Get These Documents Now! Keep Them in A Safe, Accessible Place.

[MineralMan]

If you don't already have them, you should get them right away. You're going to need them before long, and it takes time to get them:

1. Social Security Card - You need an actual one from the SSA. It's required to open bank accounts, get a bank loan, renew your drivers licence, and for other purposes. If yours is lost, replace it now. Just go to SSA.GOV for details. Takes a couple of weeks to get a replacement one. Patriot Act Requirement.

2. Birth Certificate - Get a fresh certified copy from the state or county where you were born. Search Google for Birth Certificate {state}. This could take a couple of weeks or longer, and there is a fee in most cases. Needed for all sorts of things, including renewing a drivers license and obtaining a passport. If you have an old one, it may not be accepted, since the rules have changed. I had my original one rejected because it had the certification impression on a separate piece of paper stapled to the certificate. No good any more.

3. Marriage Certificate - You need the one that's recorded in the county where you were married. The need for this is rare, but it can happen that you need to prove your marriage, especially if you have different last names. Again, takes a couple of weeks or longer and there's a fee.

4. DD Form 214 - If you're a veteran, you must have this on hand. Copies are fine. I have a bunch of them.

4. Copy of Homeowner's Insurance Declarations Page - If you're like me, you'll never find this when the bank wants it when you apply for a refi or something. Call your agent. He/she will get you a copy. Time needed is about a day. While you're doing this find copies of all other insurance policies, too.

5. Vehicle Titles - Where the heck are those things? When you sell your car, you'll need the title to transfer it. If you can't find them, get replacements from the DMV.

6. Deed or Trust Deed - Have a copy where you can get to it. If you can't find yours, you can get a copy from the county where your property is located. Takes a couple of days, and there will be a fee.

6. W-2s and 1099s - Three years worth at least. You can get replacements, but it takes a long time in many cases. Keep those things.

10. Tax Forms - 1040s and all accompanying forms. These are essential when applying for loans.

Assemble all this paper and put it in a fireproof box, stored in a place where you can access it at any time. Do NOT put this stuff in a safe deposit box in a bank. Ever. You may not be able to get it when you need it.

[Blue_Tires]

1. don't forget passport...

[ret5hd]

3. and some runnin' money.

[MineralMan]

5. A passport isn't an essential document. Unless you plan to

travel outside of the US, you don't actually need one. I have one, and it's in that fireproof box, but it's not an essential document.

[Atman]

8. It may not be "essential," but it sure make things more convenient.

For instance, when you take a new job (yes, some people still get jobs these days), the PA requires documentation. You can either submit a bunch of other documents like birth certificate, social security and current valid driver's license, or you can simply use your passport. It's pretty much considered iron-clad ID since it is issued by the federal government. It's also handy at airport security checkpoints. All that aside, I consider having a passport essential in this day and age.

.

[SoCalNative]

11. All you need

is a current driver's license of state issued ID and your social security card for the W-9 forms. You don't need a birth certificate.

[adigal]

16. I was thinking passport, to get the hell out of here

if I need all those documents.

What is going to happen that we need them???

[MineralMan]

19. I'm not sure where you're thinking of going, but chances are you'll

need that stuff there, too. Not too many places left where you don't, and they aren't very nice places to live. I've been all over this little planet, and one place is about the same as another, overall. Different crap in different places, but there's crap everywhere, and we're making more and more of it, so...

[Ohio Joe]

2. You should also take pictures of everything you own

The more, the better. I lost everything in a fire a few years back and trying to remember everything for the insurance was a wicked pain in the ass.

[SoCalDem]

6. the pictures of these items SHOULD be in a Safety deposit box

and if you plan to travel leave a photo copy of your passport/plane ticket/travelers' checks with a family member..You could end up with a stolen backpack/briefcase/purse that contained these items..and you could be in a foreign country where you do not speak the language.

When my son's luggage got lost (Rome to Florence hop), He got nowhere, but after he called me & I called the airline here, He had his luggage in a day:)

[pipi_k]

4. Check, check, check, etc.

Yep...got all of those things.

Hubby is almost obsessive about keeping important paperwork.

Something learned from his parents, who kept all sorts of papers, even the worthless ones, for 30 years and more.

[MineralMan]

7. Why I posted this:

We're refinancing to pay off some high-interest credit card balances. I needed almost all of that crap, and spent far too much time hunting it all down. I had it all, except for the Social Security card, which I lost over 30 years ago and haven't ever needed until now, thanks to the Patriot Act.

[MountainLaurel]

9. Thank you for the heads up

We're looking to refinance soon, so this will help me be a step ahead. Although one of the bright sides about living in a hurricane zone is that every June 1 I have to track down many of these documents.

[Atman]

10. I haven't seen my SS card since I was a teenager.

I've never been asked to produced an actual card, just to provide the number. Once you give "them" the number, if the name doesn't match your other ID's, you're pretty much screwed. I still don't understand the need for a physical card. My sons got their cards when they were small children, as required by law. Their "signatures" are mere pencil scribbles. WTF does that do to prove one's ID?

[MineralMan]

13. I agree with you, but you'll need it if you open a new bank account

or apply for a loan. Might as well get one now. It's free.

[ljm2002]

15. There may be a time when you need it...

...for me it came when the company I worked for was sold and they needed identity and citizenship documents for all employees. Mine were not current -- it's a long story, but the bottom line is I needed the physical Social Security card and did not have it, and I had a difficult time getting a new one due to a name change and lack of current ID. Eventually I was able to sort it all out, but now I keep that card in a safe place along with the other documents mentioned in the OP.

The OP is giving great advice. Get a new physical Social Security card if you don't have one, and make sure the information on it is current including your name, if you changed it due to marriage.

An aside about passports: they are an invaluable form of ID, better than DL really because they are valid in any state and internationally. Keep it current and keep it in a safe place along with the other papers mentioned.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

12. Are SS cards still cheap little cardstock deals?

I tossed mine 30 years ago. It may have been about that time I came across a back-of-the-magazine ad for marketing fancy looking SS cards to retired people. Embossed metal or something that looked much more official. I think that may have been my cue that the real ones were worthless.

[MineralMan]

14. They are still cheap cardstock deals.

Those fancy ones aren't official. It seems silly, and I had never needed mine before now. Now, you need it. Might as well have it on hand. It's not in my wallet, of course.

[FreeJoe]

17. SS Card or Number

I've opened a couple of bank accounts in the last few years and I've been asked to provide my SSN but not the card itself. I had to produce the physical card when starting my current job, but not to the banks.

We keep all our vital documents (basically everything listed above plus passports, wills, powers of attorney, etc) in a firesafe at home. I also keep electronic copies of virtually everything (bills, major receipts, membership information, statements) on my computer. It's stored in a TrueCrypt file.

[MineralMan]

18. The bank thing is brand new, apparently, and nothing but a

genyoowine federal-issue Social Security Card will do. In Minnesota, renewing your driver's license also requires that you show your card, at least the first time you renew since the law has changed. I was a bit surprised, actually, but there it is. Now, there's a nice brand new SS card stashed away with the other stuff. A guy's gotta keep up with the times, I suppose. :shrug:

[geardaddy]

21. It must have changed over the summer in MN

I renewed in April and wasn't asked for my SS card.

[Liberal_in_LA]

20. kick. Good advice.

[liberalhistorian]

22. Quick Lube Oil Change ruined my car last week, so I was glad

that I knew exactly where the car's title was and had no trouble getting it, since hubby and I need to sign it over to their insurance company to get our settlement. You're absolutely right about needing these documents, and I would add that you need to be absolutely sure where you keep them as well so that you're not taking forever looking through everything to find them.

Oh, and a little piece of advice that has nothing to do with this subject but is important anyway-when you get an oil change ALWAYS ask them to check the oil to ensure that they've actually put some fucking oil in the engine after draining out the old oil. I still can't believe Quick Lube did that and ruined my fucking car!!! The ONLY good thing about it is that it was our older car, not our newer one, and that their insurance company was quick and fair about everything.

[Wilms]

23. ^