End of life planning is paperwork organization, and it works better done calmly at a kitchen table than in a hurry. This page is the checklist families ask for most: a locator for the important documents, five first steps that need no lawyer, prompts for a legacy letter, and a short worksheet for memorial wishes. Everything is printable and write-in.
How to use this page: print it, sit down with whoever holds the paperwork, and fill in what you know. Blank rows are normal. Most families start with three or four boxes ticked, and nothing here needs to be finished in one sitting.
A locator is not the paperwork itself. For each item, check the box when you have found it and write where it lives: a filing cabinet, a fireproof box, an attorney's office, a bank vault. Two rules from the printable binder this page comes from: write only the last four digits of any account number, and record where the password note is rather than the passwords themselves. A sheet that travels between houses should not carry keys, only directions to them. The same locate-and-date method shows up in other transitions: the moving abroad checklist tracks which documents a relocation needs, with expiration dates and renewal columns.
| Found | Document | Stored at |
|---|---|---|
| Last will and testament | ||
| Power of attorney (property / finances) | ||
| Health care directive or proxy | ||
| Birth certificate (original) | ||
| Marriage or divorce papers | ||
| Deed or lease | ||
| Vehicle titles | ||
| Insurance policies (life, health, home, auto) | ||
| Pension / retirement letters | ||
| Bank account list (last four digits only) | ||
| Recent tax returns | ||
| Funeral or memorial wishes | ||
| Password note (where it is kept, not the passwords) | ||
| Safe deposit box key and location | ||
| Contact list: doctor, lawyer, accountant, advisor |
Originals usually stay with the family member who made them or with the professional who drafted them. The locator's job is to end the search, not to collect the originals in one place.
No step here needs a professional or a formal meeting. The order matters more than the speed: talk first, gather second, decide third.
A legacy letter is a letter, not a legal document. It carries the things a will cannot: a story, a hope, a recipe, the name of the neighbor with the spare key. Blank pages stall most people, so these five prompts cover what most letters end up saying:
Memorial preferences change, and they belong to the person writing them. Treat this worksheet as a first draft a family can talk through together, not a set of instructions.
| Preference | Your notes |
|---|---|
| Gathering style (formal service, open house, graveside, nothing formal) | |
| Place, if you have one in mind | |
| Music or readings, and who should lead them | |
| People to involve (speakers, cooks, drivers) | |
| Donations in lieu of flowers (organization name) | |
| Burial, cremation, or still deciding | |
| Who has the final say on the details |
Every row is optional. "Still deciding" is a valid answer, and the worksheet keeps working while it stays that way.
The free page above covers the locator and the first steps. The full binder adds the pages families keep coming back to after the paperwork is sorted: a medical hub with providers and insurance, a medication log, a financial accounts log with twelve write-in rows, a 25-point home safety checklist, a daily care schedule a substitute caregiver can follow on day one, and memory book pages alongside the legacy letter.
Full 28-page Senior Care & Legacy Binder, A4 + US Letter →one-time · instant download · print copies for your own household
This page is general information, not legal or medical advice. Rules for wills, powers of attorney, and health care directives differ by state and country. Consult an attorney for estate documents and a doctor or care team for medical decisions. Nothing here replaces either conversation.