You can keep your financial documents in different places—in a home file, in a safe-deposit box, or on a computer. To organize your documents as effectively as possible, you may want to use all three. Each method has advantages and disadvantages, depending on the types of documents being kept.

A home file is one place to keep financial documents. (more…)

You should keep important documents such as car titles and mortgage loan papers locked away in a safe-deposit box—a small, secure storage compartment that you can rent in a bank, usually for $100 a year or less. Other items commonly kept in safe-deposit boxes include rental agreements, birth certificates, adoption papers, a list of insurance policies, stock certificates, and valuable collectibles, such as coins or stamps. (more…)