What Documents Should I Organize Before I Die? A Practical Master List
The short answer: organize the documents that prove who you are, who may act for you, what you own and owe, what care you want, and where the next person can find the original or official copy. You do not need one giant folder of secrets. You need a clear map.
START WITH AUTHORITY
List the current location of your will, trust documents, powers of attorney, advance directive, and any state-specific medical orders. Record who holds each role and how to reach them. Copies can be useful, but note where the signed original lives and who prepared it.
IDENTITY AND FAMILY RECORDS
Make it easy to locate a birth certificate, marriage or divorce records, Social Security information, passport, military discharge papers, immigration or citizenship records, adoption records, and relevant court orders. Avoid putting full Social Security numbers in an everyday organizer. Record only what someone needs to find the secure source.
MONEY, ACCOUNTS, AND DEBTS
Create an inventory of banks, investment and retirement accounts, pensions, credit cards, loans, mortgages, recurring bills, tax records, and benefit programs. The institution name, account type, owner, beneficiary status, and last four digits are usually enough for the map. Include where statements and tax returns are kept.
INSURANCE, PROPERTY, AND BUSINESS
List life, health, home, auto, umbrella, disability, long-term-care, and business insurance. Add deeds, vehicle titles, leases, storage units, business agreements, intellectual property, safe-deposit information, and a home inventory. Record the policy or account location without turning the organizer into a cache of credentials.
HEALTHCARE AND END-OF-LIFE INFORMATION
Identify doctors, medications, allergies, diagnoses, preferred hospital, health insurance, advance-care documents, and the person authorized to speak when you cannot. Write down care values in plain language, but remember that an organizer does not replace legally valid medical forms.
DIGITAL LIFE
Inventory important email accounts, devices, password manager, cloud storage, social media, subscriptions, domains, photos, and digital assets. Do not write passwords, PINs, recovery codes, seed phrases, private keys, or device unlock codes in the binder. Record where secure access instructions are stored and who is authorized to use them.
FUNERAL, MEMORIAL, AND PERSONAL WISHES
Record preferences about body disposition, funeral or memorial, obituary details, people to notify, religious or cultural considerations, music or readings, donations, and the location of any prepaid arrangements. Separate personal wishes from documents that carry legal authority.
MAKE IT FINDABLE
Tell at least two trusted people where the organizer lives. Keep originals where they are protected from fire, water, theft, and accidental disposal. Review the map annually and after major changes.
IF YOU ONLY HAVE 30 MINUTES
Write down your primary decision-makers, the location of legal and medical documents, your main financial institutions, insurance contacts, password-manager location, and funeral preference. A usable 70% complete plan is better than a perfect one that never gets finished.
The Death Happens Guide explains the decisions in depth; the Workbook gives you structured space to record the full plan.
