10 Documents Your Family Will Need When the Time Comes
Where would your family start?
There are some things families rarely talk about until they suddenly need to.
Where is the will? Who handles the finances? Is there life insurance? Where are the important account records? What would Mom or Dad want us to do? Who should we call first?
In the middle of a health crisis or after the loss of someone you love, these questions can quickly become overwhelming.
The good news is that you don't have to organize your entire life in one weekend. You simply need to start.
Here are 10 categories of important documents and information your family should be able to find when the time comes.
Want a simple checklist you can work through at your own pace?
Download the free guide and work through it at your own pace.
1. Will and Estate Planning Documents
Your will is one of the first documents your family may need after your death, but it shouldn't be the only estate-planning information they can locate.
Depending on your circumstances, this category may include:
- Your current will
- Trust documents
- Power of attorney documents
- Executor or trustee information
- Attorney contact information
- Other estate-planning documents
The important question isn't simply whether these documents exist. It's whether the right people know that they exist and where the current versions can be found.
ASK YOURSELF
- Do I have current estate-planning documents?
- Does the appropriate person know where they are?
- Does my family know who my attorney or other key professional contacts are?
2. Advance Directive and Healthcare Documents
A medical emergency isn't the time you want your family trying to figure out what you would have wanted.
Gather the documents and information that help others understand your healthcare wishes and who is authorized to make decisions if you cannot. These may include:
- Advance directive or living will
- Healthcare power of attorney
- Healthcare proxy information
- Medical orders, if applicable
- Organ and tissue donation wishes
- Important physician information
ASK YOURSELF
- Have I documented my healthcare wishes?
- Does the person I've chosen to speak for me know that?
- Do they know where these documents are?
3. Life Insurance Policies
Families sometimes know that a loved one had life insurance without knowing which company issued the policy, how much coverage exists, or whom to contact.
Keep a record of:
- Insurance company
- Policy number
- Type of coverage
- Beneficiary information
- Agent or company contact information
- Location of the policy documents
Your family does not necessarily need every piece of insurance paperwork together. They do need a reliable way to know what coverage exists and where to find the details.
4. Financial Account Information
Your family may eventually need to identify the financial institutions where you have accounts.
That can include:
- Checking and savings accounts
- Investment and brokerage accounts
- Retirement accounts
- Pensions
- Certificates of deposit
- Credit cards
- Loans and other debts
- Safe-deposit box information
The goal isn't to put sensitive account credentials on an unsecured checklist. It's to create a roadmap so the appropriate person knows which accounts exist and where the necessary records are securely maintained.
5. Property and Asset Records
Homes and bank accounts aren't the only assets families may need to locate or manage.
Consider information related to:
- Home and other real estate
- Mortgage information
- Vehicles
- Titles and deeds
- Valuable personal property
- Storage units
- Business interests
- Other significant assets
Also think about the practical information that may not appear in an estate document. Who services the house? Where is the spare key? Is there a storage unit nobody knows about? Sometimes the small practical details become surprisingly important.
6. Personal Identification and Vital Records
Certain official documents may be needed repeatedly while your family handles your affairs.
These can include:
- Birth certificate
- Marriage certificate
- Divorce records, if applicable
- Social Security information
- Passport
- Military service records
- Citizenship or naturalization documents, if applicable
- Other important identification records
Keep original documents securely stored and make sure the appropriate person knows where they can be found.
7. Health and Medical Information
Beyond an advance directive, your family may need basic information about your healthcare.
Consider keeping an up-to-date record of:
- Physicians and specialists
- Health insurance information
- Prescription medications
- Allergies
- Significant medical history
- Pharmacy information
- Medicare information, if applicable
- Long-term care insurance, if applicable
This information can be particularly important if a family member suddenly needs to help coordinate your care.
8. Digital Account and Access Information
Our lives now exist partly online, yet digital information is one of the easiest things to overlook.
Think about:
- Primary email accounts
- Mobile phone
- Computer and devices
- Cloud storage
- Social media
- Subscription services
- Online financial accounts
- Photo storage
- Websites or domains
- Digital assets
- Password manager, if you use one
Do not put all of your passwords on an unsecured checklist. Instead, establish a secure method for the appropriate person to access necessary information and make sure they know that method exists. You may also want to designate someone to handle your digital life according to your wishes and applicable account policies and laws.
9. Final Arrangements and Personal Wishes
Legal documents don't necessarily tell your family what you actually want your final arrangements to look like.
Consider documenting things such as:
- Burial or cremation preferences
- Funeral, memorial or celebration-of-life wishes
- Cemetery information
- Religious or cultural preferences
- People you would like notified
- Music, readings or other meaningful elements
- Obituary information
- Charitable preferences
- Any arrangements you've already made or paid for
You don't have to plan every detail. But even a little guidance can relieve your family of having to make difficult decisions while wondering, "Is this what they would have wanted?"
10. The Things No Legal Document Can Say for You
Preparing for your family isn't only about paperwork. It's also about what you want them to have.
Think about:
- Personal letters
- Family photographs
- Favorite memories
- Family stories
- Traditions you hope continue
- Recipes
- Messages for children or grandchildren
- Things you've learned
- What you're proud of
- What you want the people you love to remember
A will can distribute your possessions. It cannot tell your daughter how proud you've always been of her.
A financial statement can identify an account. It cannot tell your grandchildren the story behind the photograph they've seen a hundred times.
An insurance policy can provide financial protection. It cannot say, "I love you. Here's what I hope you always remember."
Those things deserve a place too.
How Prepared Are You?
You don't have to finish everything today.
Go through the ten categories and simply mark:
- I have this
- Someone knows where it is
- I need to work on this
Then choose one unfinished category and start there.
That's progress.
One Final Question
If something happened tomorrow, would the people you love know where to start?
Preparing isn't about expecting the worst. It's about making a difficult day a little less difficult for the people you love.
That's why I created The Clear After Box, a physical family preparedness and legacy system designed to bring the practical information your family may someday need together with the personal things you want them to have.
Important documents. Contacts. Accounts. Wishes. Memories. Letters. One clear place to start.
The Clear After Box - a care package for what comes next.
Founder Edition: $219 for the first 300 boxes.
Want a simple checklist you can work through at your own pace?
Download the free guide and work through it at your own pace.
Stephanie Worrell
Founder, The Clear After Box
A care package for what comes next.
Frequently asked questions
At a minimum, your family should know where to find your current estate-planning documents, healthcare directives, insurance information, financial account records, property and asset records, identification and vital records, medical information, digital-access plan, and final-arrangement wishes. They should also know where you keep personal legacy items such as letters, photographs and family stories.
Avoid putting all of your passwords on an unsecured checklist or in an easily accessible document. Instead, use a secure method, such as a reputable password manager or another protected system, and make sure the appropriate trusted person knows how to access it when legally and practically appropriate.
A will is an important estate-planning document, but it does not necessarily tell your family where all of your accounts, insurance policies, important contacts, digital information or practical household information can be found. It also may not capture the personal wishes, memories and messages you want your family to have.
Start with one category rather than trying to organize everything at once. Confirm what documents or information you already have, decide where they will be securely kept, and make sure the appropriate person knows where to find them.
No. This guide is an organizational and educational resource. It does not replace a will, trust, advance directive, power of attorney or advice from qualified legal, financial, tax or medical professionals.