Guide

What Documents Should Your Family Be Able to Find?

When someone is sick, injured or gone, the hardest part is often not the paperwork itself but not knowing where it is. Your family does not need a copy of everything in their pocket. They need to know what exists and where to look. This guide covers the documents worth locating, in plain English.

Two things to track: the document and where it is

For each item below, aim to write down two facts: where the original is kept, and who has a copy. That small note is what turns a pile of paper into something your family can use. It also means you can keep passwords and account numbers out of the binder entirely. Writing "Will: original at my attorney's office, copy in the blue folder in the file cabinet" is safe and useful.

The core legal papers

• Will. Says who receives your property and who you want to handle your estate (the executor, sometimes called a personal representative). Note where the signed original is. Courts generally want the signed original, so its location matters.
• Trust. If you have one, note who the trustee is, which attorney set it up and where the paperwork is. A trust may hold some of your property outside of the will.
• Financial power of attorney. Lets someone you choose handle money matters if you cannot. Note who it names and where the signed document is.
• Healthcare directive and healthcare agent. Often called a living will and a healthcare proxy. They record your medical wishes and who speaks for you if you cannot. Hospitals may ask for them quickly, so people close to you should know where they are.
• Medical orders and releases. If you have a do-not-resuscitate order or a POLST form, or a HIPAA authorization naming who may talk to your doctors, note where they are.

Identity and family records

Birth certificate, marriage certificate, divorce decree, passport, citizenship or naturalization papers and military discharge papers (DD-214). For your Social Security card, write only where it is kept, never the number. These records are often needed to prove who someone is or to claim benefits.

Insurance

List each policy: life, health, auto, home or renters, disability, long-term care and any others. For each, write the company, a phone number, the last four digits of the policy number, who the beneficiary is and where the paper policy is kept. Many families only discover a life insurance policy by accident, so this list can matter a great deal.

Bank, retirement and investment accounts

Write the institution, the type of account, the last four digits and who is named on it. For retirement accounts and life insurance, include the beneficiary. Beneficiary designations often take priority over what a will says, so check that they are current after any marriage, divorce or birth.

Property and debts

• Deeds, mortgage or lease, and the servicer or landlord
• Vehicle titles and where they are
• Safe deposit box: which bank, and where the key is. Ask the bank how others could get access.
• Storage units, second properties and valuables, and where they are
• Loans and credit cards, with approximate balances

Taxes

Note your accountant or tax preparer and where recent returns are kept. If an executor ever needs to file final returns, those two facts save a lot of searching.

Bills, autopay and subscriptions

A simple list of what gets paid, how much, which day and from which account keeps the lights on while everything else is sorted out. Add subscriptions that charge a card, so nothing keeps billing quietly for years.

Digital accounts

This is the category families struggle with most. You do not need to write your passwords. Instead note:

• Which password manager you use, and how a trusted person could get in (for example, where the emergency kit is kept)
• Where to find your phone passcode
• Your main email address and any recovery email
• Where photos and files are stored and backed up
• Any cryptocurrency or digital wallet, and where the keys are kept
• A website, domain or online business
• Your wishes for social media, and any legacy contact you have set up with Apple, Google or Facebook

Where the originals should live

Keep signed originals of legal papers somewhere safe and still reachable by the person who will need them. A fireproof box at home works for many people, and an attorney's office often holds the original will. A safe deposit box is secure, but it can be harder for family to open quickly, so ask your attorney and your bank how access would work. Whatever you choose, tell your executor where the originals are, and keep a copy of the table of locations in your binder.

Gaps families commonly run into

• A will or directive that was drafted but never signed, or signed years ago and never revisited
• Beneficiary forms that still name someone from an earlier chapter of life
• A healthcare directive that nobody except the person who wrote it knows how to find
• A password manager no one else can open
• Accounts that were never listed anywhere, such as an old 401(k) or a small savings account

None of these are hard to fix once you know about them. That is the quiet value of a list.

A simple way to record it

A four-column table does the job: document, where the original is, who has a copy, date last updated. Start with the first five rows and add more as you think of them. Then tell your executor, your healthcare agent and one other trusted person where the table lives. They do not each need every document, only to know where to look.

Keep it current

Check the list twice a year and after big changes. Out-of-date notes are better than none, but a date at the top tells everyone how much to trust them.

Frequently asked questions

Does my family need a copy of every document?

No. They mainly need to know what exists and where to find it. Share your list of locations with your executor, your healthcare agent and one other trusted person. Copies of papers that may be needed fast, such as a healthcare directive, are worth sharing.

Where should the original will be kept?

Somewhere safe that your executor can reach, such as an attorney's office or a fireproof box. Tell your executor where it is. Courts generally want the signed original, so keep track of it, and ask your attorney what works best in your state.

Should I list passwords for my digital accounts?

No. List the services you use and where to find access instead: your password manager, where its recovery kit is kept and where your phone passcode is written down.

Do beneficiary designations matter if I have a will?

Yes. Beneficiary designations on retirement accounts and life insurance often take priority over what a will says, so keep them up to date after any marriage, divorce or birth.

Do I need an attorney to make these documents?

Many people use an attorney for a will, trust or power of attorney because the rules differ by state. Many states also publish standard forms for healthcare directives. An attorney or your state's resources can tell you what applies to you.

AuraByRobbie sells The Paper Trail on Etsy. This guide is general information, not legal, tax, financial or medical advice.