# Where do you keep your important documents?



## slacker (Mar 8, 2010)

What's a good place to keep important documents? Fireproof safe? Bank deposit box?


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## KaeJS (Sep 28, 2010)

Fireproof safe under the bed.

1 key in the house, 1 key somewhere else.

Done.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

^ Same.


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## Xoron (Jun 22, 2010)

*Electronically*

I scan anything really important, and keep it on a removable hard drive (of course encrypted) outside of my house.


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

Fireproof safe under the bed sounds like a great strategy! I'd appreciate links to an appropriate safe if anyone is inclined.


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## the-royal-mail (Dec 11, 2009)

I remember this topic. We had a great discussion about this a few months ago or maybe last year. Lots of great suggestions contained therein. I suggest searching for that thread rather than re-discuss it. It was a really good thread.


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## Oldroe (Sep 18, 2009)

I'm resting my feet on it right now. Fire proof safe under computer desk.


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## Eder (Feb 16, 2011)

I guess in the cutlery box on top of the fridge don't cut it anymore?


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## larry81 (Nov 22, 2010)

Oldroe said:


> I'm resting my feet on it right now. Fire proof safe under computer desk.


x2


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## slacker (Mar 8, 2010)

Risk of robbery? Wouldn't bank deposit box be better? (Just to further the discussion a bit more)


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## brad (May 22, 2009)

It's really not an easy choice.

*1. Fireproof Safe*
_Pros_:

Easy access
One-time cost

_Cons_:

Easy for thieves to carry it with them
"Fireproof" may protect only documents, not heat-sensitive media

*2. Safe Deposit Box*

_Pros:_

Offsite, safe from burglars

_Cons:_

Limited space
Recurring fee
Inconvenient access
Put you at the mercy of your bank (if branch closes you have to find new one to keep your valuables)

*3. Online Storage*

_Pros:_

Offsite
Unlimited storage
Easy access from anywhere in the world (e.g, you can retrieve a copy of your passport while traveling etc.)


_Cons:_


Potentially vulnerable to hackers
Recurring fee
Electronic copies may not be acceptable in cases where originals are needed
Puts you at mercy of service that hosts your files (if they go out of business or decide to raise their rates, you're stuck)


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## HaroldCrump (Jun 10, 2009)

We have a mixed approach.
All originals are in a box at the bank.
Photocopies stored at home.
Finance related files are in external USB drives - one at the bank and one at home, synchronized every 3 - 4 months.
Nothing is online.
Cost of bank box is about $60 a year, tax deductible.


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## marina628 (Dec 14, 2010)

We have two safes one you cannot even think to carry it weights too much the other is smaller hidden away that we store things we may have to access more often such as the passports .My husband stores his keys to his sports car in
there as he rarely drives it and figures somebody may break in the house garage but they will never find his keys lol


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## cannew (Jun 19, 2011)

I hate fees, but consider the bank safety deposit box well worth the expense. Besides the security, it would be the first place the kids would look should something happen. No guess work or wondering if there was another hiding place at the house. All the key documents, jewelry, gold, and instructions in one place. Well worth the $60.


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## Addy (Mar 12, 2010)

We use the fireproof safe but considering taking advantage if the free deposit box we get via our TD account.


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## jason26 (Apr 6, 2009)

I'm curious what kind of documents people are talking about here. Other my our passports, I have digital copies of everything with encrypted backups stored in-house and offsite. And other than some papers that may be more sentimental than necessary (diplomas, kids art), I don't see anything that couldn't be replaced if a fire were to occur. At least nothing that I could probably re-acquire from my lawyer or the bank (trust documents, etc.).

Maybe I'm just being naive.


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

For me, it's passports, birth certificates, marriage license, divorce paperwork [from first husband] , wills and powers of attorney, and mortgage. 

I travel internationally so I need a secure and unchanging place to keep my passport. Nothing like tearing the house apart the night before a flight in search of whatever "secret" place I put my passport "last time."


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## brad (May 22, 2009)

Birth certificates can be a real issue. Obtaining a new copy of your own birth certificate shouldn't be a challenge but if you need those of anyone else in your family it can involve a lot of detective work. I was born in Canada to US parents; we moved back to the US when I was one year old. In order to get a US passport I had to provide originals of not only my own birth certificate but those of both my parents, plus their marriage license and a letter from my elementary school's principal verifying that I had gone to school in the United States. Given that my mother died in 1967, obtaining her birth certificate was no mean feat. My father has since died as well, and the fireproof safe that contained all those papers was stolen from his home before he died.

My sister keeps a photocopy of my passport, plus I have another copy on a Dropbox-style secure online server that I can access from anywhere in case mine gets stolen or lost and I need to show the authorities a copy of my original. I also have copies of the items in my wallet with the numbers to call to cancel credit cards etc. if my wallet ever gets stolen. Keeping that stuff online, even encrypted, carries a risk, but that has to be balanced against the peace of mind, efficiency, and convenience of being able to access that information if I ever need it.


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## MoneyMaker (Jun 1, 2009)

fireproof safe inside a safety deposit box with copies in the cloud!

........

i've been going with the fireproof safe in the closet route


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## Sherlock (Apr 18, 2010)

In a drawer in the kitchen. I don't have anything important enough that can't be replaced. Replacing something like a passport would be annoying but I figure the chance of me losing it or it getting stolen is so remote that it's not worth the trouble of buying a safe.


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## Maybe Later (Feb 19, 2011)

I think I need to go check the glovebox of the car. Our wills might still be in there


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## Brian K (Jan 29, 2011)

Our lawyer suggested a fireproof safe in the bedroom closet with the key left in it. The idea being that it would protect the documents in the event of a fire but be visibly obvious (key) to a thief that there aren't any valuables stored in it so he would probably just leave it there rather than take it with him. If he did look inside he/she would see there was no gold or jewelery etc. Now we just have to do it!


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## Larry6417 (Jan 27, 2010)

I keep copies in a fire-resistant safe at home while the originals are in my lawyer's office or in a safety deposit box (tax-deductible because I keep bullion there too).


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