Preparing Financially for Hurricane Matthew
To prepare for the possibility that Hurricane Matthew could soon bear down on Florida and other parts of the United States, we wanted to take this opportunity to suggest that anyone in the path of potential storms should get their homes, and their finances ready. Preparations include securing windows, clearing debris out of gutters, stocking up on food and flashlights, and keeping cash and valuables in easy-to-grab places.
- Consider keeping some emergency cash for essentials. The power may be out for some time and banks and ATMs can shut down during emergencies, so it’s a good idea to have cash on hand in advance.
- Be sure you have a disaster plan in place for you and your family. Broward County’s Official Hurricane Preparedness Guide is designed to provide valuable information that you can use before, during and after a storm.
- Consider gathering all important documents together in one place so you can grab them quickly if you need to evacuate (a waterproof and/or plastic bag may be an appropriate place to store these documents). These include: insurance documents; tax returns; wills, trusts and powers of attorney; names and contact numbers of executors, trustees and guardians; birth certificates; Social Security cards; passports, and; other essential documents. Consider preparing hard copies and/or electronic copies on an external hard drive or portable thumb drive.
- We recommend making a home inventory. Begin with photos or videos of the outside of your home. Make sure you capture all sides of your home and be sure to include any exterior structures- garage, tool shed, swing set, gazebo, etc. You can then take pictures or videos of the inside of your home to document your possessions, especially those of value or importance.
As you know, because Tobias Financial Advisors is a paperless office, we have access to the records you have provided us over the years as long as we have internet connectivity. We will also have the capability to work remotely as long as an internet connection is maintained.
Be advised that we have cancelled our upcoming Cyber Security event on Thursday, October 6th at 9am in the wake of the pending storm. Please feel free to call us with any questions you may have.
Stay safe!