Printable Forms to Fill Out And Keep In A Safe Place For Family Members
Everything from blood type and people to notify, to where to find the important papers such as Living Will, Will and certificates, and also pages for things like subscriptions to cancel, financial information, and more.
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This is yet another work in progress - part of my goal for 2024. My goal is actually, specifically, to organize our digital clutter.. but in doing so, I realized that even once it is cleaned up, my children may need to know where to find everything, and how to access it all. Ironically, one of the many files I am cleaning out of our old google drive is a document titled "things my family needs to know.". It's a good concept - but the particular document I have does not work well for me. I think it is aimed specifically at someone with a LOT more financials than we personally have. :-) After browsing through a variety of similar forms, including one titled "I'm Dead, Now What?" (my children would probably appreciate that title... but I kept it glaringly simple and obvious, so there's no guessing about what this is... and that it is more than our funeral plans) I decided I needed to make my own form.
This is what I have so far. When it is complete, I'll upload it as one PDF you can print and use yourself.
- Cover Page
- Personal Overview - all of our important pertinent information at a glance. One page for me, one for my husband.
- Where To Find The Documents. A list of our important documents, and where they are stored, who has copies. [Including things like wills, living wills, birth certificates, vehicle registrations, deed to the farm... and where any important keys are located.]
- Financials - Bank accounts, credit cards, online banking accounts such as venmo & paypal... lists of financial things our children will need to find and deal with if anything happens to us. Don't forget - where to find the past tax returns.
- Insurance Policies - Health, Auto, Home, Life.. all of the policies.
- Medical Information - Prescriptions, doctors, past surgeries, allergies, health insurance.. all the things nurses ask when you are admitted to the hospital
- People to Notify - A list of contacts that should be notified if I am incapacitated, or deceased. This may seem obvious, but having been in this situation myself, I've found that when you are surprised by grief, the obvious is not so obvious, and a check list is helpful.
- Obituary Notes - A list of things to include, or to not include, in my obituary. Things like where I went to school, degrees earned , awards, clubs I was a member of... and notations on whether or not I want those things included.
- Accounts & Subscriptions - Things that should be cancelled. All those things like ancestry.com, Microsoft office, the tv channels we pay to stream, HP Instant Ink... It's another one of those things that doesn't seem like much, but when you start to make a list, well, I was surprised at how many things we actually subscribe to!
- Family Heirlooms - a list of what, and why, things mattered to me - with suggestions for who to contact if they don't want them. Some of our heirlooms are in the will, but most are little things like the old yoke from here on the farm, or the tree full of fishing ornaments from my grandfather (the hand made ones were made by him). Because the items came from a lot of ancestors, a quick recommendation for who from that line of the family may be interested will help my children clear things out before they auction off whatever is left. :-)
- Family Tree - Not an in-depth genealogy - just a quick list of grandparents, great grandparents, parents, siblings, children, grandchildren... And a note on where to find the rest of the genealogy, for those of us who have that.
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Additional ICE Suggestions:
Add an Alternate Phone Number to your phones homescreen - so there is a number to call without needing to unlock your phone. [How to do this varies by phone. Google your options]
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