You know my story. You know the title of the blog. Would I pick a moving company based on their proven track record, or would I see the above mover and choose his company? As a family man, I would choose to put my safety and the safety of my family above all other concerns. That’s why I am here to help you with some helpful suggestions to better protect yourself during the moving process.
We have recently started the discussion of purchasing a home. I do not know whether that home will be an apartment in the NYC that I love, or perhaps a house in suburbia. A friend from the gym just bought a house in New Jersey and has inspired my search, I actually have an email with pictures of a house in Rockland County that this same friend referred me to, I am ready to put a down payment down without even checking out the fine details! That would not be safe!
One of the first jobs we would have when we move would be to find a moving company. That would be a first for me, friends helped me move to this 2 bedroom, and before that my sister and her boyfriend moved me into my studio apartment in NYC 27 years ago. There are now 3 of us with furniture and many possessions. I am no longer capable of moving myself. Do you get your moving company from the phone book? Do you research them through the Better Business Bureau? What do you do first? My preferred method would be to first have some friends recommend movers they have used. Starting with a personal recommendation and then moving into a more detailed investigation is a safe move. You don’t just want movers that don’t break your possessions, you want movers with a reputation of honesty as well.
Once you move you have a lot of address changes to go through. My spouse and I have a lot of credit cards and financial accounts that would first need to be organized, and then properly transferred over to our new address. That is a lot of prep work that I would have to think about before I move, I am at my current address over 13 years, many new accounts have been added to our collection. I do not currently have everything organized. That is important, you need this information collected and available to work on as soon as you move, these contacts cannot appear in a moving box 1 month after you have left. As it stands now, I just misplaced a credit card and had to redirect all my automatic charges to another card. I only do that with one card so it is easy to check with one billing statement, but there are still other accounts attached to a credit card that are not on a bill (like my 2 paypal accounts). Sorry to be so verbose, the point is, if you were to move in the next few months, would you be ready to have all your address change materials handy? 401 K’s, IRA’s banking, the list will seem endless! Have it ready somewhere handy, I would leave mine in a box at my mom’s, sometimes she is safer than a bank vault!
My friends at Lifelock currently have a fun Facebook game to help guide you through the process of safeguarding yourself when moving. The Lifelock for Life Sweepstakes has great prizes to win and great questions to keep you thinking of ways to protect yourself, when moving, or just living in our data filled society!
You can “like” LifeLock on Facebook and follow them on Twitter and Google+!
Disclosure: I am a Lifelock Ambassador. All opinions are 100% my own and honest.
Leave a Reply