Dear Stefanie:
I live in Summerset in Brentwood. In July, we were evacuated due to the Clayton Marsh Fire.
I was angry with myself… Panicking, I could not find my estate binder before leaving! I have it now, but do you have any suggestions?
– Cooler (now) on Coronation Dr.
Dear Cooler (now) on Coronation Dr.:
I remember when that happened. Scary! Although fires are the “new normal,” I still recommend that you keep estate binders at home (as opposed to at the bank). In addition to California law, I seem to practice “Murphy’s Law,” and documents always seem needed from the bank on a Friday night before a three day weekend when the bank is closed…
All thing being equal, I generally still recommend having the originals stored at home. Some folks put their binders in a home fireproof safe, but if you don’t already have one, I don’t think you need to make an investment just for that. Mine is on a bookshelf. I generally still do believe that it is more likely that your Agent will need the documents quickly during a time of need (e.g.: medical emergency) than a fire burning them.
I would be sure that you know where the documents are so you could get them easily in an evacuation. I would also consider keeping a copy on a “thumb drive” in a safe location (like a bank). I also have electronic copies of all client documents, too.
In this video I talk about “Where Should I Store The Originals?“.
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