There have been heart-wrenching stories coming out of California recently, of families being forced to evacuate their homes in a hurry as fire spread across their beautiful wine country neighborhoods.  Emergencies like this are rare, but do happen, and that’s why I have a go-file, and you should too.   

We’ve just finished National Preparedness month, and while it is good time to stock up on batteries and candles, fresh water and other emergency supplies, the go-file is an essential element for emergency preparedness that is often overlooked.

So what’s a go-file?  Well it’s a file that’s ready to go, of course.  A single container to keep your most important documents that you can grab as you leave the house in an emergency.   It can be a file box or a binder (I recommend a nice standout red one) and it should have everything in it you would need to prove your identity, file an insurance claim, access your important accounts.   Many people have fire/flood proof safe for some of these things, and this isn’t meant to replace that – the go-file can have copies in it.   Life in Case* is a great product for this that makes it super easy to get this done.

Once you’ve gotten everything together, consider these additional steps & things to include: a flash drive or DVD with digital versions of the essential documents, and/or a drive or disk with your most precious family photos.

Lastly, consider having an additional backup in the cloud. SafelyFiled is an excellent easy to use online filing system with military level encryption.

The go-file is also an invaluable resource if the family member who manages the important paperwork is incapacitated or passes away suddenly.

Preparing for the worst is never fun.  But being prepared when the worst happens makes all the difference.

Click here for a checklist of what should be in your go-file.