Small step organisation: safeguard your documents

Simon Ellis

By Simon Ellis on 16 July 2021

5 minute read

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In this day and age, we all know how tough organisation can be. It’s hard to stay organised and have everything available exactly when (and where) you need it. The progression from physical paper to the digital documents has left many filing cabinets in utter disarray. From phone bills to payslips, instructions to invoices and everything in between… it’s not always easy to keep track of the many documents we might need at a moment’s notice.

However, it’s not just the small stuff and everyday paperwork that gets misplaced. The statistics on unclaimed assets in the UK makes for pretty scary reading. For example, The Association of British Insurers just last year estimated that 1.6 million pensions remain unclaimed as people have simply forgotten about them or haven’t informed their heirs… that’s nearly £20 billion in unclaimed pensions alone. Additionally, other assets such as investments, ISAs and premium bonds upwards of £200 billion have also been lost. The value of these forgotten assets continues to grow as people simply lose track of them and fail to leave behind clear lists of holdings when they pass away.

Why are there so many misplaced documents?

In many cases, it’s down to the fact that people are moving home or changing job more often than ever these days. Amongst all the commotion, they simply forget to advise pension providers, transfer over funds or make a note of details. Assets go undiscovered, get forgotten and turn into lost files.

Think you’re too organised to lose track of your plans like those other 1.6 million people? Well, it happened to me. Luckily, the pension people tracked me down recently and advised me I had a pension dating back to the 1980s that I’d completely forgotten about! Luckily, I didn’t add to the huge numbers of unclaimed pensions. By using the Personal Archive Company, you can ensure that you don’t either.

Make light work of organisation

Look, I get it – sitting down and compiling everything you have ever bought, sold or signed up for is a monumental chore. We all have better things to do, though it really is imperative that it gets done. Organising important documents doesn’t just help you and your life admin – it helps your loved ones as well. By having your assets listed and documents organised, you remove some of the stress related to managing things immediately after you die.

While there are processes and sites to help you reclaim what is yours, there isn’t much out there to help prevent you losing it in the first place – which is where we come in. By using our personal archive tools, you can easily organise and find your documents without spending hours scratching your head and rage clicking through all your folders for lost files. What’s more – you don’t even need to do it all in one laborious go.

Just spend fifteen minutes here and there over a few weeks, and you will see just how easily it all comes together. Start by creating a list of all your important things and note down personal references, such as:

  • National Insurance Number
  • NHS Number
  • Passport Number
  • Investment details
  • Pension accounts
  • Insurance information

Then it’s just a case of gathering the documents on your list and collecting these into one place for future reference.

Time-saving templates

We know your time is precious. That’s why we will send you all the templates you need completely free when you subscribe.

We’ve created a set of templates that ease you into the document organisation process and guide you, from start to finish. Covering everything from the major policies and important documents to smaller details you might have overlooked, our system makes sure nothing falls through the cracks.

Our free step-by-step templates help you sort your life’s documentation. Get everything in order, review and add to your documents when it suits you, and – best of all – rest easy knowing that your documents are now safely organised.

Now, you don’t have to use our document management and file storage service to get these templates. But imagine never having to rummage through your kitchen drawer to find documents, or sift through pockets to find receipts or instructions!

The Personal Archive allows you to add anything and everything you think you might need in future, meaning you’ll never have to sweat the small stuff again. The tagging system makes organisation simple and fool-proof. Once you’ve uploaded your documents into the system, you can then provide access to those that need it, update your information and securely share files with anyone you want to. Once filed, your documents stay filed – giving you peace of mind and security for your records.

Subscribe now to receive your free templates and our ‘Simple Steps to Great Document Management’ guide. We will send you weekly tips, templates and guides to getting your life admin sorted, so you can get on with the fun stuff.

 

Simon Ellis
Founder