LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE
Years ago I attended a bridal shower for a friend. I ended up spending most of the shower sitting with the groom’s sister. She was newly engaged herself, and as we spoke about her life and her future husband, well let’s just say that what I learned was crazy and unexpected. She ended up sharing how their house had recently burned down, and she was currently battling things out with the insurance company. He was actually a firefighter before this happened, but nothing prepares you to loose everything in one night, or day for that matter. What was even more surprising to me was the hoops that she was having to jump through just to get the money she needed from her insurance company to rebuild her entire life.
Today we are going to discuss what is required for a major insurance claim like this, and how we can prepare in case something like this happens to us.
The biggest thing is that the insurance company wanted documentation for every. single. thing. They couldn’t just say that they had spent $500 on their television - they had to be able to prove it. If they couldn’t prove it there was a long, drawn out process to get money from the insurance company, but that was no guarantee they would even get a cent. It was time they didn’t have. They had to start from scratch, and needed things like a new place to live, furniture and an entirely new wardrobe! Spending months arguing with the insurance company only added to the pain and sorrow they were already experiencing.
So to avoid this, let’s discuss the two things you can do to help make the process easier in the event that you need to deal with this yourself.
My first recommendation is that you scan every single receipt for home purchases into your computer and save them either in the cloud or on a thumb drive that you keep somewhere outside your home - at the office, at a friend’s house or even in a safety deposit box at your bank. You can always do both. If you created a file in your computer labeled “house” and keep all the documents there together, then in the event that you need to file an insurance claim of any kind you can just attach that file to an email and send it off immediately. Done. Without any of the hassles or the headaches! I have found this document scanner as a possible option for you to use:
This option is available on raven.com. Just to be clear, I know that it’s not in everyone’s price range, but if you have a lot of paperwork to scan into your computer, and some money to spare this might be a great option for you.
Also from my research for this post, I found out that you can actually just scan everything straight into your phone. Here is an article explaining how to do that: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210336
Of course stores like FedEx, Staples and Office Depot/Max are happy to assist you with this as well. There are so many options, I know that one of them is going to be right for you.
Next, I highly recommend getting a fire proof lockbox for all the major documents that you don’t want scanned into your computer and available in the cloud for just anyone to find - social security card, etc… Here is an example of what I’m talking about:
This model is from Staples ( https://www.staples.com ) and is fireproof and also waterproof, just in case that is also a concern for you. There are a variety of options online for you to check out. I know you’ll be able to find one in your price range.
I know that I have thrown a lot at you, but remember this article will be here whenever you’re ready to tackle this project.
XOXO, Kylie