

In order to pay your bills, copy photos you have on your computer or phone, and handle all of your other affairs, someone will need access to the log-in information for a variety of accounts.
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Be sure to update the document any time the information changes (like, say, when you switch insurance providers). This cheatsheet can also be critically important for your own use, if, for example, you have to evacuate your home due to a natural disaster. Also note all of your regularly recurring bills, when they are due, and how you typically pay them (e.g., automatically from your checking account or by check). If you have a safe deposit box, jot down where it is and where you keep the key.įinancial information: List your bank accounts and their account numbers, investments you own, and credit card and other debt obligations. A fireproof and theft-proof safe is ideal for these documents.

These should include advance care directives, such as a living will, durable power of attorney for financial decisions, and healthcare proxy for health decisions. Location of documents: Indicate where you keep your hard-to-replace documents, such as your birth certificate, passport, Social Security card, will, and other legal documents. It’s a weekend project your family members will be thankful for when you’re no longer able to take care of things yourself. How will your loved ones access your online accounts to pay the bills? What should they do with the records, memories, and other assets that reside on your electronic devices or in cloud storage? While many people are familiar with traditional estate planning-creating a will and setting up a durable power of attorney-it’s important to think about digital estate planning, too. Tackling this project can also bring you peace of mind, she adds. “Those who neglect to look at this and get it done may be leaving a mess and a lot of trauma behind.” “It’s an absolute necessity,” says Jill Johnson-Young, a grief therapist and a double widow, who is now caring for a mother with advancing Alzheimer’s disease. It’s not pleasant to think about death or a medical emergency that could put you out of commission, even temporarily, but one of the greatest gifts you can give to a loved one is preparing for those scenarios. “But when you’re in your early 30s, you aren’t thinking you will need to know or use any of the info for a long time.” “My father frequently reminded me of where the key to the safe was,” McKinnon says. He had added her to his financial accounts, kept a notebook with all his log-in info, and stored important papers in a safe. The months after his death were “all a blur,” says his daughter Erin McKinnon, a marketer in Florida, “but luckily my dad made it easier for me. On March 14, 2018, Steve McKinnon, a former Vietnam veteran and a paramedic, passed away suddenly at the age of 67.
