Prepare for Financial Emergencies

While you can't always stop a crisis situation from happening, you can take preventative measures. Doing so will cushion the blow such events can have on your personal finances.

 

Get insured

1. Homeowner’s Insurance – Research the types of homeowner’s insurance available for your area and find out if flood insurance is possible. 
2. Renter’s Insurance – Although not required, renter’s insurance is usually inexpensive and is needed for the replacement of damaged, destroyed, or stolen property. 
3. Life Insurance – Have a policy that is enough to pay for burial expenses and to provide financial support for those who depend on you.  Also plan for your estate distribution by making sure that you have a will, power of attorney or living trust.  Remember to appoint a guardian for minor children.  You should have peace of mind that your family is financially secure and that your finances will be distributed according to your wishes.

 

Establish an emergency fund

1. Begin or add to your savings plan.  Open a savings account and commit to placing a certain amount in the account each pay period or each month. 
2. Ask your employer about having your paycheck directly deposited into your Andrews Federal account.  Payments from other sources, such as Social Security and disability, can also be directly deposited into your account.
3. Keep a stash of small bills in your home.  In a disaster or emergency, you may not be able to get to a branch or an ATM for a while.   

Know the various ways to access your funds

1. Having a check card or an ATM card is useful, especially because you can use your card to access your funds from a remote location.  Identify your closest ATM locations and which ones support your financial institution(s).  Visit http://www.andrewsfcu.org/ to view the surcharge-free ATM network.
2. Sign up for online access to your financial accounts. Andrews Federal offers FREE online banking and online bill payment.
3. Make sure someone else in your family, or someone you trust, has access to your accounts (including account numbers, log-ins, and passwords) in case something happens to you.

 Safely store your valuables and update personal information

1. Store valuable personal items like original documents, jewelry, family heirlooms, coin collections, stock certificates and negotiable bonds in a safe deposit box.
2. Create a binder with plastic storage sleeves to hold documents like property deeds, tax returns and insurance policies for easy organization.
3. Update your personal and beneficiary information on a regular basis.  Changes to your situation (divorce, births, deaths, etc.) indicate that you should probably change the beneficiary information on your accounts.  Don’t wait!  Keep your information current.