Most families have one person who knows where everything is.
In my family, I handle many of the financial details. I manage our investments, I have pension information, and like most families, we have important documents and information that have accumulated over the years.
The information exists. The problem is that I know where much of it is—and my family might not.
That led me to a simple but important question:
If I were suddenly unable to handle these things myself, would my wife or children know where to start?
They shouldn't have to search through filing cabinets, paperwork, email accounts and online records trying to determine what exists, where it's located, or who they need to contact.
They should have a roadmap.
Start With the Information Only You May Know
Think about everything you routinely handle for your household.
You may know which financial institutions you use, where insurance information is kept, who your important contacts are, where estate documents are located, which bills are recurring, and where important property records can be found.
Your spouse or children may know some of this—but would they know all of it?
The goal isn't simply to make a list. It's to organize enough information that someone you trust can understand what exists, where to find it, and what may need their attention.
Organize Your Financial Information
You don't necessarily need to record sensitive account credentials in your family organizer.
Instead, create a clear inventory of the financial information your family should know exists. That might include:
- Bank and financial accounts
- Investments
- Retirement and pension information
- Sources of income and benefits
- Credit cards
- Recurring bills and expenses
- Insurance information
The objective is to give your family a starting point rather than leaving them to discover everything themselves.
Identify Your Important Documents
Important documents are often scattered among filing cabinets, safes, safe-deposit boxes, attorneys, online storage and other locations.
Create a record of important documents and where they can be found.
That might include wills and trusts, insurance policies, property documents, vehicle records, tax information, birth and marriage certificates, and other important legal or personal records.
The organizer doesn't have to contain the documents themselves.
It needs to tell your family where to find them.
Include the People They May Need to Contact
Information alone isn't always enough.
Your family may also need to know who to call.
Consider identifying important contacts such as your attorney, financial professional, insurance agent, accountant, doctors or other professionals your family may need to reach.
Include enough information that someone isn't left searching for names and phone numbers during an already difficult situation.
Don't Forget Your Digital Life
More and more household information exists online.
Email accounts, subscriptions, online financial services, cloud storage and other digital services can all become important.
Think about which digital accounts your family should know exist and how you've arranged for appropriate access to that information.
For security, avoid putting sensitive passwords directly into a document that isn't designed to securely store them. Instead, your family roadmap can identify where your secure access information is maintained.
Tell Someone the Organizer Exists
This may be the easiest step to overlook.
You can create the most organized family information system imaginable, but it won't help much if nobody knows it exists.
Make sure your spouse, adult child, executor or another trusted person knows that you've created it and knows where it can be found.
You don't necessarily need everyone to have access to everything today.
They simply need to know where to start if the day comes when they need it.
Keep It Current
Creating your family information roadmap isn't a one-time project.
Accounts change. Insurance policies change. Contacts change. Documents get updated. New property is purchased and old property is sold.
Set aside time periodically to review your information and make sure it still reflects your current situation.
A simple annual review can prevent an organized system from gradually becoming outdated.
Why I Created Life Organizer Pro
This is exactly the problem that led me to create Life Organizer Pro.
I wanted one organized place where I could identify our important financial and family information, record where important documents are located, keep track of important contacts, and provide my family with a clear starting point if I couldn't guide them myself.
I didn't want to create a repository containing every sensitive document or password.
I wanted something different:
A roadmap to everything.
Life Organizer Pro was designed to help organize important household and family information so the people you trust aren't left trying to piece everything together on their own.
You Don't Have to Organize Everything Today
If you've never organized this information before, don't let the size of the project stop you from starting.
Begin with the basics.
Identify your important accounts. Write down where your documents are stored. List the people your family might need to contact. Then continue building from there.
Even an incomplete roadmap is better than leaving the people you care about with no roadmap at all.
Want a simple place to start?
Use our Free Family Information Checklist to identify the important information your family may need to know.
Download the Free Family Information Checklist →
And when you're ready for a more complete organizational system: