by Tina Seymour Demoran, Esquire
Part Two: I’m Organized…Now How Do I Fill in the Missing Parts of This Kit?
Earlier this month, I spoke about how to get your house and business in order, namely locating your important/necessary documentation and putting it into one place.
Now that we’ve done this (hopefully), it’s time to make a list of missing items and add them to your kit.
If it’s estate planning information (will/trust, powers of attorney, naming a guardian for any minor children), then consult with an estate planning attorney to ensure the proper documentation is created.
If it is business continuation information (partnership agreements, properly structuring your corporate structure so that your liability is minimized, buyout agreements, disruption of business insurance, key man insurance, etc.), then you need to consult with an attorney with contract and corporate experience to ensure that you and your business partners have all necessary information fully documented/structured and up to date.
If it’s missing birth certificates, DD-214s, Social security cards, insurance documentation, etc., then notify the proper agency or company to get up to date information and contracts for your kit.
Never rely on them to provide this information in a crisis. Always go ahead and get it together before you actually need it, as the need may be emergent and you may then not have enough time to wait for them to pull the information and send it to you.
Also, I cannot stress this enough: make sure you have in this kit a video of your possessions and all of your documentation scanned on a thumb drive.
Paperwork fades over time, and the scanned documents and video may end being the only evidence you have that these documents ever existed, and what they actually say.
As always, I write this column for informational purposes, but I do state that we are a full-service law firm that can handle these issues. Our first consultation with you is always free.
Y’all stay safe out there and talk to you next week!
