School’s out for summer! Let the fun begin. Lazy days at the pool, time with friends, sleeping in and staying up late are what lay ahead for the Von Haefen kids.
Summer is always a great time to slow down a bit, but sometimes we can just get downright complacent. Here are few to-dos to keep your summer humming along smoothly…financially that is.
Update your Passwords
If you’re still using old passwords you set up years ago (you know….the ones easily cracked by your 8 year old neighbor), it might be time to make a change. Privacy and protection is a huge part of our every-changing world, and protecting your assets is a necessity.
If you struggle with password creation and retention, you might look into using a tool like LastPass.com to help you out.
Memorialize Household Contents
It seems every time you turn on the TV, a new story breaks about another tornado or explosion causing millions of dollars in damages. Now is a good time to memorialize your household contents. One way to simply do this is to video tape the contents of your house. Obviously, if you have valuable items (these items should have a separate insurance rider) you might consider documenting them in more detail.
Once you have a video, that video should be saved in the cloud. There are many ways to do this through cloud based portals and backup tools. A few examples are Dropbox, Sharefile, and Crashplan
Update Beneficiary Designations
This to-do item is one that often gets overlooked but is so important. It’s a great time to make sure your beneficiary designations are up to date and valid. Many times I see clients with their spouse set up as the one and only beneficiary. It’s vital to have a contingent beneficiary named just in case.
Create a Master Account List
It’s always valuable to have a master list of your financial assets in case something where to happen to you. If you die, become sick, or incapacitated, would your spouse or financial caregiver know where everything is located and how it all works. This is one of the many benefits of working with a financial advisor; everything is documented and organized.
While these to-dos will not give you a short-cut to a Beverly Hills mansion, they will make your afternoon nap in the hammock a little sounder. It’s important to remember the details when it comes to our financial well-being….even when the details may seem trivial.
