What to put in a family emergency file

Start with the ten things people need first

If you only have one sitting, cover these. They're what a spouse, grown child or close friend tends to need in the first few days.

1. Who to call first
2. Where your will, trust or power of attorney is kept, if you have them
3. Your main bank
4. Your life insurance: the carrier and where the policy is
5. How to get into your phone
6. Whether your password manager's emergency access is set up
7. The bills on autopay that need to keep getting paid
8. Who looks after the kids, the pets, or anyone who depends on you
9. Your final wishes, in one line
10. Where this file is kept

People to call

List who should be called first, in order, with phone numbers. Then add the people your family might not know about: your attorney, your accountant or tax preparer, a financial advisor, your insurance agent, your doctors, clergy, your employer's HR or benefits office, and the neighbor with a spare key.

Note what each person knows or holds. "Has a copy of the will" or "has the spare key" saves a lot of phone calls.

Where the important documents are

For each of these, record whether it exists, when it was signed and where the original is kept:

• A will, and any trust
• A financial power of attorney
• A health-care power of attorney or advance directive, and a HIPAA authorization
• Guardianship nominations for minor children
• Deeds, including any transfer-on-death deed
• A prenuptial agreement, if there is one

Add the identity papers people end up hunting for: birth certificates, passports, Social Security cards, marriage and divorce papers, and military discharge papers (the DD-214).

You're writing down locations, not drafting anything. If you're not sure whether you have one of these documents, or whether it's still current, that's a good question for an attorney in your state.

Money, without the account numbers

For each bank, credit union, retirement, brokerage and health savings account, write down the institution, the type of account, the last four digits, and where the statements are kept, whether that's a drawer or a particular email inbox. Add credit cards, loans, money people owe you, and any safe-deposit box, with where it is and where the key is.

Many retirement accounts and life insurance policies go to the beneficiary named on the account rather than passing through a will. Note whether a beneficiary designation is on file and where the confirmation is kept. If you're not sure who is named, the account provider or your financial professional can tell you.

Don't forget the old ones. The 401(k) from a job you left years ago is one of the easiest things for a family to miss.

Insurance

List life insurance (both individual policies and any group coverage through work), health insurance or Medicare, long-term care, disability, home or renters, auto, umbrella and pet insurance. For each one: the company, the type, the last four digits of the policy number, the agent or contact, whether beneficiaries are recorded, and where the policy document is kept.

Group life insurance through an employer is easy to overlook, because there's often no policy document in the house.

Home, property and vehicles

Write down where the deed and vehicle titles are, who services the mortgage, property tax and HOA details, any storage units, and where spare keys are kept and alarm codes are stored. Then add the basics a stranger would need in your house: the water shutoff, the breaker panel, the gas shutoff, and the alarm company's phone number.

Bills and subscriptions

List what's on autopay, which account pays it, and whether it should keep going or be canceled. A useful way to think about it: if you were in the hospital for a month, which payments would need to keep happening? Include memberships, subscriptions, and loyalty points or miles.

Digital life

Record how someone could get into your phone and computer (where the access information is kept, not the passcode itself), whether your password manager's emergency access is set up and who your emergency contact is, your email accounts, what you'd like done with social media accounts, and where your photos are stored.

Several big platforms let you name someone ahead of time, including Apple's Legacy Contact, Google's Inactive Account Manager and Facebook's legacy contact. Note which ones you've set up.

Health, dependents and pets

Your doctors and pharmacy, where your medication list and advance directive are kept, and whether you're registered as an organ donor. For children: daily routines, school, doctors, and where your guardianship wishes are recorded. For anyone else who relies on you: what they need and who should check on them. For pets: the vet, food, medications and who should take them.

Final wishes and letters

Service preferences, burial or cremation, any prepaid plans and where those documents are, facts you'd like in an obituary, and people to notify. A will controls what happens to your property, so treat notes about personal items as wishes. Then, if you like, write letters to the people you love.

What never to write down

Where to keep it, and who to tell

Keep your file where your people can reach it without you: a labeled box in a closet, a desk drawer, or a fire-resistant box at home whose key they can find. A safe-deposit box is a fine place for original documents, but it can be slow for family to open, depending on the bank and your state, so don't make it the only copy of the map.

Then tell two people where the file is, and write down that you did. Look at it once a year, and sooner after a move, a new job, a new account, a marriage, a divorce or a new grandchild.

This guide is general information, not legal, tax, investment or insurance advice. Laws differ by state. For decisions about your estate, talk with a licensed professional in your state.