Another Reminder to Gather up All of Your Vital Documents!

[MineralMan]

Start now, if you don't have any of these. Get as many of them as you can and store them in a secure, fireproof container: You can get these from the original issuer or the recorder in the county where they occurred. It can be a tough job, but it's worth it. Companies like https://www.vitalchek.com/, can help you, for a fee. If you can't work it out on your own, get one of those vital record companies to help.

Crucial Documents
* Birth Certificate: You need a relatively recent certified copy of yours, as recorded in the county and state of your birth.
* Social Security Card issued by the Social Security Administration. If you have your original one, that's great. If not, make an appointment at your nearest SSA office. You will need your Birth Certificate.
* Passport: You need this document for many reasons. You'll need the two documents above to get it, and it's going to cost you at least $100.
* Current Driver's Licence or State ID card: Make it a Real ID, which needs some of the documents above. Don't let this lapse. Renew it as needed.
* Marriage Certificates: If you have been married or are married, you need this document, especiallly if you are a woman and have ever changed your name. If you have multiple marriages, get them all. Vital Chek can get those, too, if needed.
* Certificates of Divorce: If you have been divorced, you need a copy of the official certificate. If you don't have it, you can get it from the county and state where your divorce was recorded. Vital Chek or another document company can help you there, too. You may need one for every divorce.
* Property Deeds: If you own real property, you should have a copy of your deed to that property, as filed in the county of record where the property is located.
* DD Form 214: If you served in the US military, you were given this form when your enlistment or commission ended. A must have document. Contact your local Veterans Service office ( most counties and states) and they'll assist you in getting a certified copy. Make other copies for your needs. Officers have a different form. I don't know what that one is.

Less critical Documents
*Diplomas: High School and College
*Professional Certifications
*Most recent IRS Tax Filings - You should have at least the last 3 years of those.
*List of all bank and investment accounts, with account numbers.
*Insurance policies, particularly life insurance policies
Any other documents similar to the ones above that you can think of.

Don't pooh-pooh this. You need documentation. So do your heirs. So does your spouse. Don't neglect this. You never know when you will need to produce them on short notice. Let you next of kin and other beneficiaries know where the documents are. Don't assume they will find them.

Finally:

Don't put such documents in a safe deposit box at your bank. If the bank fails, they'll be lost forever. Secure them yourself and protect them from fire and flood.

[Sogo]

1. "Don't put such documents in a safe deposit box at your bank. If the bank fails, they'll be lost forever."

?????

[MineralMan]

3. Why the question marks. When banks close, it's verry difficult

to access safe deposit boxes in that bank. If you don''t believe me, search on Google.

[popsdenver]

11. Another thing to know about safe deposit boxes......

the bank is not responsible for damage to contents. A friend had a box, it was located in the basement of the bank. The bank flooded and filled the basement full of water, submerging every last box. My friend had five valuable antique watches in his box. He asked for the bank to pay to have them all professionally dried and checked out by a reputable watch maker.......The Bank told him to go fish...........

[BumRushDaShow]

9. What MM said is true

My parents kept a safe deposit box for decades at the bank they used for their mortgage and regular banking. They used the branch that was close to where we lived (literally walking distance). The parent bank was sold 5 times over the past 40 years but the branch building where the box was, was handed over to a different bank as part of all the buyout agreements, and that bank kept the boxes, and billed annually (which I paid for after my mom passed).

Then about 5 years ago, the latest sale of that bank branch resulted in the owner deciding to get rid of the boxes and they notified those who were maintaining them, to come in to the branch by some "x" date to collect any contents they might have had in the boxes or any items in them would be destroyed.

I didn't think there was anything in the one I was renting but I went there anyway, completed the claim forms, showed ID, etc., and they brought the box out for me to check (it was empty). I even had the original key but they didn't need it because they had a locksmith in there who drilled the locks on all the boxes. They closed the account at that point.

I remember as a kid, that branch building had a little drive-thru window and whenever we were in the car when our parents went to the bank, the teller had a pile of lollypops to give us!

[ret5hd]

20. let me get this straight...

1) you were paying for and legally “leased” (thru your deceased parents maybe but still legally yours) a safe deposit box

2) they decided to stop providing the service and informed you to come retrieve your belongings

3) you arrive there and the box was already unlocked (drilled) while NOT in your presence

4) the box is empty

man, i’d be demanding video evidence or contacting a lawyer. just sayin’.

[BumRushDaShow]

21. "3) you arrive there and the box was already unlocked (drilled) while NOT in your presence"

No. I was actually brought inside the safe room where the boxes were and that is when they did the deed on my box, pulled it out, and it was handed to me.

I was then escorted to a small cubicle among a row of cubicles outside of the safe area where I could inspect the box (the little cubicles were normally where people would "privately" add/remove items from their boxes so I was familiar with that process from years ago).

It was actually fascinating to see what it looked like inside the safe (plus the locksmith guys and their tools)!

Any remaining boxes not claimed by the deadline, were drilled and removed, and contents supposedly destroyed. They gave plenty of notice to those who were still paying for boxes, but conceivably, some could have been out of town payees (perhaps maintaining it for relatives local to that branch, and might not have been able to make the trip to claim the box).

I think for my small one, it was eventually something like $60/year.

[yardwork]

24. There's another good reason not to put wills and other documents in safe deposit boxes.

Unless you assign an heir as co-owner of the bank account and give them a key, nobody will have access to the documents until probate is complete.

If the will and other documents are locked away, how do you do probate? It becomes a catch 22.

My mom made me co-owner of her bank account and gave me a key to her safe deposit box, where she insisted on keeping her will, etc.

The day after she passed away I went to the bank, collected the contents, and began the probate process as her executor. I was named executor in the will and trust that was in the safe deposit box. If I hadn't been on that account nobody would have been able to access her will! (Try showing up at a bank and asking to access a deceased family member's safe deposit box. Even if you have a key they won't let you into it unless you're a co-owner of the account. Banks take this very seriously. It's not like the post office.)

MM is right. Keep your will at home in a fire-safe box and give your trusted heir a key.

[John1956PA]

2. Great advice. This afternoon, I have been doing just what you are advising.

[MineralMan]

4. Smart!

[John1956PA]

12. Just before I read your OP, I printed out my application for two copies of my birth certificate.

Last edited Fri Oct 10, 2025, 10:17 PM - Edit history (1)

In Pennsylvania, the cost of a birth certificate issued by the Department of Vital Records is twenty dollars. If an applicant is facing financial hardship, a waiver of the fee may be possible.

A regional office of the Bureau is located not far from where I live. I plan on presenting my application and check at the office tomorrow. If all goes well, I should secure two copies of my birth certificate an hour or so after I submit my application. I will let you know how it works out.

EDITED TO ADD UPDATE, 10-10-2025:
The two copies of my death certificate were ready for picking up by me an hour after I submitted my application and tendered my check for payment of the fee. Thereafter, I drove to the office of Driver's License Services and presented a copy of my birth certificate in order to request a Real ID. I tendered the applicable fee, whereupon my photo was snapped. I was told that I will receive my Real ID via mail in about ten days. After I receive the ID, I will begin the process of applying for a passport.

[lastlib]

5. I would also suggest.....

...include a list of usernames and passwords for important websites you use--like SocSec, banks, brokers, etc. (Keep it secure from snooping, but available when needed.)

[haele]

8. I already keep that in the safe. Along with all my account links.

Also, it's probably good to have not just one but several certified copies of your birth certificate and current marriage certificate, guardianship papers, ect...because whenever there's a legal or contract situation a lot of employers, federal and state organizations who need to handle those certified document won't always just scan it into an electronic database and return your document to you.

I've had to replace several birth and marriage certificates, my DD 214, and my DD 2656 over the past 20 years. And my mom needed to have 7 copies of her marriage certificate as well as the same amount of death certificates when my dad passed 14 years ago.

[usonian]

6. That's standard procedure in places subject to wildfire. Have had one for years.

From CalFire:
https://readyforwildfire.org/prepare-for-wildfire/emergency-supply-kit/
Ready For Wildfire Site:
https://readyforwildfire.org/

We had one in the Bay Area in case of earthquakes.
Positive spin on this was "think of it as camping"
Since life in the foothills is kinda like camping (pack of wolves woke me up the other night) just prepare in case of wildfire.
Remember, the fire doesn't have to be upon you. Authorities will clear areas just to keep roads open for firefighting equipment and personnel.

Your ‘Go Bag’ should be easy to carry and access. Use backpacks to store items like essentials and personal documents. For food and water, consider a wheeled tub or chest for easier transport. Keep your bag light enough for comfortable lifting into your vehicle.




Your ‘Go Bag’ checklist

Ensure your wildfire ‘Go Bag’ includes:

A 3-day supply of non-perishable food & 3 gallons of water per person
A map with at least 2 evacuation routes
Necessary prescriptions or medications
A change of clothes & extra eyeglasses/contact lenses
Extra car keys, credit cards, cash, or traveler’s checks
A first aid kit & sanitation supplies
A flashlight & battery-powered radio with extra batteries
Copies of important documents (birth certificates, passports, etc.)
Pet food & water

Always have sturdy shoes and a flashlight near your bed, ready for sudden night evacuations.


Additional items if time allows

If time allows, consider adding:

Valuables that are easy to carry
Family photos and irreplaceable items
Personal computer data on hard drives and disks
Chargers for cell phones and laptops


--------------
YES. Use a password manager for your computer passwords, and scans of important documents, one that encrypts the data!!!
Store that on a thumb drive or two.
I use a 15-character long password, and NEVER forget it.
* a Terabyte disk drive fits in the palm of your hand. Store lots in there and have it safe just in case.

[ancianita]

10. Good advice.

I have all that ready, but need a car to carry it in, being too old to bodily haul it. So I keep the car gas tank filled all the time, with two 5 gallon containers to help get through red states to some safer blue state (I hope).

[WmChris]

23. Fuel stabilizer

The two cans need fuel stabilizer or need to be changed out periodically.

[Clouds Passing]

7. Have most together.

[Trueblue Texan]

13. I thought I had all my stuff together, but realize...

there are more documents I should add. Thanks for the thorough list.

[PhylliPretzel]

14. Regarding Passports

When applying for a passport, check the box (w/ additional fee, of course!) for a passport card you can carry in your wallet while the passport remains in your safe. Why: Instant identification of citizenship should it be required.

[AllaN01Bear]

15. i had mine in a bank safe deposit , but , the bank kept raising the fee on me so i bought a fire safe the size of a

brief case and it lives in a undisclosed location @ tic toc base .

[Totally Tunsie]

16. As a back-up, take cellphone photos of all these documents and store them

in a named Album on your phone. They can later be printed out if necessary. Not as good as having the originals in your possession, but proof of your ID information nevertheless.

You can also e-mail the package to yourself, your pertinent relatives, and your attorney as well.

[hunter]

17. My grandfather had three different birthdays, which caused some problems when he died.

Documentation must have been a little less important when he was growing up in the Wild West, especially for a white guy.

My grandfather's Army records, his Social Security records, and his California Driver's License all had him born on the same day and month, but different years.

When he was sixteen, as told by his sister, he ran away from his parent's home in the Montana wilderness to the "big city" of Cheyenne, Wyoming. Finding city life dull he decided to join the Army and see the world. Evidently he had trouble with that at first because records of his birth, if they ever existed, were lost. He got affidavits of his birth, birth date, and parentage from the clerk of the county where he was born. The county clerk probably asked around the small town where he was born and people remembered his father as the crazy man who took his family into the wilderness.

My grandfather served four years in the Army and was trained to be a mechanic. He was honorably discharged, married my grandma, and found work as a mine supervisor out in the middle of nowhere taking my grandma with him. They both went prospecting in their free time and my grandma thought it was all a fantastically romantic adventure. She wrote songs about it. Her mother was horrified. No, never, SHE was not going to let HER daughter raise HER grandchildren in the wilderness. So my great grandma bought my grandma a house in Los Angeles and told my grandfather he could live there with my grandma or go to hell. Knowing my great grandma she probably threatened him with guns or poison.

My grandfather decided to live in Los Angeles. That's when he got his California Driver's License, knocking some years off his age. He wasn't able to find any work that satisfied him, especially after the market crash of 1929, and decided to rejoin the Army.

As war was brewing with Germany and Japan the Army trained him as an aircraft mechanic. They put him to work supervising younger men. Eventually they sent him to engineering school. He never told anyone what he did during the war but he was later an engineer for the Apollo Project.

I don't know how my grandfather chose the year of his birth for his Social Security documents. Those put his age between his Army documents and his California Driver's License.

It seems to me a little sad that we must worry about "important papers" so much, especially those of us who are not privileged white men.

When I was a feral young man I traveled all over the Western United States without any ID at all. I'd memorized my driver's license number and the few times I was pulled over I got the cops to accept that. They'd radio in and the number checked out. I had an ATM card too that just had numbers on it, not my name. I don't know if banks will do that any more.

My university ID was important to me too, but only when I was on campus. When I was traveling I left it at home. It was important because it allowed me to check out stuff from the library. During times I wasn't enrolled I had a university library card. I also used the university gyms and showers but nobody every asked me for identification, people knew me and I rented a locker. Sometimes I lived out of that locker and a post office box.

The scary thing now is that fascist Republicans are going to use these "important papers," or the lack of them, to disenfranchise people or worse...

[yardwork]

25. The MAGATs are destroying the ways that America really was great.

By the way your family history is fascinating. Have you considered writing it down? I would love to hear more.

[BigmanPigman]

18. Half of those are in my Safety Dep Box, the rest

are in a lock box in my apt. I save everything and I trust no one My daddy taught me well! Ne also told me the GOP stands for greedy hypocrites. Thanks, Dad!

I guess now I should put all of it in my apt lock box.

[Marthe48]

19. Death certificates if your spouse passed away

I needed to submit copies of my husband's death cert. when I inherited, when putting the house in my name, other needs.

Thanks for the reminder.

[MineralMan]

22. Yes!

[Lochloosa]

26. A few more things:

A Copy of your will.
Login info for any accounts or email accounts, Hotmail, Autodeposits etc.

My Stepmother recently passed and we have found out that she never transferred my Dad's GE stock to her name. He passed over 10 years ago. It's been a nightmare for my brother to get them transferred to him as the executor of the will.

[MineralMan]

27. Yes. Stocks left behind can be a real problem for heirs.

I'm still working on getting hold of some shares my father had, almost 4 years after he died. In the end, they're going to go to the state and I'm going to have to get them from the state. The hoops you have to go through have been horrible. Fortunately, they represented only a tiny part of the estate.

[Lochloosa]

31. My father retired from GE after 30 years. It's trading in the 290 range right now.

It's about half of the estate. My brother said it may have to go through probate to get them. Sucks.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

28. I have all of those documents in a safe place.

My late husband's DD214 is there as well. Plus, I have 7 years of Tax filings.

[MineralMan]

29. Smart!

[ProudMNDemocrat]

30. I plan to renew my Passport before I leave for Hawaii in January.

Doesn't expire until May of 2026. I figure 4 months in advance should suffice.

[mucholderthandirt]

32. My stuff is where it's been the last 40 something years: in a fireproof safe.

I have to keep a letter from the school system and my little "honorary" diploma because the county lost a bunch of high school records decades back, and that's the only proof I have I actually graduated. That and the program from the event. Thank goodness this was after I signed up for the USAF, or I'd never have gotten in. My clearance was too high to not have proof of lots of stuff.

If you don't have copies of stuff, get them. Keep them safe, where you can grab them. You can't depend on the government to hold on to these things, they'll dump stuff and claim they couldn't afford to maintain records.