Our hearts go out to all of those in California who are still being affected by the wild fires. In light of this and other natural disasters, the Golden Girls wanted to address important documents that you should keep safe, as well as the peace of mind that comes from having your payroll, tax, and bookkeeping records safe with us.
First of all, let’s break down some important documents that you should keep “disaster proof”:
- Birth certificates (yours and anyone in your household)
- Social security cards
- Copy of your passports
- Wills and living trusts
- Marriage certificates
- Property deeds and ownership forms
- Tax returns
- Payroll records (more on these last two later…)
How to keep your documents safe:
1.) Keep your docs in a fire proof box – You can make copies of all of your important documents and keep them in a fire proof box. But be careful with this option… some documents (like important licenses or government files) needs to have official copies by the issuing agency. Fire proof boxes can be purchased at any major store (like Target) and range from $20-$45… a small price to pay for keeping your documents safe.
2.) Digitize paper records – Digitizing your documents will allow you to store them on the cloud, so no matter what unforeseeable event takes place, they will been safe (digitally speaking). And that leads us to…
3.) Use companies that keep your records electronically – This is huge. If you are a business, using a bookkeeping company that stores all payroll and important documents digitally or on the cloud will keep all records safe and secure. The value of having companies like Gold Standard Tax do your bookkeeping and payroll means that your records are safe, and should anything happen, will make it a lot easier to rebuild. That grants business owners and you as a tax individual peace of mind – your records are always safe.
