Organize important family records

Store essential information and documents in one easy-to-access place

By Kathy English

Can you easily get your hands on all of your family’s important documents and records? Do you know where your children’s health card numbers are right now? If your house burned down tomorrow, would all of your vital records go up in smoke?

If you haven’t asked yourself these questions, you need to seriously consider a strategy for recording and storing vital family records and documents. There’s so much more to organizing this important information than just stashing it all in a bureau drawer.

“It’s essential that you organize yourself to be prepared for anything. What happens if you lose your wallet for instance?” says Toronto organizational consultant Janet Hennick, of J.R.H. Creative Concepts. “You must have files of all of your important family documents.”

Joanne Thomas Yaccato, author of Raising Your Business: A Canadian Women’s Guide to Entrepreneurship, says she wouldn’t be surprised if many women are so busy trying to do their jobs and manage their households that they don’t ever get organized — and often don’t know where important documents are when they need them.

“Every family needs to have a place for these things and figure out a system for getting organized,” she advises.

Create computer files

Your computer can play an important role to make sure all of your important paperwork is protected and easy to access in case of an emergency.

Simply create a Family documents folder on your computer by going to Start > Documents. Under Organize, click New Folder and name the folder Family Information. Take some time to create files that record all of your critical information either in Word documents or on an Excel spreadsheet.

Templates for organizing vital information are formatted and available in Microsoft Word. Click New to create a new document — you’ll find spreadsheets for vehicle details to medical files to important household records. You can use these pre-made lists to produce documents tailored to your own family’s needs.

For more thorough records, you could scan important documents right into your computer, allowing you to store actual copies in the Family Information folder.

When you’ve completed your digital record-keeping, it’s essential that you create a backup CD or DVD. This belongs in your safety deposit box, providing vital protection in the event of fire or theft of your computer. You might also consider giving a copy to your lawyer for safekeeping.

Classify your most important documents

The goal is not to be pessimistic but to prepare for anything — including death. You should keep a list of all of your important numbers and contacts. Essential documents are

• birth certificates
• social insurance cards
• health cards
• hospital cards
• passports
• drivers’ licences
• immunization records
• credit cards
• wills
• powers of attorney
• insurance policies
• bank account numbers
• bank locations

As well, you could include health and medical records and a household inventory that itemizes your possessions. For insurance purposes, the household inventory might even contain scanned photos of your possessions and their registration numbers.

You should also record the names and contact information of your lawyer, accountant, broker and any other professional involved in your family’s affairs.

Protect your files

Now that you’ve taken time to create your Family Information folder, you want to make sure it’s protected if outsiders gain access to your computer. All family members can have their own user profile, complete with login and password. This added level of security ensures that no one but you can access — or accidentally delete — your important documents.

You can also easily encrypt your Family folder using options available through Windows Explorer. Right-click the folder you want to encrypt and go to File > General tab > Advanced. Check the box beside Encrypt content to secure data.

This procedure protects sensitive data so that only the user who encrypts a protected file can open the file and work with it.