Article courtesy of GreenPath(TM), a partner of ECU, offering ECU members access to free and confidential financial wellness counselors and resources.
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It’s never too late to get your financial records organized. Here are some tips to help you sort through all the records.
Keep a home file to maximize the efficiency of your financial records. Items should include:
- Information on credit cards, debit cards, checking accounts, savings accounts, and copies of contracts
- Copies of insurance policies
- Information on home mortgages, land, and other property
- Information on motor vehicles and driver’s licenses
- Copies of birth, marriage, death, divorce, and citizenship papers
- Copy of will, last instructions, and safe deposit box keys
- Tax records for the last six years
- Records of pension plans, education, health records, and employment
- Current household inventory. List everything you own, how much it costs, and approximately how old it is. Add pictures of room/major items and keep receipts
- Copies of all warranties and guarantees
Keep a safe deposit box for financial records that are difficult, costly, or impossible to replace. Items should include:
- Birth, death, marriage, divorce, adoption, and citizenship papers
- Deeds to property
- Titles to motor vehicles
- Stock and bond certificates
- U.S. savings bonds
- Important contracts
- Military discharge and veteran papers
- Patents and copyrights
- Important disks or CDs
- Negatives or the actual pictures of your home inventory
As a member of ECU, you can take advantage of the GreenPath Financial Wellness program, a free financial education and counseling program. GreenPath counselors are available Monday through Thursday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. (EST), Friday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. To use this service, simply call 1-877-337-3399 or visit them on the web at www.greenpath.com.
