EVACUATED DUE TO THE TCU LIGHTNING COMPLEX IN STANISLAUS, TUOLUMNE AND CALAVERAS COUNTIES. WE WANT TO SHARE SOME OF THE WAYS THAT YOU CAN BETTER FINANCIALLY PREPARE FOR THOSE EMERGENCIES. AND JOINING US THIS MORNING TO TALK ABOUT THE FINANCIAL EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS. WE HAVE CAPTRUST VICE PRESIDENT AND FINANCIAL ADVISOR CATHERINE MCCALL. AND AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. AND THIS IS ONE OF THOSE YOU ALWAYS WOULD LIKE TO THINK THAT YOU’RE PREPARED IN THESE SITUATIONS, BUT THEY HAPPEN FAST. SO WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO DO BEFORE AN EMERGENCY? STARTING OUT I WOULD SAY MAKE SURE EVERY YEAR YOU’RE LOOKING AT YOUR HOME INSURANCE POLICY. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE JUST USUALLY WRITE ANOTHER CHECK FOR AND DON’T THINK ABOUT. OFTENTIMES, IF YOU’VE MADE IMPROVEMENTS TO YOUR HOME, IF THE VALUE HAS GONE UP CONSIDERABLY OVER, YOU KNOW, MANY YEARS OF OWNERSHIP, OR IF YOU’VE DONE MAJOR REMODELS, THAT’S A BIG THING. ADDITIONALLY, IF YOU ACQUIRE NEW STUFF THAT’S COST A LOT OF MONEY, RIGHT? SPORTS MEMORABILIA, WINE COLLECTIONS, JEWELRY, THINGS THAT COST A LOT OF MONEY THAT ARE IN YOUR HOUSE SHOULD BE IN THE POLICY. THEY SHOULD BE UNDERNEATH THE UMBRELLA OF THAT HOMEOWNER HOMEOWNER’S POLICY. AND IF THEY’RE NOT ACCOUNTED FOR, THEY’RE REALLY HARD TO COME BACK AND GET REIMBURSED FOR. AND I GOT TO IMAGINE THERE’S SOME OTHER DOCUMENTS THAT ARE VITAL AS WELL. YEAH. ONE MORE THING AS WELL. MAKE SURE THAT YOUR CASH, THE POLICY LANGUAGE SAYS THE ACTUAL IT SAYS REPLACEMENT VALUE, NOT THE ACTUAL CASH VALUE. GOTCHA. SO LET’S SAY YOU HAVE A VERY NICE REFRIGERATOR, BUT IT’S 610 YEARS OLD. IT WON’T BE REPLACED AT THAT SAME VALUE IF YOU DO THE ACTUAL CASH VALUE, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A NEW ONE, RIGHT? YOU DON’T YOU DON’T WANT AN OLD REFRIGERATOR IF YOU HAVE TO REPLACE YOUR WHOLE HOME IN TERMS OF DOCUMENTATIONS, LET’S MAKE SURE YOU HAVE BIRTH CERTIFICATES, PASSPORTS, MARRIAGE CERTIFICATES, DEATH CERTIFICATES IF APPLICABLE. ALL OF THOSE INTERNAL DOCUMENTS, THE TRUST DOCS, A COUPLE YEARS WORTH OF TAX RETURNS, ALL OF THAT HAS TO BE IN A FIREPROOF SAFE. SO IF YOU HAVEN’T DONE THIS ALREADY, SPEND A COUPLE HUNDRED DOLLARS. OWN A FIRE PROOF AT LEAST ONE. OUR FIREPROOF SAFE. YEAH, AND THAT WILL MAKE IT A LITTLE BIT EASIER IF YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE YOU FLEE YOUR HOME, GET THE GET THE LIVING THINGS OUT FIRST. WE DON’T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT. NO. AND THAT’S THE OTHER PART TOO, IS BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES WHEN YOU ARE FORCED TO EVACUATE HAPPENS JUST LIKE THAT. SO WHAT ARE SOME OTHER HINTS FOR US FINANCIALLY JUST TO WHAT SHOULD WE DO BEFORE WE EXIT OUR HOUSE? OKAY, THAT LAST THING YOU DO CARS PACKED, THE CHILDREN. THE PETS ARE ALREADY IN THE CAR. YOU’RE GOING TO WALK THROUGH YOUR HOUSE FOR THREE MINUTES, TAKE A VIDEO OF YOUR ENTIRE HOME ON YOUR CAMERA. WALK THROUGH EVERY ROOM. GO THROUGH THE BACKYARD, EVERYTHING SO THAT YOU CAN MAKE SURE THAT YOU’RE CAPTURING WHAT THE ITEMS WERE THAT WERE OF VALUE INSIDE THAT HOUSE. THAT’S GOING TO BASICALLY ALLOW YOU TO TAKE AN INVENTORY LATER. IF YOU DO LOSE YOUR HOME, YOU CAN GO BACK THROUGH THAT VIDEO AND SAY, OKAY, WELL, HERE’S THAT AND HERE’S THIS AND HERE’S THAT. IT WILL MAKE IT A LOT EASIER LATER ON. IT’S A DARK THING TO HAVE TO DO, BUT IT’S IT COULD PAY A LOT OF EXTRA INCOME. THAT’S ONE OF THOSE STEPS. YOU DON’T REALLY EVEN TYPICALLY THINK THINK ABOUT. NO. ABSOLUTELY. OKAY, SO I KNOW YOU LOVE TO BUDGET. YES. DOES THAT STILL DO YOU STILL HAVE THE BUDGET FOR A FINANCIAL EMERGENCY FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS? I WOULD JUST LUMP THIS IN THE EMERGENCY FUND CATEGORY. SO IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY CREATED AN EMERGENCY FUND OF 6 TO 9 MONTHS OF EXPENSES, KEEP IN MIND AN EMERGENCY FUND. IF YOU’RE IN A FIRE SITUATION, YOU’RE GOING TO STAY AT A HOTEL FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME. YOU MAY BE EATING OUT AND NOT EATING YOUR NORMAL FOOD IN A KITCHEN, SO YOUR EXPENSES COULD BE HIGHER. BUT AT LEAST HAVING THAT BUFFER OF CASH THAT YOU’RE NOT PUTTING IT ON A CREDIT CARD. HOPEFULLY THE THE HOME INSURANCE POLICY IS GOING TO REIMBURSE YOU, BUT THAT COULD TAKE MONTHS, IF NOT YEARS. SO YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO BE PREPARED IN THAT MOMENT AND NOT AND NOT PUT YOURSELF IN FINANCIAL PERIL. ALL RIGHT, CATHERINE MCCALL, WE APPRECIA

Be wildfire ready: Financial adviser shares tips to financially prepare for emergencies

Updated: 12:59 PM PDT Sep 4, 2025

Editorial Standards ⓘ

As hundreds of people remain evacuated due to the TCU Lightning Complex in Stanislaus, Tuolumne, and Calaveras counties, we want to share some of the ways to help financially prepare for emergencies.CAPTRUST vice president and financial adviser Kathryn McCall joined KCRA 3 Thursday to talk about financial emergency preparedness.She recommended looking at home insurance policies each year to make sure they reflect improvements or increases in the value of your home. High value items in the home should also be reflected in the policy, she said. “If they’re not accounted for, they are really hard to come back and get reimbursed for,” she said. McCall also said make sure that policy language mentions “replacement value” and not “cash value.” Cash value could leave you on the hook to pay more for a new item like a fridge if that needs to be replaced. And McCall recommended investing in a fireproof safe for important documents like passports, marriage and death certificates, trust documents and tax returns. See more tips in the video above.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel| MORE | A 2025 guide for how to prepare for wildfires in California | Northern California wildfire resources by county: Find evacuation info, sign up for alertsCal Fire wildfire incidents: Cal Fire tracks its wildfire incidents here. You can sign up to receive text messages for Cal Fire updates on wildfires happening near your ZIP code here.Wildfires on federal land: Federal wildfire incidents are tracked here.Preparing for power outages: Ready.gov explains how to prepare for a power outage and what to do when returning from one here. Here is how to track and report PG&E power outages.Keeping informed when you’ve lost power and cellphone service: How to find a National Weather Service radio station near you.Be prepared for road closures: Download Caltrans’ QuickMap app or check the latest QuickMap road conditions here.

As hundreds of people remain evacuated due to the TCU Lightning Complex in Stanislaus, Tuolumne, and Calaveras counties, we want to share some of the ways to help financially prepare for emergencies.

CAPTRUST vice president and financial adviser Kathryn McCall joined KCRA 3 Thursday to talk about financial emergency preparedness.

She recommended looking at home insurance policies each year to make sure they reflect improvements or increases in the value of your home. High value items in the home should also be reflected in the policy, she said.

“If they’re not accounted for, they are really hard to come back and get reimbursed for,” she said.

McCall also said make sure that policy language mentions “replacement value” and not “cash value.” Cash value could leave you on the hook to pay more for a new item like a fridge if that needs to be replaced.

And McCall recommended investing in a fireproof safe for important documents like passports, marriage and death certificates, trust documents and tax returns.

See more tips in the video above.

See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

| MORE | A 2025 guide for how to prepare for wildfires in California | Northern California wildfire resources by county: Find evacuation info, sign up for alerts