THE IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING A SAFE IN YOUR HOME

Be Better Safe Than Sorry!

Billionaires, businesses, and banks have safes. But why should regular people like us have one? If you reside in a comfortable neighborhood, you may think a safe is unnecessary. On the other hand, if you live in an area you’re unsure of, you’re probably at least a little curious about what type of safe you should buy. You may still be wondering: What would I even put in my safe, anyhow? In fact, there are a good number of reasons to purchase a home safe and some you might not have imagined.

Almost everyone owns valuable objects of some type, crucial documents, collectibles, and beloved heirlooms. Why risk losing or misplacing them? Here are some important points to consider:

Prevent theft. A safe effectively stops a thief from taking your cherished possessions. Protecting your prized items in a safe will give you peace of mind. Do you frequently throw parties? Do you have lots of house guests? When groups of folks come to your place, you can’t possibly keep an eye on everybody. It’s a comfort to remember that your irreplaceable items are remaining unscathed inside the safe.

Protect against fire. If there’s a fire, an excellent-quality safe will protect whatever’s inside from destruction. Think about what would happen if you were to lose these essential items to fire?

birth certificates
your will
safe deposit box keys or other significant keys that you rarely use
passports
copies of your driver's licenses or other ID cards and papers
rare coins or stamps
documents regarding any properties you own
tax records
mortgage records
a list of family doctors with their contact information
emergency cash
insurance papers for filing a possible claim
pharmacy and prescription medication information
outstanding loans and other debt records
bank account information
powers of attorney, healthcare proxies, & living wills
retirement plans
titles to all your vehicles
investment documents
funeral arrangements

A shield against floods. If there is a flood, or any kind of water-related disaster, if you have the proper safe, then whatever’s inside will stay intact.

You will always know where your stuff is. If you’re prone to misplacing your things, then keep your important items in a safe, and you won’t ever lose them again.

A safe is actually better than a safety deposit box. You may presume that a safety deposit box at your bank is much better than a safe you keep at home. However, a home safe gives you a few advantages:

You’ll have 24/7 access, rather than only during office hours.
At a bank, believe it or not, the contents of a safe deposit box are usually never insured. But your home safe’s items will often be covered by your renter's or homeowner's insurance policy.
Your home is completely private, rather than public. Anytime you want, you can take items out, and put them back in.
Any cash you keep in a safety deposit box is not FDIC-insured.
With a home safe, you only have to make a one-time investment, rather than pay a monthly charge.
Upon the death of a loved one, if you’re the beneficiary, you may think that you can open that person’s safe deposit box; but the reality is, a bank routinely seals a safety deposit box as soon as it receives a death certificate, which means you will not be allowed to open it until the estate representatives supply the court papers to the bank.

Restore computer data. It’s obvious that you must always keep backups of all the files on your computer. Moreover, when you store all the data in your safe also, if you encounter computer glitches of any kind, your files will be completely retrievable. If your computer ever suffers a complete hard-drive crash, you’ll be able to restore everything.

Preserve family photos. You can keep digital copies of all your treasured family photographs in your home safe, and also keep any of your older family photos. Such photographic memories are otherwise virtually irreplaceable.

Keep your family out of harm’s way. Do you own weapons? Then it’s imperative that you stop them from falling into the hands of an intruder, a babysitter, or a child. Avoid danger and tragedy! Don’t allow anyone but you to have access to your guns, explosives, axes, knives, or any other harmful items.

Do your research. Do your in-depth research so you can choose exactly the right safe for your home. Consider the following:

How large does the safe have to be?
Where’s the most secure location in your home to put your safe?
Look over the industry standards regarding fire-resistance and water-resistance levels.
Should your safe be visible or hidden?
Which individuals will you trust enough to know how to open your safe?
What company will you be able to contact if you should ever face any technical problems?
Industry guidelines indicate the security rating for every safe manufacturer. What level of security is required for your particular situation? Do you want to have a standard combination lock, or something more sophisticated, such as an eye scan, or other features in between? How about just a metal box? Or what about something significantly anchored?
Do you have a backup plan, in case someone misplaces the information necessary to open your safe?
Are there any additional factors regarding the proper protection of your specific items ~ such as humidity, temperature, light, and so on?

THE IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING A SAFE IN YOUR HOME

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