thought she had plenty of time to get it done.   The family is going through her papers trying to make sure everything is handled appropriately, but it is time consuming not having everything in order.  She would never have wanted to leave this work to the family, but never thought it would happen to her.

We are so busy in our every day lives that the thought of any deaths or disasters are so far out of mind.  This is the way we should live.  We should be living for today, not in a state of worry about what ifs!  The only way we can truly live is to know we are prepared.  The Boy Scout motto “Be Prepared” takes on new meaning in the wake of recent natural disasters.   Between Katrina and other major hurricanes, floods, fires, and earthquakes, you hear of so many situations of families who were not prepared for such devastation.  Preparation will make situations like these more manageable, but what do you need to do to be prepared? 

After a disaster, the media will show so many stories of people having trouble with insurance companies.  The insurance companies must protect themselves from fraud, so they require so much documentation to take your claim.  The best way to protect and cover yourself is to do your part and have a home inventory.  If you have done a thorough home inventory you will be able to make a claim easily.  There are many ways to produce a home inventory.  First, before doing any work for an inventory, check with your insurance company to find out what they require.  It is always better to be over prepared than under, but each company is a little different with what they will accept for a claim. Pictures and videos are the best way to prove the condition of what you have and also that you actually own it!  One product on the market I have found to produce your home inventory is  Anywhere Vault.  I am impressed with their easy to use program to help you get your inventory done as quickly as possible.  The program walks you through the steps to produce a very thorough inventory.  Not only will you have your inventory sealed in an on-line “vault” you will be able to have a hard copy to keep on hand.  For more information, check out their site.

Another way to be prepared is to have your will, trusts and health directives up-to-date to ensure all your desires are met.  No one wants to plan for their death, but it is so important for those you leave behind.  No matter what religion you follow, we have no way of knowing when our time here is over.  As matter of fact that may be, you need to make sure you have made the easiest transition for your loved ones.  Talk to your accountant and lawyer to make sure you have everything in order.  Check with them to see how often you should update your documents.  So often people have done these documents, but have failed to update them.  This makes a very difficult time for those you leave behind.  Be proactive to stay prepared! 

Having all your important documents in a safe place that is ready to grab and go is important in the event of a disaster, natural or accidental.  Fire proof safes are a great way to keep your documents good condition in the case of a disaster that you are not home for.  If your home were to catch on fire and you are not home, you can feel confident that your documents will still be intact when you need them.  There is a wonderful product on the market that is recommended by the American Red Cross called Portavault.  It is a binder that helps you gather the important documents you need for any disaster, injury or death.  There are other products on the market, but this product is well planned out including a canvas case that is water-resistant.  Documents that should be kept in this or any ready-to-go case are:

• Emergency plan
• Family communication plan
• Health history
• Emergency contacts
• Household inventory, including valuables and collectibles
• Financial Data, including tax returns, bank account information, stock information, and credit card information
• Home ownership information
• Car information
• Insurance information
• Wills, trusts, health directives
• Children’s up to date photo and fingerprints

Schedule time to put these documents together.  You don’t want to be caught without this done. 

After you have put your documents together and have all your documents up-to-date, you will need to have your emergency kits put together for the home and your car.  These should include a first aid kit, water, and food.  You can find many companies that have these kits for sale on-line.  I highly recommend looking into what you need for the size of your family.  If you have pets, make sure you research what you need to keep them safe.  Also, put together a family plan on what will happen if there is an emergency.  You will give your children peace of mind knowing what to expect when something happens.

Preparation for the unexpected is hard work.  But once you have done this, you will have peace of mind.  You can relax knowing you and your family will be taken care of should anything bad happen.  Here’s to getting this done, and hoping none reading this will ever need to use the things they have prepared!