kattitudes

This week we deal with legal issues. This week is going to be fun (kinda…) because we are going to have to find the paperwork for each of these items. (Now come on, you need to know where this is if you don’t already and deep down, you know that). And if you don’t know where the paperwork is or you don’t have the paperwork, you need to make the paperwork.

As a note, you do not necessarily want to put the paperwork IN this notebook, but you want to be able to use this notebook to help you in a moment of crisis (or, god forbid, if you are unable to tell your family where this information is located, they can get the information from your beautifully decorated and logically organized family organization notebook themselves).

In review, our family organization notebook is simply a three ring binder that we purchased and decorated so it is pretty and fun and engaging and we love it. This is important because we want to USE this notebook. Anyone can appreciate being this organized, and might just appreciate a decorated organization notebook with instructions as a gift. It is an inexpensive way to tell someone that you love them and want them to feel organizational peace too. As a reminder, here are the eight sections of the Family Organization Notebook that we are going to put together:

• the basics of your family
• an emergency plan for your family
• health/health insurance information
• insurance as it pertains to your possessions, life and such
• your money matter locations and such
• information for an attorney/preparation for legal issues
• information for caregivers, be they taking care of your home, pet, children, parents or what have you
• finally, information on your house itself and what is in it

By this time, you know to repeat entries as many times as you need to enter all the information needed for your own family. Ready? OK, here we go:

Lawyer(s):

Name
Firm
Phone
Email

Location of trust(s):

Location
Contact Name
Phone

Location of Living Will(s)

location of original
location of copy

Location of Powers of Attorney document(s):

Location of original
Location of copy

Location of pre-nuptial agreement

Location

Location of marriage license

Location

Location of birth certificate(s)

Location

Location of adoption papers

Location

Location of custody agreement

Location

Location of divorce/settlement agreements

Location

Location of educational credentials

Location

Location of military papers

Location

Location of death certificates

Name of deceased
Location of certificates

Location of personal wishes/funeral arrangement wishes

Location

Location of citizenship documents

Location

Location of other legal documents

Type of document
Location

Real estate deeds/purchase agreements

Description
Locations of documents

Automobile

Pink slip
Car make/model & year
Location of documents

Auto lease

Expiration date
Lease location
Contact name

Phone

Expiration date
Lease location
Contact name
Phone

Lease document(s)

Description
Location

Contract(s)

Employment(s)
Description
Location

Home
Description
Locations

Business
Description
Location

School
Description
Location

Remember back here, when we suggested that you try to take a first aid class before school? Did you get it done? Yeah, neither did we. We had good intentions, so we decided not to let the matter drop.

We found and reviewed online classes for both first aid and CPR, and to be honest, we are pleased with the results. On a personal level, we feel more prepared for an emergency than we have in a long time.

If you choose to take these type of classes online, we might agree that the goal here is for you to finish with a strong enough grasp of the information that you have 100% confidence that you would be able to perform in an emergency. Confidence, my friends, is the key. Not cockiness. You need to know in your heart of hearts, telling yourself the absolute truth, if you feel like you could perform in an emergency. If the answer is no, consider spending some of your surfing time dedicated to learning some first aid skills or emergency preparedness skills.

Also, as part of our back to basics emphasis, we remember when first aid and CPR training was something we could regularly count on in our social groups, school gatherings and church socials. But first aid training does not automatically get taught to all members of our society, depending on where your school might place that particular class in their curriculum. Therefore, first aid and/or CPR training might be something you want to organize for a family evening together so you all get a chance to practice.

We did not review much because we did not find a lot that was available at no cost, but here is the little we found:

First Aid Web (http://www.firstaidweb.com/) courses did a good, if very short, job of explaining first aid procedures. There were not pictures or hands on anything to slow down processing, but if you have a vivid imagination, we suppose it would fit the bill well. Important to note that the information on this website is free, but the certification or proof that you took the classes will cost you. Cost varies per certification needed.

We found one Google video (http://video.google.com/ and search for first aid) that in twenty minutes gives you a brief first aid course with a quickie CPR overview too. Surprising, first aid classes were hard to find. We actually expected to find a lot more videos for things like this, but apparently people only want you to learn emergency preparedness if you pay for it. Wild!

The Red Cross puts out a number of publications (some available online) that cover different emergency situations including pet emergencies, natural disasters and more.

And finally, on our local Red Cross chapter web page, we did review what emergency help was available now, so we feel like we could cope in a crisis, if necessary.

Do you feel confidence that you know what to do in a medical emergency yet?

This week, we deal with matters of money organization in the family. A couple of words about caution, our family financial information and our notebook. The notebook is for us to be able to find documentation in an emergency situation where our heads might not be clear (and to make sure that we know where things are as we put the notebook together for the first time). We are not going to put enough information in these notebooks to make them an easy target for thieves.

In review, our family organization notebook is simply a three ring binder that we purchased and decorated so it is pretty and fun and engaging and we love it. This is important because we want to USE this notebook. Anyone can appreciate being this organized, and might just appreciate a decorated organization notebook with instructions as a gift. It is an inexpensive way to tell someone that you love them and want them to feel organizational peace too. As a reminder, here are the eight sections of the Family Organization Notebook that we are going to put together:

• the basics of your family
• an emergency plan for your family
• health/health insurance information
• insurance as it pertains to your possessions, life and such
• your money matter locations and such
• information for an attorney/preparation for legal issues
• information for caregivers, be they taking care of your home, pet, children, parents or what have you
• finally, information on your house itself and what is in it

This week, we deal with the family financial matters. Entries are very easy and need to be repeated as many times as necessary until all the information for your family is in one place. It will make life a lot easier in the long run!

Remember to make room for all your information.

Bank information:

Name
Branch Location
Phone
Contact name:

Financial Advisory

Name
Phone

CPA

Name
Phone

Loans

Loan
Lenders Name
Phone

Stock brokers/investment account

Name
Phone

Mutual Funds

Name
Phone

Safety Deposit Box

Name
Phone

Mortgage

Name
Phone

401k

Name
Phone

Pension

Name
Phone

Retirement accounts

Name
Phone

Real Estate

Name
Phone

Credit Cards (do not put account numbers here, only list card name and issuing bank and phone numbers)

Name
Phone

This week is pretty easy (and after all the information we had to gather for last week, that is a good thing). However, having said that, we admit that while the information itself is easy to gather, the job might not be easy because you are going to have some decisions to make that involve money spending, and not necessarily the immediate gratification kind, if you know what we mean.

In review, our family organization notebook is simply a three ring binder that we purchased and decorated so it is pretty and fun and engaging and we love it. This is important because we want to USE this notebook. What is the use of putting all this information together if we don’t use it? As a reminder, here are the eight sections of the Family Organization Notebook that we are going to put together:

• the basics of your family
• an emergency plan for your family
• health/health insurance information
• insurance as it pertains to your possessions, life and such
• your money matter locations and such
• information for an attorney/preparation for legal issues
• information for caregivers, be they taking care of your home, pet, children, parents or what have you
• finally, information on your house itself and what is in it

OK, on to the topic for this week: insurance and your family.

Here at Kattitudes, we truly have the potential to belong amongst the Royalty of Procrastination and we recognize this. Knowing that we have this tendency, we really work on our procrastination tendencies and try not to put off things that we recognize would be disastrous. Things like insurance. Fortunately, it is illegal in the state of Georgia to drive without auto insurance, which means that at least we know that our auto insurance is always up to date.

And while we are required to have home owners insurance as part of our mortgage, we made a decision to also purchase additional insurance to cover the contents of our home in the case of a natural disaster or fire. So while the information gathering section of this week might be simple, you might find yourself facing an obvious omission of coverage. If you find yourself in this position, it is then time to make a decision. Is that omission serious enough to prompt you to spend the money to purchase the insurance? Some people consider insurance a gamble. But is it a gamble you are willing to take? And more importantly, is it a gamble you can afford to take? Those are questions that only you can answer for your family, but the questions do need to be asked and answered.

Insurance Basics:

Homeowners Insurance:

Company
Policy Number
Agent Name
Phone

Rental Insurance (even if you own your home, this insurance can be called contents coverage, and is still purchased to cover the contents of your home)

Insurance Company
Policy Number
Agent Name
Phone

Valuables Insurance (this is not contents or rental insurance, but specific additional coverage for high priced items such as jewelry etc)

Insurance Company
Policy Number
Agent Name
Phone

Health/Vision/Dental Insurance (it is important to note that these may not be covered under the same insurance policy)

Insurance Company
Policy Number
Agent Name
Phone

Insurance Company
Policy Number
Agent Name
Phone

Insurance Company
Policy Number
Agent Name
Phone

Life Insurance (Yes yes, we all hate the idea, but sometimes it is a necessity. And even though it seems silly, if you get those special add ons from work or the bank or what have you, add them here so that your family can find them if they lose you unexpectedly).

Insurance Company
Policy Number
Agent Name
Phone

Insurance Company
Policy Number
Agent Name
Phone

Insurance Company
Policy Number
Agent Name
Phone

Disability Insurance

Insurance Company
Policy Number
Agent Name
Phone

Liability Insurance

Insurance Company
Policy Number
Agent Name
Phone

Pet Insurance

Insurance Company
Policy Number
Agent Name
Phone

Long Term Care Insurance (OK, now this is the time to be real. It’s just you sitting here. Think about your health and what you know about your genetics and how you are taking care of yourself. What kind of medical care are you going to need as you age? And then ask the same questions about the members of your family. Only you are going to have those answers. A quick web search could get you enough information about what long term care insurance could provide for you to tell you if you think you would need it.)

Insurance Company
Policy Number
Agent Name
Phone

Mortgage Insurance

Insurance Company
Policy Number
Agent Name
Phone

This week, we are dealing with our family’s health and health insurance information. This is going to be a lot of information to gather, and we acknowledge that, but on the flip side, it is information we always end up needing at some point or other, so why not get it together now? Now is as good a time as any, and now is a better time than in an emergency. This is the point of the organization notebook. So, prepare for a little more detail work than previous weeks and let’s just get it done. Ready? Here we go.

In review, our family organization notebook is simply a three ring binder that we purchased and decorated so it is pretty and fun and engaging and we love it. This is important because we want to USE this notebook. What is the use of putting all this information together if we don’t use it? As a reminder, here are the eight sections of the Family Organization Notebook that we are going to put together:

• the basics of your family
• an emergency plan for your family
• health/health insurance information
• insurance as it pertains to your possessions, life and such
• your money matter locations and such
• information for an attorney/preparation for legal issues
• information for caregivers, be they taking care of your home, pet, children, parents or what have you
• finally, information on your house itself and what is in it

Remember that you want to create a page for each individual family member, including your pets (yes, I know it seems silly to some people, but you have to keep their immunization records up to date too, especially in the extreme case of evacuations or the simple case if you want to kennel them). So let’s start:

Basic information:

Famly member Name:
Family member blood type:

Individual family member medical information:

Primary physician name:
Primary physician phone number:
Other physician (specialty)
name:
phone

Repeat for as many additional specialty physicians as necessary and PLEASE update each time you add a new specialty physican to the group. It WILL make your life easier.

Surgeries:

type
date
physician
diagnosis
surgery location
test result

Again, repeat this information for as many surgeries as each individual family member has had. As you well know, each time you visit a doctor, the office seems to ask this information over and over, so if you are in the habit of updating this information regularly, you can simply highlight this information in your family organization notebook, print it out and take it to your doctor’s office. No more having to remember the details for each office appointment! You have done all your research and can simply hand off your hard work and reap the benefits! Moving on to the next section.

Allergies: (list any allergies)

food
medicine
other

Immunizations:

type
last booster
date

repeat for all immunization information

Medications/Supplements: (this particular part of your notebook is vital to keep updated as this part will be frequently accessed and even taken to every doctors appointment you every attend. If you are ever in an emergency situation, the information below is the main information emergency assistance will need to know so keeping this up to date is vital).

Name of medicine
dosage
prescribing doctor & rx number (while this is not necessary, we find for maintenance prescriptions, it makes life so much easier)

Health insurance information
Primary Health Insurance

Name of Insurance company
Full Address
Phone

Secondary Insurance Company

Name of Insurance company
Full Address
Phone

Pharmacy contact

Name of Pharmacy:
Phone:

And finally, answer questions for each family member:
Is this family member an organ donor?
Location of this family member’s living will?
Location of this family member’s power of attorney?

Today we are going to focus on part two of our three ring binder family organization notebook that we have been putting together. Remember, these binders are the one item that we can turn to in an emergency situation (or not) that will tell us WHERE everything is and includes all the contact information in one place so we do not waste time in a critical moment.

Every single family you know should really have a notebook like this, for ease of mind. With the advances in technology today and with the increase in our time, possessions and demands, we need help keeping things altogether. This notebook wil do it. If it works for you, think about what a wonderful gift it would make for everyone else you know. Decorate a binder and print out the instructions for your loved ones and let them bring a little organization into their lives.

Let us get on with the construction of our own notebooks. As a reminder, here are the eight sections of the Family Organization Notebook that we are going to put together:

• the basics of your family
• an emergency plan for your family
• health/health insurance information
• insurance as it pertains to your possessions, life and such
• your money matter locations and such
• information for an attorney/preparation for legal issues
• information for caregivers, be they taking care of your home, pet, children, parents or what have you
• finally, information on your house itself and what is in it

Last week, we did the first part, which was basic information on each individual family member to be printed out and placed in our notebook. Today, we are going to prepare an emergency plan for our family. Remember, after taking the time to create this page, print it out and put it in your notebook! Discuss it with your family members so that they know what the game plan is during a family emergency, and then keep it up to date.

Your family emergency plan is what you and *your* family will do in the event of an unexpected occurrence like a fire, a natural disaster like flood or earthquake or an act of terrorism.

1. Access to your home AND business: (list the names of individuals who have keys to your home AND business)
   1. names of people with keys
   2. access people phone:
2. Emergency MEETING LOCATION: (this is a two part answer, as you want a meeting location very close to your home, for example if you have to get out of the house in case of fire and need to make sure everyone is there. You also need a meeting location further away from home in the case of, for example, mandatory evacuation of your town).
   1. location close to home and
   2. location further away from home.
3. Out of state contact person to call in case of emergency. (It is important that this person be physically distant from your family in order to avoid communication issues that might arise if a location’s infrastructure is compromised. )
   1. Out of state contact person name:
   2. Out of state contact person phone(s)
4. List of possessions and location (this means the possessions you feel like you must rescue in an emergency situation, like wedding photos and the like. Now is the time to decide what you would really want to take and list for yourself where exactly they are in your home so that you can find them immediately in a crisis.) Now is also the for you to really consider your material possessions and decide if there is anything that is really important enough that you want to grab and take with you if you were required to evacuate your home. The idea here is to make those choices NOW when you are not under pressure, rather than later when you will not have the time to make those choices.
5. Alarm Company Phone (you may wish to consider including any password or code if you feel like you might not be able to think of that information under pressure)
6. Gas Shutoff location(in addition to naming the exact location, draw yourself a small map when you print out)
7. fire extinguisher location (in addition to naming the exact location, draw yourself a small map if needed)
8. water main location (in addition to naming the exact location, draw a small map for the “stranger” that might need this information)
9. location of your emergency water storage (in an emergency situation, memory has a strong tendency to slip, so writing down where in your home you have stored your emergency provisions will help)
10. neighbors water and gas shutoff (might not be necessary if your neighbor is five miles away, but if your neighbor’s house is close enough to flood yours, it makes sense that you know this information to save *your* home, in addition to your neighbors.
11. Clergy
    1. Name
    2. Church address
    3. Contact phone
12. Any additional emergency information for your family:

Next week, our section is going to deal with our individual and family health along with our health insurance information. Again, we are going to put all that information into one central location so we no longer have to worry in emergency situations, or even in day to day information gathering situations either!

Until our next update, enjoy decorating your notebook!

OK, so we all bought a three ring notebook and spent some time decorating it, so we love it and are ready to enjoy keeping it around and using it.

As a reminder, here are the eight sections of the Family Organization Notebook that we are going to put together:

• the basics of your family
• an emergency plan for your family
• health/health insurance information
• insurance as it pertains to your possessions, life and such
• your money matter locations and such
• information for an attorney/preparation for legal issues
• information for caregivers, be they taking care of your home, pet, children, parents or what have you
• finally, information on your house itself and what is in it

Today, we are going to focus on our family information section. Yes, you probably already know your name and address and such, but you would be surprised how quickly even the most basic of information can slip your mind if you are in a panic situation and/or if you are not available to get the information. So, as a result, take a sheet of paper for EACH individual family member and record the following information:

• Full name
• date of birth
• Address (including city, state and zip)
• home phone
• mobile phone
• fax number
• email address(es)
• Work or school information including:
  • Company or school
  • position or title
  • physical work/school address (including city, state and zip)
  • work/school phone
  • work/school fax
  • work/school mobile
  • work/school email address(es)
  • work ID number
  • department
  • work charge code (if needed for home expense reconciliation)
  • assistant name
  • assistant contact number
  • boss name
  • boss phone number
  • HR contact
  • HR contact phone number
  • 401k/pension contact
  • 401k/pension phone number

A couple of comments about the information you provide here: notice there is no place for a social security number? While this notebook is going to be your all-inclusive one-stop for all the answers in your house, you do not want to make it an easy situation for dishonest individuals who might help themselves to all your personal information. So, we are going to observe a few cautions about the personal information we do put on paper and social security numbers is one of those.

As mentioned previously, the trick here is to create a single page of information for each individual and put the page in your family organization notebook. You have a week to get this done. Next week, we are going to deal with the pressing issue of your family emergency plan.

As one final note, putting together a notebook like this would make a wonderful and thoughtful gift for friends and family. Life has become so hectic that slowing down long enough to get information in one place at one time can be a challenge. Decorate some additional notebooks and create pages for friends and family members, giving them the lists of information that they will need to fill out. It is a gift that shows compassion for those you love in the midst of a hectic life.

Love this! We need emergency equipment anyway. Why not go campy and enjoy the hell out of having to use it? Hello Kitty gives us this great emergency gadget with a hand crank USB cell phone charger, LED flashlight, AM/FM radio. hazard siren, and compass — all in one super-cute pink package. Hey, we might be old, but we still love pink. Always have, probably always will. We tried to adjust to some manly colors to make life easier at home, but sorry. Still pink, so we like this.

Thanks to one of our favorite toy website: engadget.com