Most banks or credit unions offer safe deposit boxes. Some banks will offer a discount if you're a current customer as well. A safe deposit box is perfect for storing original documents, like birth certificates, wills, social security information, annual tax returns, and power of attorney.

Files that are stored in email inboxes over time become more and more vulnerable to cyber-attacks. A data breach would be catastrophic for a real estate brokerage and could result in lawsuits.

It encrypts attached files as well. It does this using security certificates to digitally sign email messages so that the identity of the sender is authenticated. It's also possible to implement end-to-end encryption for Gmail via third-party tools.

It's commonly recommended to encrypt a file with a processor like Adobe PDF, then email the file, providing the code to decrypt it over a different method of communication. We get why this is a recommendation – encryption is effective, and most people have access to this method.

Storing at home One of the most common ways to store sensitive documents at home is with a personal safe. These should ideally be fire and waterproof to protect the files from damage and kept in a hard-to-find place in your house.

Do not send it via email unless you use an email service secured by end-to-end encryption.In most cases, setting up a password implies you have to provide it every time you open the file. Forgetting or misplacing the password means you lose access to the file.

How to send password-protected PDF files. Launch Adobe Acrobat and select the Protect tool from the Tools menu. Choose your protection settings. ... Once you've protected your file, save it as a separate copy for safekeeping. Select Share With Others from the top toolbar. Add the recipients' email addresses.