card in bank safe deposit box

[drmondobueno]

I live in a very small town on the edge of the eastern sierras after living in the L A basin for over 40 years. Population 1350. No traffic lights, no banks, no doctors, no helicopters, you get the drill. Up until last week, we had less than an inch of rain for the year. Humidity can be non-existent, often under 10%. Our big worry here is fire, wind-driven wildfires. In 2011, the entire town was evacuated when a downslope wind blew a fire down a creek bed and into town, taking out 50 homes. The fire was less than a quarter mile from the home we now live in. Last year another fire started on Highway 395 and caused another evacuation warning before two air tankers were diverted from the Bay area and knocked that bad boy down. Winds were in excess of 40 mph, it could have been very bad. So we look for smoke.

The closest bank is in Bishop, 15 miles to the North. I keep a few more valuable cards there in a SDP, along with my will, passport, and gold fillings. A home safe just would not provide fire protection, so I spread the risk round a bit.

My thinking is I bought the cards to enjoy, so I do. I am not a fan of insurance, having been on the short end of policy 'exclusions' once too often. I gave up a little to get a lot by moving away from population centers and jobs, so I drive an 18 year old fishing vehicle and a trade- off of fire risk with little career opportunity. But being a semi-old fart, what do I need a boss for.