Financial Planner

Checklist: Evacuation Box

Things to do this weekend with your money

Consider putting together an “evacuation box” that can be easily retrieved in an emergency.

4 Today: Purchase or find a sturdy box and place it in an easily accessible spot, such as a front closet. Office-supply stores sell plastic file boxes with handles generally for less than $10.

4 Saturday: Photocopy your most important papers and put them in the box. Documents to copy include insurance policies; marriage, birth and death certificates; divorce decrees; passports; titles, deeds and home purchase and inspection documents; tax returns for the last six years; appraisals of expensive jewelry and art; wills and trusts; and a home inventory (a list of possessions and/or a videotaped documentary of your home). Some experts also advise photocopying the contents of your wallet (driver’s license, credit cards, etc.).

4 Sunday: Round up your photo negatives and put them in the box. (You may need a second box if your collection is large enough.) Photography stores sell plastic sheets for filing negatives, but you needn’t be that meticulous; just having them in one place could help you preserve your memories in case of fire, earthquake or other disaster.