Record Keeping
Your insurance policy is a very important legal document. You should
keep all your insurance policies in a safe location. For extra protection, you should keep copies in a second location.
Digital Copies Provide Additional Security.
Digital Data Storage is a very inexpensive way to keep all your
important documents in one secure place that cannot be destroyed by fire, accidents or acts of nature.
One such company is Iomega, one of the most trusted names in secure
digital storage for over 25 years. Over 60 million computer users have used their products and services.
You can store digital copies of your important documents and photos
on Iomega's computer system. No one has access to the data but you and anyone to whom you might give access, such as a family
member. All your data is stored with 128-bit encryption on redundant servers -- the same technology used by banks.
What should you store?
You would want to store digital copies of important legal documents
like your marriage license, passport, stock certificates or other investment papers as well as insurance policy information such
as policy numbers and coverage information.
This would be a great place to store home inventory information
and photos. The more information you have about your home inventory, including photos, will be of significant benefit to you should
you have need to file a claim.
Don't forget your credit cards. Anyone who has lost their wallet
(or had it stolen) will tell you there is a definite need to have all your information in one place so you can quickly notify the
banks and credit card companies. You would definitely want to have easy access to your list. Please read below about Identity
Theft.
Why it's important.
Think of online digital storage as another form of insurance. Should
your house be destroyed by fire or some act of nature, there is a good chance that your important papers will be destroyed as well.
Being able to access your digital storage file from any computer means you can retrieve your data at any time from anywhere.
About Your Home Inventory.
We accumulate a lot of stuff over the years. During a time of loss,
it can be very difficult to remember what you actually owned. There are numerous computer software programs you can use to create a
home inventory list -- but what happens to that list if your computer is destroyed?
The Insurance Institute provides free home inventory software you can
use to create your home inventory. You can then email a copy of your inventory to a trusted family member or upload it
to your secure storage area. This software allows you to store photos of your items.
Click
here to download the FREE home inventory software.
How Much Can I Store with Iomega?
Iomega has several plans to choose from. You can obtain 250 megabytes
(Mb) of storage for as little as $5.00 per month (January 2006 price). Even if your photos were 100 kilobytes (Kb) in size, you
would be able to store over 2,000 of them.
Does Your Internet Service Provider Give You Free Storage?
Many Internet Service Providers do give their members free storage.
Since you are storing important documents that contain your personal information, you will want to be certain that your documents and
photos are protected from the outside world.
Another item to consider is your loss of that storage should you decide
to change Internet Service Providers. Here's a link where you can
find out more about Iomega's FREE trial. Try Iomega iStorage now!
Identity Theft
Identity Theft is on the rise, according to the Federal Trade Commission
(FTC) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). Some Homeowner Insurance policies allow you to add Identity Theft Protection
as a rider. McGhee Insurance Agency also represents companies who sell Identity Theft Protection as a part of low-cost fraud insurance.
The January 25, 2006 Top Ten Consumer Fraud Complaints Report listed
Identity Theft as the Number One complaint in 2005. Of the 686,000 complaints filed, 255,000 were about Identity Theft. You may also
wish to read our Consumer Alert about Phishing Scams.
For
more information about Identity Theft, visit the Federal Trade
Commission website.
Your Free Credit Report
Federal
Law makes it possible for you to obtain a free credit report once
a year. We strongly recommend you do so as part of your program
to protect yourself against Identity Theft. YOU DO NOT
NEED TO PAY FOR THIS PRIVILEGE. You can order your free
report online at annualcreditreport.com. |
