8.5 × 11 inches, coil-bound. 56 pages.
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The Next Steps File
For the weeks after a loss. Checklists and trackers for whoever is handling things, so the to-do list lives on paper instead of in your head.
- Plain checklists, in the order things usually come up.
- General information only, with prompts to ask the estate's attorney where it matters.
- Printed books ship to US addresses. Printed in 3–5 business days; tracked delivery usually within 2 weeks.
You don't have to do all of this today
When someone dies, the paperwork arrives all at once and nobody hands you a list. The Next Steps File is that list, made for how heavy those weeks feel.
It opens by sorting what can't wait from what can. Then it gives you a place to track the calls, the certified copies, the accounts and the thank-you notes, so you're not keeping it all in your head or on the backs of envelopes.
It works on its own, and it works best next to a Family File, which tells you where everything is. One is the map. The other is the checklist for the trip.
What's inside
56 pages. Every checklist has a column for the date it was done and room for notes.
You don't have to do all of this today
A gentle opening, and what can wait.
Checklists by time period
The first 48 hours, the first two weeks, the first three months and the first year, each with a date-done column.
Helpers and contacts
The funeral home, the estate's attorney, the CPA, the advisor, and the friends who offered to help.
Death certificate tracker
Who needs a certified copy, when you requested it, and when you sent it.
Notifications log
Social Security, the employer, banks, insurers, credit bureaus, the DMV, the post office, utilities, subscriptions and social media.
Accounts to close or transfer
One line per account, with what was done and when.
Insurance and benefits claims
Life insurance, employer benefits, pensions, VA and Social Security survivor benefits. General information only.
Bills and estate expenses
What was paid, from where, and the receipt location.
Mail, property and digital accounts
Forwarding the mail, the house and car, and the online accounts to close or memorialize.
Thank-you tracker
Cards, flowers and meals, so nobody gets missed.
Lost-asset search
Where to look for life insurance policies and unclaimed property.
Taking care of you
Rest, food and people. If you are in crisis, call or text 988, the US Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Who it's for
The spouse, the adult child, the sibling, or the friend who said "tell me what to do." Anyone named as executor, and anyone who simply ended up holding the folder.
It's also a thoughtful thing to send someone who has just lost a parent or partner. Choose the printed book, tick "Send it as a gift," and add a short note.
If you are in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the US Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, any time.
General information, not advice
The Next Steps File lists the kinds of tasks families commonly handle after a death and gives you somewhere to track them. Rules for estates, benefits and taxes differ by state and situation, so it prompts you to ask the estate's attorney or tax professional where it matters.
Kin & Keep organizers are for recording information. They are not legal documents and do not replace a will, trust or power of attorney, or advice from an attorney, tax professional, financial professional or insurance professional.
Get both books in the Complete Set
The personalized Family File book and the Next Steps File book, plus both fillable PDFs, for $85. That's $13 less than buying them separately, with free US shipping.
See the Complete Set