Every family has too many papers that can not be replaced after a fire or flood. If they "go missing" or destroyed, even if some are replaceable, think of the hassle to get them replaced, and what the cost would be.

Every event in our lives seems to come with a piece of paper. You must have copies of these items safeguarded in anticipation of any disaster!

• Birth Certificates

• Photos

• Savings - Bank Accounts

• Checks and Check Register

• School Records - Health, Dental, Medications

• Religious Records

• Graduation - Diploma, Transcripts, Degrees

• Work - Contract, Entitlements, Pension

• Car - Title, Sales Papers, Warranties

• Marriage - License, Certificate, Photos 

• Home - Deed, Abstract, Mortgage

• Travel - Passports, Visas

• Retirement Agreement Papers 

• Social Security Records

• And Beyond - Pensions, Investments, court records

• And all the pertinent items in the panel on the right
  

You will quickly realize that the list above includes repetitions of some of the same items, but it is probably missing many events you yourselves cherish and want to save from fire, flood or any other harm. 

For over 76 years, SentrySafe has been providing the vital protection these documents need for your own security in be able to recover if your life is rudely interrupted.

Click here to review testimonials from people unfortunate enough to have needed a safe, and fortunate enough to have had a SentrySafe. Check our replacement policy.

In order to protect and organize your records you have to take time, but it saves time in the long run. Paper piles up and gets stored in a number of places that seem logical at the time, but ends up not being rememberable.  

But once organized, retrieving them can be made a simple, non-time consuming process. It is important to know how long you need to keep records. The list below is the short list to which you can add your own items as well.

• Adoption Papers -

• Bank Records - for 6 years

• Birth & Death Certificates - permanently

• Citizenship Papers - permanently

• Child Custody Papers - permanently

• Contracts - For 7 years after expiration

• Credit Card Records - for 6 years

• Deeds - permanently

• Divorce & Separation Papers - permanently

• Health Records -permanently

• Home / Property Inventory - update permanently

• Insurance Policies - 4 years after expiration date

• Loan Papers - 3 years after load is paid off

• Marriage Certificate - permanently

• Mortgage, 3 years after loan is paid off

• Passport - if new issue occurs

• Stock & Bond Certificates - 4 years after sold

• Tax Records - for 6 years

• Warranties - for the life of the item

• Will - as long as it is in effect

The list above is a short collection of vital documents, and each family is sure to have more. But it does give you a picture of how much valuable information, much of it irretrievable, a safe should hold. Few people will have all the items from the list, but those that you do have need to be retained for as long as shown above.