Are you ready? For...

[Copper Catcher]

I've got a little experiment I want you to try.

Think about the room in your house that has the most stuff in it. Go to another room and sit down with a pen and pad and write down all the stuff in the room. ARe you surprised what you missed or just forgot about?

If you have a fire and your home is totally destroyed or there is some other disaster and your home is gone and all your stuff are you prepared?

It is important to know if your home owners insurance or renter's insurance is for market value or replacement value. This is a huge deal. Likewise, don’t expect that a check will be written just because you have the amount insured. You have to still have records and proof of ownership i.e. receipts etc. Do you have all this and access to it anytime or anywhere?

First you need to subscribe to a program like Carbonite and backup all your data. It is cheap and easy and once you set it, it updates and stores the files you choose automatically.

Second, one solution I've found is a software program called Home Manage 2011. There are lots of software programs out there but this seemed to be the best that has the most options.

Again, like all prep activities this is going to be a lot of work involved. Mostly taking photos, loading them and plugging in all the data like the purchase price and description. Make sure in your inventory not to forget fixtures, your air conditioner unit and hot water heater, outside stuff, carpet, cloths, anything in your attic or basement. Everything adds up fast!

You can print a ton od different reports and your insurance agent will be blow away.

You can even put who you want the beneficiary to be, which is neat if you have lots of collectables and want certain nieces or nephews to get things.

If you decided not to do this then realize you putting your well being in the hands of the insurance company.

Regardless, you need to ask your insurance agent this question:

Does my homeowners insurance require pictures and receipts to pay a claim?

Generally I have read that depends on the insurance company. Again it is best to call you insurance agent and or talk to the insurance company service department to verify their particular guidelines. You might want to also ask them if they require you to replace the items yourself and then submit the receipt for reimbursement, or if they mail your claims check based on the size of the claim.

Also note that your general policy has a very small limit that it will cover on items like jewelry and guns and you have to insurance those separately.

This is something to seriously think about!!

[Nickelless]

I started a thread on GoldIsMoney last fall about these data backup services, and the overwhelming consensus is that anything you entrust to an outside source is ripe for data-picking, privacy invasion or worse, and that an external hard drive (especially one stored in a separate location) is the best option. Here's that thread:

http://www.goldismoney2.com/showthread. ... racuda-etc

[Copper Catcher]

True...I guess you could put the program and information on a thumb drive as well. I just saw a 16 gig plug in drive for $10.

[Engineer]

True...I guess you could put the program and information on a thumb drive as well. I just saw a 16 gig plug in drive for $10.

Thanks for the backup reminder. I keep a couple thumb drives in the safe and try to remember to update them regularly.

[reddirtcoins]

I started a thread on GoldIsMoney last fall about these data backup services, and the overwhelming consensus is that anything you entrust to an outside source is ripe for data-picking, privacy invasion or worse, and that an external hard drive (especially one stored in a separate location) is the best option. Here's that thread:

http://www.goldismoney2.com/showthread. ... racuda-etc

I fully agree and this is coming from 35 years of IT. -Rant-deleted--