SAFE Home Inventory. Getting Started Guide

Transcription

1 SAFE Home Inventory Getting Started Guide

2 Table of Contents What can I do with SAFE?... 1 Getting started using SAFE... 1 Overview of SAFE screens... 1 Use the collectibles and household items screens... 3 Quick-Start steps... 4 Adding a Record... 5 Add an art, jewelry, or collectible record... 5 Add a household item record... 6 Add a picture to a record... 7 Modifying a record... 7 Deleting a record... 8 Printing a record... 8 Updating a collection item s value... 9 Analyzing a collection item s value Bequeathing an item Viewing and Printing Reports Use the report viewer View a summary report View a details report Print active warranties (Household Items only) Print a collection list (Art, Jewelry and Collectibles only)...14 Print value updates (Art, Jewelry and Collectibles only)...14 Print Bequeathed To reports Graph your net worth Print a report SAFE Home Inventory Getting Started Guide Page ii

3 Welcome to SAFE Home Inventory This Getting Started Guide shows you what you can do with SAFE Home Inventory and how to get started using it to catalog your belongings. You can find more detailed information in the program s online Help. What can I do with SAFE? SAFE is versatile and can be used for more purposes than are described in this guide. Explore the Tips and Tricks section for other ways SAFE can help you protect your assets. Catalog valuables and everyday items: o Protect your investments. o Discover the real value of what you have. o Keep your records organized and easily accessible. o Bequeath (will) items and keep your estate up-to-date. Print reports of any of the information you have stored in SAFE: o Print a pocket list of all of your collectibles to take with you when you go shopping so you ll know what you already have. o Print a graph of your net worth. o Print a report of items you ve bequeathed. o Print a report of your household item active warranties. o Print a graph that shows how the value of a collectible has changed over time. Getting started using SAFE This section gives you an overview of the main SAFE screens, what you can do with them, and how to use them. Overview of SAFE screens SAFE Home Inventory has three main screens, described below. SAFE Main Menu This is your starting point. From this screen you can: Access the Art, Jewelry and Collectibles screen. Access the Household Items screen. Graph your net worth. Print reports. Access tips. Exit the SAFE Home Inventory program. SAFE Home Inventory Getting Started Guide Page 1

4 Art, Jewelry and Collectibles From this screen you can: Catalog your collectibles and other valuables. Add, modify, and delete items. Add pictures of the items. Print reports about any item. Household Items From this screen you can: Catalog your household items and other items that don t fit into any of the Art, Jewelry and Collectibles categories. Add, modify and delete items. Add pictures of the items. Print reports about any item. SAFE Home Inventory Getting Started Guide Page 2

5 Use the collectibles and household items screens The example shown is from the Art, Jewelry & Collectibles screen, but the Household Items screen functions exactly the same way. Main menu Record information Tree view of categories Double-click the category name to see a list of items in that category Click an item in the list to see the record for the item Item picture Item description Quick access buttons SAFE Home Inventory Getting Started Guide Page 3

6 Quick-Start steps 1. Take a quick tour of SAFE to get familiar with the program. SAFE comes preloaded with examples of household items, jewelry, and art, so you can see how items are documented. Check out reports, too, so you can see how they can be used. 2. Decide on a cataloging strategy. You will do better if you have a plan, but keep it simple. Don t expect to sit down and catalog everything you own in one day or even one weekend. Most people own more than they realize, which is why inventorying all of their possessions can seem a daunting task. Choose from the strategies listed below, or come up with your own. You can also combine methods. For example, you can catalog your collectibles by type (category), and then catalog your household items by room, as is done in the example database. Method 1: by category o Art, Jewelry & Collectibles: pick one category to start (for example, jewelry), then do the top 10 items of your choosing. Method 2: by room o Household items: pick one room to start and do the top 10 items of your choosing. Method 3: by value o Catalog your top 10 items; for example, the most valuable or the most important, such as your car, entertainment system, golf clubs, art pieces, etc. Can t decide in which category to put something? Ask yourself the following: Do I want to be able to graph the value of the item as it increases over time? If yes, then put the item in the Art, Jewelry and Collectibles database. Did the item come with a warranty? If yes, put the item in the Household Items database. 3. Get ready to start cataloging your belongings. a. If you have a digital camera, take pictures of the 10 items you ve chosen. If you don t have a camera or pictures, don t worry you can add pictures later. b. Make a list of the first 10 items to be cataloged. c. Gather any ownership records and information (user manuals, purchase receipts or acquisition records) you have for the 10 items. If you can t find all of your records, you can add the missing information later. If you simply don t have any records for certain items, you can include as complete a description as possible for each item in the Description field. 4. At the SAFE Main Menu screen, click the menu that best fits your first item: o Art, Jewelry and Collectibles o Household Items 5. Do one of the following: o If you are adding a collectible item, go to Add an art, jewelry, or collectible record on page 5. o If you are adding a household item, go to Add a household item record on page 6. SAFE Home Inventory Getting Started Guide Page 4

7 Adding a Record This section gives you step-by-step instructions for cataloging any item. Add an art, jewelry, or collectible record Note: You cannot leave any fields blank when adding items. You can always type in unknown, n/a, or default, and then modify the record later if you want. 1. From the File menu, choose Add a New Record, and then click Item. The Add a New Item To Your Collection dialog box displays. 3. In the Type field, do one of the following: o If you are creating a new category, type a name for the category the item will go in. o If you are adding an item to an existing category, click the arrow and select the category from the dropdown list. 4. In the Title field, type a name for the item. 5. Add Originator, Medium, Series, Edition Size, and Edition # information in the corresponding fields. Since you cannot leave any fields blank, leave the default if you don t know, or type in n/a if the field doesn t apply to the item. 6. In the Purchase Date field, click on the date in the field to open the SAFE Calendar and then select a date from the calendar. 7. In the Purchase Price field, type in the dollar amount but do not add a dollar sign, decimal, or zeros. Add whole dollar amounts like this: 16. Add dollar and cent amounts like this: Add Place Purchased, Payment Method and Transaction information in the corresponding fields. 9. In the Description field, select the default text and then type in a description, if desired, or leave the default text. 10. Click the Save button. A message displays telling you that you must reselect the item you just added from the Tree View list. Click the OK button. Note: If you do not intend to add an image or modify the record at this time, you do not need to reselect the record. 11. If you want to add an image to the record, see Add a picture to a record on page 7. SAFE Home Inventory Getting Started Guide Page 5

8 Add a household item record Note: You cannot leave any fields blank when adding items. You can always type in unknown, n/a, or default, and then modify the record later if you want. 1. From the File menu, choose Add a New Record, and then select Item. The Add a New Household Item dialog box displays. 3. In the Location field, do one of the following: o If you are creating a new location, type a name for the location. o If you are adding an item to an existing location, click the arrow and select the location from the dropdown list. 4. In the Item Name field, type a name for the item. 5. Add the Manufacturer, Make, Model, and Serial # in the corresponding fields. Since you cannot leave any fields blank, leave the default if you don t know, or type in n/a if the field doesn t apply to the item. 6. In the Warranty Expires on field, click in the field to open the SAFE calendar and then select a date from the calendar. 7. In the Purchase Date field, click on the date in the field to open the SAFE Calendar and then select a date from the calendar. 8. In the Purchase Price field, type in the dollar amount but do not add a dollar sign, decimal, or zeros. Add whole dollar amounts like this: 16. Add dollar and cent amounts like this: Add the Place Purchased, Payment Method, and Transaction information in the corresponding fields. 10. In the Description field, select the default text and then type in a description, if desired, or leave the default text. 11. Click the Save button. A message displays telling you that you must reselect the item you just added from the Tree View list. Click the OK button. Note: If you do not intend to add an image or modify the record at this time, you do not need to reselect the record. 12. If you want to add an image to the record, see Add a picture to a record on page 7. SAFE Home Inventory Getting Started Guide Page 6

9 Add a picture to a record 1. Select the item in the Tree View list by double-clicking the category of the item and then clicking the item name. 2. Do one of the following: o From the File menu, choose Add a New Record and then select Picture. o Click the Image button in the quickaccess button bar below the image box. The Select Picture by Clicking on File dialog box displays. 3. In the box on the left, navigate to the folder containing the picture file you want. 4. Double-click the folder to see its contents displayed in the box on the right. 5. In the box on the right, select the name of the picture file. The picture displays in the picture box on the screen. 6. Do one of the following: o To add the picture to the current record, click the Save button in the Select Picture by Clicking on File dialog box. o To cancel without adding the picture, click the Cancel button. You will still see the image in the picture box, but if you close the record without saving it, the picture will not be added to the record. Modifying a record You can change a record at any time. 1. In the Tree View, select the record you want to modify. 2. Do one of the following: o In the File menu, choose Modify the Current Record and then select Item. o Click the Modify button in the quick-access button bar. The Modify dialog box displays. 3. Change the information in the fields as desired. Remember that you cannot leave any fields blank. 4. Click the Save button. A confirmation message displays telling you the record was modified. 5. Click the OK button. The record now reflects the change you made. SAFE Home Inventory Getting Started Guide Page 7

10 Deleting a record These instructions apply to deleting all types of records. 1. Open the record you want to delete. 2. Do one of the following: o From the File menu, choose Delete the Current Record and then select Item. o In the quick-access button bar, click the Delete button. 3. In the Do you want to delete this Record? confirmation box, click the Yes button. 4. In the You must reselect your item message box, click the OK button to close it. Note: If you want to delete a category or room from the Tree View, you must delete all of the items in that category or room. Keep in mind that if you don t want to delete a category or room, you must have at least one item in it. Printing a record 1. Open the record you want to print. 2. From the Reports menu, select Print Current Item. A preview of the record displays in the report viewer. 3. In the toolbar at the top of the report viewer, click the printer button: 4. In the Print dialog box that displays, make your desired selections and then click the OK button to print the record. 5. When the record has finished printing, close the report viewer by clicking the X button in the upper right corner. Example record SAFE Home Inventory Getting Started Guide Page 8

11 Updating a collection item s value SAFE includes a special table that you use to record the changing value of a collection item. Information must be entered in this table for SAFE s Analyze Value feature to work. When you add an item to the Art, Jewelry and Collectibles database, SAFE automatically adds the price, date of purchase and source of the item to the Update Collection Value table. You will need to add updated value information manually, as described below. 1. In the Art, Jewelry & Collectibles screen, open the item s record. 2. From the Value menu, select Update Value. The Update Collection Value table displays. 3. At the bottom of the table is an empty row preceded by an asterisk (*). Click in the first cell and add the current value of the item. Do not include dollar signs; SAFE will automatically add them. You do need to add decimals for dollar fractions. 4. Tab to the next cell and add the current date. Use the format: xx/xx/xxxx or xx/xx/xx. 5. Tab to the next cell and add the source of the updated value information. 6. If desired, press the Tab key again to add a new row to the table. 7. Click the Save button. SAFE Home Inventory Getting Started Guide Page 9

12 Analyzing a collection item s value SAFE displays a bar graph that allows you to see how the value of your collection items change over time. This graph pulls the information from the data you ve entered in the Update Value table. The graph sorts the data by date and then represents the value as individual colored bars. The graph automatically sizes itself to fit the data displayed. 1. In the Art, Jewelry & Collectibles screen, open the item s record. 2. From the Value menu, select Analyze Value. The Item Value History graph displays. 3. To close the graph, click the X button in the graph s upper right corner. SAFE Home Inventory Getting Started Guide Page 10

13 Bequeathing an item SAFE s bequeath feature lets you earmark any item in your home inventory database to give to an heir from your estate. Note: This feature is not meant to replace a legal Last Will and Testament. This feature is designed to give you a place to add comments about specific items you want to bequeath to your heirs. You can print out a Bequeathed To report and have an attorney use it to amend your Will. Refer to Print Bequeathed To reports on page Open the item s record. 2. From the Value menu, select Bequeath To. 3. In the Give to one s heir dialog box, in the Bequeathed to box, type the name of the person or select the name from the dropdown list. 4. Click in the box below and add a personal message to the recipient, or anything you want to say about the item. 5. Do one of the following: o To save the change to the record, click the Save button. o To cancel the bequeath action, click the Cancel button. SAFE Home Inventory Getting Started Guide Page 11

14 Viewing and Printing Reports SAFE comes equipped with numerous reports that let you view your home inventory data in various ways. Use the report viewer When you select a report, SAFE opens the report in its report viewer screen. The report viewer has options that let you find report information quickly, print a report, export the report into another program, and enlarge or shrink the view. Click to print the report Click to export the report to another program Click to toggle the tree view on or off Click to change the view (zoom in or out) Click to search for specific words in the report Click an item in the Tree View on the left to see it highlighted in the report on the right SAFE Home Inventory Getting Started Guide Page 12

15 View a summary report Summary reports are available for both collectibles and household items. The summary report shows every item in either the collectibles or the household items database. 1. Do one of the following: o To view a summary of your art, jewelry and collectibles, from the SAFE Main Menu screen, click Print Reports. In the Art, Jewelry & Collectibles section of the Reports Menu screen, select All Items Report (Summary). o To view a summary of your household items, from the SAFE Main Menu screen, click Print Reports. In the Household Items section of the Reports Menu screen, select All Items Report (Summary). Note: These reports are also accessible from the Reports menu in the Art, Jewelry, & Collectibles screen, and the Household Items screen. A preview of the report displays in the report viewer. 2. For information on using the report viewer, refer to Use the report viewer on page To print the report, refer to Print a report on page 16. View a details report Detail reports are available for both collectibles and household items. This is the only report that will print all fields that are in the Art, Jewelry and Collectibles database. 1. Do one of the following: o To view details of your art, jewelry and collectibles, from the SAFE Main Menu screen, click Print Reports. In the Art, Jewelry & Collectibles section of the Reports Menu screen, select All Items Report (Detail). o To view details of your household items, from the SAFE Main Menu screen, click Print Reports. In the Household Items section of the Reports Menu screen, select All Items Report (Detail). Note: These reports are also accessible from the Reports menu in the Art, Jewelry, & Collectibles screen; and the Household Items screen. A preview of the report displays in the report viewer. 2. For information on using the report viewer, refer to Use the report viewer on page To print the report, refer to Print a report on page 16. SAFE Home Inventory Getting Started Guide Page 13

16 Print active warranties (Household Items only) This report shows only what is still under warranty. The warranty expiration date you enter in a household items record is compared to the date the active warranties report is generated. Any warranties that have expired before the report date are not included in the report. 1. From the SAFE Main Menu screen, click Print Reports. 2. In the Reports Menu screen, select Warranty Expiration Report. The report opens in the Report Viewer screen. 3. For information on using the report viewer, refer to Use the report viewer on page To print the report, refer to Print a report on page 16. Print a collection list (Art, Jewelry and Collectibles only) This report prints a list of every item in your collectibles just the item category and the item name so you can take it with you when shopping for gifts or items to add to your collection. 1. From the SAFE Main Menu screen, click Print Reports. 2. In the Art, Jewelry & Collectibles section of the Reports Menu screen, select Titles by Type (Pocket List). The pocket list opens in the report viewer. 3. For information on using the report viewer, refer to Use the report viewer on page To print the pocket list, refer to Print a report on page 16. Print value updates (Art, Jewelry and Collectibles only) The Value Update Report shows all your collectible items and the values assigned to them in the Update Collection Value table. Use this report to review your collections by type, and then see which items have increased in value and which items may have decreased in value. The report also gives a summary that compares the highest and lowest values to the initial value. 1. Do one of the following: o From the Reports menu of the Art, Jewelry & Collectibles screen, select Print Value Updates. o From the SAFE Main Menu screen, click Print Reports. The Reports Menu screen displays. In the Art, Jewelry & Collectibles section, select Update Value Report. The report opens in the report viewer. 2. For information on using the report viewer, refer to Use the report viewer on page To print the report, refer to Print a report on page 16. SAFE Home Inventory Getting Started Guide Page 14

17 Print Bequeathed To reports The Bequeathed To report gives you a graphical representation of the items you have bequeathed to others from your estate, and a complete listing of the items and percentages of the items by value. This report is available for both collectibles and household items. 1. From the SAFE Main Menu screen, click Print Reports. 2. Do one of the following: o To view your household items bequeathed to report, in the Household Items section, select Bequeathed To Report. o To view your collectibles bequeathed to report, in the Art, Jewelry & Collectibles section, select Bequeathed To Report. The report displays in the reports viewer. 3. For information on using the report viewer, refer to Use the report viewer on page To print the report, refer to Print a report on page 16. Graph your net worth The Net Worth report lets you see the net worth of your collectibles and your household items displayed in a pie chart. The pie chart is accompanied by a legend that details each section of the chart. In addition to the chart, the Net Worth report includes an itemized list. 1. From the SAFE Main Menu screen, click Graph Your Net Worth. 2. In the Select Graph dialog box, select the graph you want to see: o Household Items o Art, Jewelry & Collectibles The Net Worth report displays in the report viewer. SAFE Home Inventory Getting Started Guide Page 15

18 3. For information on using the report viewer, refer to Use the report viewer on page To print the report, refer to Print a report on page 16. Print a report Reports are printed from the report viewer. 1. To print the report, in the toolbar at the top of the report page, click the printer button: 2 In the Print dialog box that displays, make your desired selections and then click the OK button to print the report. 3. When the report has finished printing, close the report viewer screen by clicking the X button in the upper right corner. SAFE Home Inventory Getting Started Guide Page 16