Resources / Your own affairs
What your family needs to find if something happens to you
If something happened to you tomorrow, this is what your family would need to find, and where. Fill it in once, then tell one person it exists.
Identity and legal
- Will and power of attorney
- Birth certificate, passport, Social Security card
- Marriage or divorce records
- Advance directive / healthcare wishes
Money
- Bank and investment accounts
- Retirement accounts and pensions
- Life insurance policies
- Outstanding debts and loans
- Income sources (Social Security, pension)
Home and daily life
- Property deed or lease
- Mortgage and loan details
- Utilities and recurring bills
- Vehicle titles and registration
- Subscriptions to cancel
Access
- Email logins and phone passcode
- Passwords, or a password manager
- Safe or safe-deposit box location and key
- Key contacts (advisor, attorney, agent)
- Pet care instructions
The location matters more than the document. For each item, the useful thing to record is where it lives and how to reach it, not just that it exists. A policy nobody can find helps no one.
Printed and kept where you will see it, this does its job. If you would rather it live somewhere your whole family can reach, that is what MyLifePapers is for.
Common questions
Is it safe to write all of this down in one place?
It depends where. A paper list or a plain spreadsheet is easy to find, which is exactly why it is risky: anyone who opens it can read your account numbers and passwords. What you want is one place that is encrypted and still reachable by the people you choose, so it is safe and findable at the same time.