Home Safes
In recent years, home safes have become affordable while providing an advanced form of protection from thieves, fire, water, and other disaster related events. Safes designed for the home can be found for as little as $50, or go into the thousands for larger versions with enhanced features and safety ratings.
While protecting your valuables is critical, home safes are also ideal for protecting your critical records and documents. In the event of a disaster, having access to these important papers will make recovery easier. Papers can accumulate quickly so here's quick guide to typical documents that would be stored in a home safe and how long they should be stored for:
- Adoption Papers: ongoing
- Bank Records: for seven years
- Birth and Death Certificates: ongoing
- Citizenship Papers: ongoing
- Contracts: for seven years after the term
- Child Custody Papers: ongoing
- Deeds: ongoing
- Divorce and Separation Papers: ongoing
- Medical Records: ongoing and update as needed
- Property Inventory: ongoing and update as needed
- Insurance Policies: for four years after they have expired
- Loan Papers: for three years after the loan is cleared
- Marriage Certificate: ongoing
- Mortgage: for three years after the home is paid off
- Passport: until replaced
- Stock & Bond Certificates: for four years after they have been sold
- Tax Records: for six years and update as needed
- Warranties: as long as you own the item or the warranty remains in effect
- Will: as long as it is in effect