Organize the essentials
List key contacts, identification, insurance, accounts, property, recurring obligations, important documents, care preferences, and the location of originals. Avoid storing passwords directly in a general planning record.
A calm place to begin
Turn difficult planning into clear, manageable steps.
End-of-life planning can reduce uncertainty for the people you trust. Start with an inventory, record preferences in plain language, and use qualified professionals for medical, legal, financial, and funeral decisions.
What to know
Discuss care and decision-making
Talk with trusted people about values, comfort, spiritual or cultural practices, visitors, information sharing, and who should speak when you cannot. Formal directives and decision-maker authority depend on local law.
Record funeral and memorial ideas
Note burial, cremation, donation, service, music, readings, obituary, gathering, budget, and family-tradition preferences. Confirm current provider terms and costs rather than treating an old estimate as final.
Review the plan
Revisit the material after a move, diagnosis, marriage, separation, death, birth, major purchase, or change in trusted contacts. Tell the appropriate people where the plan and legally executed documents are kept.