Forty-four steps across five phases. Work at your own pace; everything saves automatically on this device. Each step notes why it matters. Done is a gift to your family. This is an organizer, not legal advice.
Some steps point to documents an attorney should prepare or review. Where that is the case, the step says so. This organizer helps you get ready; it does not give legal, tax, or financial advice, and it makes no claims specific to any state.
Everything you own that your family would need to find: accounts, property, vehicles, valuables. Estimated values are fine; the register keeps a running total. Record where things are, never passwords.
| Item | Type | Institution / Location | Account / ID | Est. value ($) | Notes |
|---|
What you owe: mortgages, loans, cards, and recurring obligations. A clear picture helps whoever settles things later.
| Creditor | Type | Balance ($) | Notes |
|---|
Everyone your family would need to reach: executor, the agents under your powers of attorney, guardians, beneficiaries, and professionals. Use the Role field or pick from the list.
| Name | Role | Phone | Notes |
|---|
Some accounts carry their own beneficiary form, filed with the company that holds the account: retirement accounts, life insurance, annuities, and payable-on-death or transfer-on-death registrations. Record what each form says now and the date you last confirmed it, so you can see at a glance which ones you have checked and which you have not. Ask your attorney how these fit with the rest of your plan.
| Account (nickname or last 4) | Company that holds it | Kind | Named on the form | Backup named? | Last confirmed | Status | Notes |
|---|
Record what the form actually says today, not what you intend it to say. Whether a designation is right for your situation, and how it works alongside your other documents, is a question for a licensed attorney. Never record account numbers in full, and never record passwords or PINs.
The documents most families need to find. Mark what you have and note where each one lives. A signed document no one can locate helps no one.
| Document | Status | Location / Notes |
|---|
In your own words. These sections carry the things a form cannot: your preferences, your messages, and the small details that spare your family a hard guess. Everything here prints into your Letter of Instruction.
Your healthcare wishes summary sits alongside a formal advance directive; it does not replace one. Your heirloom list is a helpful guide, not a substitute for your will.
This compiles your inventory highlights, where your documents live, your key people, and your wishes into one printable packet: "What My Family Needs to Know." Print it, store it with your documents, and give a copy to the people who need it.
The Letter of Instruction is a personal guide for your family, not a legal document. It does not replace your will, your powers of attorney, or your beneficiary designations. For legal questions, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
See where you stand, keep your plan current, and back up your work to a file you control.
Estate plans go stale quietly. Mark today as reviewed after any pass, and again after any major life event: marriage, divorce, a birth, a move, a large purchase.
The Estate Planning Organizer is an organizer. It is not legal, tax, or financial advice, and it makes no claims specific to any state. For decisions about a will, trust, power of attorney, or beneficiary designation, consult a licensed attorney. Never store passwords or PINs here; record where written instructions live, not the credentials themselves. All information you enter stays in this file's storage on your device and is never transmitted anywhere.