This should be part of your financial planning

Retirement, college funds for the kids and/or grandkids, traveling or a 2nd home in a warm climate - these dreams turn into realities because of good financial planning. A personal property inventory should be part of this plan. It can help you recover from a disaster, or the lack of one can totally change all that you worked for.

Without a list and photographs of the contents in your home or apartment, it would be impossible to remember and prove all that you lost! Victims of disasters state they couldn't remember or prove a sufficient amount of items, which left them with a claim settlement that was thousands of dollars short of what they needed.

As a result, many state they had to withdraw funds from an investment account. What will that do to your retirement plans? Your children's college plans? Your financial future? Will you have to continue to work longer to replace the money that was withdrawn?

In today's financial market, are you comfortable that your investments would be sufficient to recover from a disaster and not alter your current and future lifestyle? Talk to your financial planner. There is no right or wrong answer, only what you are willing to risk. You are the only one who can determine if the risk is worth not having the inventory.

Often, the return on investment is more than just money - the ROI of an inventory is also measured in time savings, less stress and peace of mind.