fireproof

{image}

Where do you keep your important documents such as: social security card, birth certificate, passport, banking records, life insurance policy, etc?
A) All over the house
B) In a specific filing cabinet
C) Safe Deposit Box at the Bank
D) Don't know

{image}

What was your answer? Do you know where those important documents are? Some people may have NO IDEA where they keep them. Others may have said, they have them in random places all over their house.
Then, there are the smart ones. The ones who have filing cabinets and/or safe deposit boxes and are all organized.

I have to admit, I'm a little jealous of people who are that organized, but they are doing things right.
If your apartment/house burns down, how will you get your important documents?

{image}

There are two things you can do to protect yourself.
1) Invest in a safe deposit box at your local bank and store WICKED IMPORTANT documents there. These are documents you absolutely could NOT lose in a fire.
2) Invest in a fire-proof filing cabinet or at the minimum a metal filing cabinet. You can store important documents and have some peace of mind. {disclaimer: I am not a firefighter}

Personally, I do not have a safe deposit box at the bank, although I think about getting one. I do have metal filing cabinets. I'm not sure if they're 100% fire-proof, however they are more fire-proof than boxes or bookshelves or random places around the house. In the event of an emergency, I know where I can find our family's important documents. If we happen to come back to a torched home, because they are in a metal filing cabinet, they are more likely to survive. {disclaimer: I am not a firefighter}

Just a thought as you plan for the future.

Below are two links you can check out.
What I Own
In Case My House Burns
Both links give you tips on what to do to prevent serious loss to important documents and how to keep a log of what was damaged or decimated.

when in doubt
1) Contact your local Cape Cod insurance agent for coverage questions
2) Contact your local Falmouth Fire Department on how to prevent fires and how to prepare in the event there is a fire.
3) Check wikiHow on Fire Prevention tips

insurance is a career?

ever wonder how you got where you are today?
what skills did you acquire that got you there?
how much was luck?
who did you know?
what did you do?
OR
what didn't you do?

some could say i landed in the insurance business by default. it's a family business.
but maybe i should tell you how i got my start.
i grew up on cape cod.
i went to high school and planned for college.
i had many dreams, as most young adults dream.
i went off to college planning on traveling the world.
becoming an ambassador, a translator or some other international career.
i graduated and took a job at TD Banknorth. i didn't want anything to do with the family business.
i wanted to see the world. i wanted to experience life away from the family business.
a few years went by and i decided maybe the family business was what i wanted.
i had a conversation, sent in my resume, had an interview and was hired.
i was in. not just because i'm the boss' daughter.
i had real work experience.
then began the exams. i thought those were behind me after my college days.
after the insurance exams were passed, i got into a groove.
insurance started to have real meaning to me.
sure, growing up i realized it was important.
i was probably the only college student who asked her dad to buy her a life insurance policy while she was young so she could get the best price. you know, because the cost of life insurance increases as you age and would probably be astronomical when she turned 25.
{oh the mind of a college student}
i understood auto insurance protects you in a car accident and it's expensive when you're an inexperienced driver.
house or renter insurance is important if your home burns or suffers some other unfortunate catastrophe. it will replace your belongings at little cost. {in simple terms: you buy $100,000 of homeowner's insurance with a $1000 deductible for $1000, your risk is $2000 and if you have a loss, you can collect up to $100,000}
life insurance is important. what happens if the people who pay the bills {mom/dad} die. who will make sure there's food on the table, the mortgage/rent is paid, utilities are kept up with, clothes are bought, college is paid for?
so, i knew insurance was important.
since i knew it was important, i thought the whole world knew it was important.
i was wrong.
many people do know the importance of insurance.
however many people do not understand insurance.
it is confusing.
i will agree to that.
{i took many tests that say "I'm an Expert" and i'm still learning insurance}
so, insurance took on a new meaning.
i started to tell people the importance of insurance.
sure, people thought i was nuts. or a little weird.
i mean who ENJOYS telling others about the importance of insurance.
{ahem, that would be me.}
i could tell just about anyone how important it is to have life insurance, especially if you own a home. or car insurance, especially if there's a loan on the car. homeowner's insurance, if you can't self insure for $200,000.
and so began my career in the insurance industry.
if you want to know more about insurance. or want to hear my enthusiasm. feel free to call me, email me, comment, find me on twitter or facebook. i'll chat it up. and no, i'm not just trying to sell you something. i want to educate people, and i truly believe in what we sell at the agency.
if you're just looking for insurance tips. i'm happen to pass along the knowledge.
if you want an insurance review, i'm happy to go over your policies and offer some suggestions.
we're here to educate. we're here to help. we're here to make insurance easy.
{as easy as it can be-you make us do the hard work}