Where Do You Store Your Estate Planning Documents?

We now live in a digital world. You receive your bank statements online. You pay your bills online. You monitor your investments online. And you shop online. But when you die or become incapacitated, someone better produce your original, signed estate planning documents. So, where do you store these important papers? In a safe deposit box? In a safe? In your home? In your attorney's office? Many people keep their important papers in their safe deposit box. But your executor may not be able to access the box after you die without a court order. If you use a safe deposit box, you better make sure you put someone you trust as having the authority to access the box after you die. Check with your bank or credit union to see what their procedures are. Another note: We had to re-do a number of estate plans after Hurricane Katrina flooded many New Orleans area banks. A safe in your home might be a better storage place for your estate planning documents. Again, make sure others that you trust know how to access your safe. When we complete an estate plan at our office, we electronically scan and store all of our client's estate planning documents. You keep the originals and we encourage you to keep those in a safe place. Where do you keep your important documents? Besides your legal documents, what other documents do you keep in a safe place?