A not so funny thing happened to me on the way to the Louve in Paris this summer.  I was pick-pocketed. Me!  Imagine that, who would have the nerve to attempt such a feat?  In Paris’ Metro, where the crowds can be many, the thieves and pickpocket professionals also proliferate.  Fortunately, we had documentation to contact the credit card companies.  But what if I did not have that info or worse my passport had been taken?  That would put a major size dent into any trip or vacation!

It seems that with technology today, there should be a better answer than having multiple copies of my personal information in multiple locations.  And I found the answer without having to look far.  My tax software company, which currently stores copies of my clients tax returns in a secure online portal, now offers my clients the opportunity to allow them to store all of their personal documents in the same secure portal as well.  Documents such as wills, deeds, passports, credit and bank card info, et al, will be available in a secure portal.

So should you suffer a loss similar to mine, in a moment’s notice, you’ll be able to access all of your necessary documents needed to put your life back in order.

For my current clients, this is what you need to do.  When you go to access your account on my home page in client portal login (in blue), login as you always would to look at your tax return.  Then, click on “File Exchange”.  Inside File Exchange is a  private document folder where you can upload your personal documents.