Is estate planning part of disaster planning? Yes, it certainly is.

Life is unpredictable, and you do not need a natural disaster to put your life into havoc. Any life disruption can put a heavy toll on you and your loved ones. One area you can plan ahead in is estate planning. Here are some ideas to help you protect the people and possessions you value the most.

1. Are your documents secure? Make sure you store your important legal documents in a safe place like a safe, or weatherproof container. Make sure you keep that container away from areas that could be high risk. For example, we all use our ovens for storage, well….. maybe let’s not use our oven to store our documents. Other terrible places to store your documents: Bathtub- terrible idea. Keep those documents safe.

1. Don’t let your documents get stale. I know, we are all busy, and the last thing we want to think about is our own demise. However, you also do not want to be in a situation where your family has doubled in size and you have never looked back at your documents. If they are out of date and do not reflect reality, then it is time to rework them.

2. Where’d we put those documents? If you are like me, you find things all the time, however the thing that is found, is actually not the thing you are currently looking for. “Hey Honey, look remember last year when you were looking for the banana bread baking sheets? Well, I found them. But have you seen our estate planning documents? Wait, I bet their in the bathroom.” You can keep your documents secure, and accessible. Tell your family where the documents are. Keep a separate copy of the documents somewhere other than your home. Keep digital copies, and provide access to those copies to a family member.

3. Is that damage covered? Insurance, insurance, insurance. Make sure that your insurance policies are up to date and are adequate for your current situation.

4. What is a insurance rider anyway? You may not know what an insurance rider is, but it might be time to get familiar with these tools. Insurance riders provide additional flexibility and features to your current insurance policy with options that provide various levels of value depending upon your lifestyle and needs. For example, many policies offer a “waiver of premium” rider that creates a mechanism for continued payment of insurance premiums in the event you become disabled and are no longer able to make the payments. This means that your insurance coverage will not lapse due to your disability. There, of course are many other insurance riders.

Don’t let a disaster catch you unprepared. Examine your situation and make sure you have a game plan. Also, always remember that you are not alone. Experienced estate planning attorneys are here to help and here to answer your questions.