Get important documents in one safe place and make sure people you trust know where they are. Make sure you have duplicates as well. Make sure to record passwords for any electronic documents. Important documents may include:
Personal documents
- birth certificate
- marriage certificate
- your will
- enduring power of attorney or guardian details
- Tax File Number
- Centrelink Customer Reference Number or Department of Veterans’ Affairs file number
- a list of your assets
House documents
- house deeds
- home and contents insurance
- deeds and insurance policies for any other real estate you own
- mortgage documents
Financial documents
- bank account details
- list of direct debits
- superannuation papers
- documents related to loans
- investment documents (securities, share certificates, bonds)
- prepaid funeral plans
Health documents
- advance care directive (also called a living will or advance care plan)
- Medicare card
- medical or life insurance details
- details of your My Health Record
- pensioner concession card
For emergencies
Many people in Australia experience emergencies. These might include natural disasters like bushfire, flood or heatwaves. Other emergencies might include if your spouse or partner was to suddenly go to hospital. Having a plan and knowing who to contact can make things less stressful. Make sure you have:
- Written contingency plans or instructions (e.g. sudden hospital admission of yourself or carer; in the event of a natural disaster). Keep these in a place that is easy to find, such as in a book beside the telephone.
- Have telephone numbers of people to contact.
Electronic documents and passwords
As many documents are electronic nowadays, ensure that you have the passwords securely retained, otherwise this can lead to all sorts of frustrations! You can get a password manager which is a secure App on your phone to store all your passwords. Make sure your spouse/partner or someone you trust also knows this password should they need to access your documents for you.
Organise important documents
- Get important documents in one safe place and make sure people you trust know where they are.
- Make sure you have duplicates stored elsewhere as well.
- Consider using a Password manager to store passwords.
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