Personal information
Identify essential identity and family records, such as birth and marriage certificates. Note where sensitive originals are stored rather than copying private details onto an exposed checklist.
FREE GUIDE
An end of life planning checklist.
Start at your own pace.
Get the free four-page guide to identify important family records, document locations, and contacts — one manageable step at a time.
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KNOW WHAT TO COLLECT
A practical first step for your family.
An end of life planning checklist can help you start a conversation that is easy to postpone: if someone needed to help you tomorrow, would they know where to find your important information? The Free Emergency Planning Guide turns that broad question into smaller, manageable tasks.
The four-page PDF includes a cover, two pages of checklists, and an introduction to the planned Complete Family Emergency Folder. You can print it, mark the items relevant to your household, and use it to decide what to gather first. You do not have to finish every category in one sitting.
The guide helps you identify records and their locations. It is not a place to write account passwords or full Social Security numbers, and you do not submit your personal documents to this website.
SEVEN AREAS TO REVIEW
What is covered in the Free Guide?
Finances
Identify bank accounts, investments, retirement accounts, loans, tax records, and adviser contacts. A record of the institution and document location is a useful first step.
Home and property
Find relevant ownership or lease records, mortgage information, vehicle documents, and property contacts. Think about the practical information someone helping your household would need.
Insurance and benefits
Gather policy information and contact details for health, life, home, auto, or other coverage that applies to you. Note where current policy documents can be found.
Digital access
Make a plan for finding your password manager, devices, primary email, and important subscriptions. Use protected access arrangements instead of placing passwords in an ordinary document.
Important contacts
Bring together the people who can help: family, doctors, an attorney, a financial or tax adviser, and relevant insurance or employer contacts.
Health, legal documents, and wishes
Locate medication and allergy information, existing planning documents, and recorded personal wishes. Keep a clear note of where signed originals are held.
A SIMPLE FIRST SESSION
Use the checklist without making it a big project.
- Choose one category. Start with important contacts or document locations if gathering financial records feels overwhelming.
- Mark what applies. Some items will not fit your situation. Leave those aside and identify the records that matter to your household.
- Record the next action. “Ask the insurance agent for a current policy” is more useful than trying to solve every missing item immediately.
- Give the records a home. Use a clearly named folder and a separate location note for paper originals. See how to set up your family document organizer.
- Check with someone you trust. Explain where the starting information is and what to do if you cannot help them find it.
For a broader emergency binder checklist, including practical examples of the records to organize, read our Emergency Binder Guide.
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ORGANIZATION AND PROFESSIONAL HELP
How this fits into a wider planning process.
Use this as an organization step within your end of life checklist. An estate planning checklist may also involve decisions and legal documents that depend on your circumstances and state. A collection of files does not create a will, trust, power of attorney, or permission for someone to act on your behalf.
For a wider overview of preparing personal, financial, and legal papers, see the National Institute on Aging’s getting-your-affairs-in-order checklist. Discuss legal documents with a qualified professional when appropriate.
The free PDF helps you decide what to collect. The planned Complete Package will provide a prepared folder and subfolder structure with editable tools. Its introductory price is US$29; purchasing and downloading that package are not available yet.