[E Lynn]

I’m curious to know how others manage the storage of essential documents such as legal papers, passports, and deeds.

Safe deposit boxes? Yay or nay?

Do you prefer keeping them in a safe at home, using a safety deposit box at a bank, or another method?

How do you ensure these documents are protected from damage, theft, or loss while remaining accessible when needed?

Any tips or advice on the best practices for organizing and preserving these documents would be greatly appreciated.

[Mark]

Do not keep your last will or other legal docs in a SDB

[Brooks]

I’ve never seen a reason to have one, but I see why some people do.

If your house burns down and you lose your passport or deeds, it’s just a minor inconvenience to get duplicates.

Any important documents I scan and store in digital form.

As far as breaking in to my house, no one wants to steal my passport or deeds lol

[Austyn]

My grandmother had all her jewelry stolen and my great grandmother who lived in the same house didn’t because she kept her jewelry in a mustard container in the fridge.

So, for me if it’s a valuable it’s getting stored in the most random place imaginable rather than a safe or safety deposit.

As far as things I want safe and not walking somewhere and not small I use a safe bolted to the ground.

[Matt]

A watertight firebox, with dehumidification packet is best, stored in the lowest part of the home, since fire burns upwards.

[Bill]

Why? Keep digital copies. In the highly unlikely event your house burns down, get them reprinted.

[张扬]

No. I remember hearing that lots of people lost their valuables when their local bank branches closed & they weren’t notified or missed the notifications about their safe deposit boxes.

If you have a busy life as many of us do, it may happen to you too.

[Stacey]

I don’t think one is necessary. Maybe I just don’t have good stuff
But as a Notary, a common thing to be hired for is as a witness to opening boxes that have been abandoned.

[Mitch]

I use a safe, personally. And have digital copies saved in my online 1password.

[Rita]

My dad got burglarized and all jewelry was taken, so a safe deposit box seems safer than that

[Anthony]

Google says a fireproof safe is $150-250 size dependent. I have no idea what a safe deposit box costs, but I bet it’s no more than a one year breakeven.

[David]

Yes… I’ve looked at getting a personal safe that fire rated for paperwork.

Safety Deposit boxes are just so cheap.

[Golden]

At the bank. Business buy sell agreements, business partnerships, LLCs, real estate agreements, life insurance, disability insurance, passport, jewelry, etc.

No way all that stuff is staying home.

There are digital copies, and backups of copies, and attorneys and CPA have copies.

[Isabelle]

I just closed my safety deposit box. The reason I got it was because I was applying for my Italian citizenship and I had thousands of dollars worth of documentation and I was having nightmares that my house burned down along with my Pennsylvania apostilles.

A couple of years ago the bank told me that they weren’t issuing any new boxes and once people closed them that was it.

I think this came from the FBI scandal where they unconstitutionally seized 1400 boxes in Beverly Hills.

Since I closed the box I’m keeping important documents in a fireproof box with backups in the cloud.

I’m more worried about them being lost in a fire than I am being stolen.

[Author]

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