E255 How Solo Agers Should Hide Cash and Jewels at Home

<p>Lots of people like to keep cash and valuables hidden at home. But what if you do <strong><em>too</em></strong> good a job of hiding them that even your executor can’t find them? They could end up lost or thrown away. Let’s discuss how to avoid that.</p> <h2>Why people hide cash and valuables at home</h2> <p><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-41774" src= "https://anthonyspark.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Why-people-hide-cash-and-valuables-at-home-300x169.jpg" alt="Why people hide cash and valuables at home" width="300" height="169" /></p> <p>Some folks don’t trust banks or the government, in general. Perhaps they came from a country or grew up in another era where banking was much less reliable.</p> <p>Others want to hide valuables from home aides, cleaning staff, EMTs, etc. Unfortunately, it’s not unusual for items to go missing when someone gets transferred to a nursing home or when they pass away.</p> <p>Lastly, some folks want to be prepared for a recession or bank runs/panics. Panic bank/ATM runs could have easily been the scenario two years ago when we witnessed the toilet paper shortage.</p> <h2>Where NOT to hide cash and valuables at home</h2> <p><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-41775" src= "https://anthonyspark.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Where-NOT-to-hide-cash-and-valuables-at-home-300x169.jpg" alt="Where NOT to hide cash and valuables at home" width="300" height="169" /></p> <p>If you hide valuables <strong>too</strong> well, the executor/heirs probably won’t find it either. From personal experience, treasure hunting for hidden money and jewelry is just one thing on a long list of the executor’s tasks to do when cleaning out a home. The executor needs to document items for family members, and the home needs to be cleared out and in broom-clean condition to get it on the market in a reasonable time frame. There’s really not much time to tear up the floorboards to look for hidden cash...</p> <p>Here are some examples of where people hide things and why the executor/heirs mig