One of the best gifts you can leave your family, is a single document or notebook listing all of your assets, debts, and important information. If you need help organizing your financial records try the T. Rowe Price Family Records Organizer. This organizer is available on-line for free, and you do not have to be a T. Rowe Price customer to get a copy. To order the free CD click here.
The organizer has a number of different sections for personal information such as date and place of birth, social security number, visa or passport information, banking, credit cards, loans, the location of your will or trust, health and medical information, insurance information, etc.
Organizing all of this information into one easy location can be a real help to a grieving family, and can also be a real help in times of emergency. Consider the circumstances of the Katrina Hurricane victims. Many people were forced to evacuate their homes with only what they could fit in a vehicle. In such circumstances, you do not have time or room to move a filing cabinet full of documents. However a single notebook, printout or CD of your financial records and important information can be invaluable should you have a catastrophic loss and need to make insurance claims, or access financial records in an emergency.
It takes a little time to pull together an organized list -- but having this information at a time of crisis is well worth the time invested!
