Here’s a question most people can’t answer: If something happened to you tonight — a car accident, a sudden illness, a stroke — could your family find everything they’d need? Your insurance policies? Your bank accounts? Your will? Your medical wishes? Your passwords?
If the answer is “probably not,” you’re in the majority. And this worksheet is designed to fix that in about 30 minutes.
Below is a complete, section-by-section walkthrough of everything an “If Something Happens to Me” worksheet should include. We’ll walk through each section, explain why it matters, and tell you exactly what to fill in. At the end, you’ll have a comprehensive reference document your family can use in the worst-case scenario.
“I found out my dad had three life insurance policies after he died. Three. We only knew about one. It took us eight months to find the others. A simple list would have changed everything.”
— Reddit, r/personalfinance
Why You Need This Worksheet
This isn’t about being morbid or pessimistic. It’s about being the kind of person who doesn’t leave their family scrambling during the hardest week of their lives.
Emergencies Don’t Wait
Your family may need to access accounts, contact people, and make medical decisions within hours — not weeks. Having everything written down saves critical time.
Memory Isn’t Reliable
“I’ll just tell my spouse where everything is” sounds fine until grief, stress, and sleep deprivation wipe out those conversations. Paper doesn’t forget.
It’s Not Just About Death
This worksheet is equally important if you’re hospitalized, incapacitated, or even just traveling. Anyone who might need to handle your affairs needs this information.
Peace of Mind
Once it’s done, it’s done. You can update it once a year and know that no matter what happens, your family won’t be left guessing.
Section 1: Emergency Contacts
The first thing anyone will need in a crisis is people to call. List everyone who should be notified and anyone who has legal authority to act on your behalf.
Spouse / Partner
Full name, cell phone, work phone, email address.
Children (with contact info for adults)
Names, phone numbers, addresses. For minor children: school name, pediatrician, emergency pickup contacts.
Parents / Siblings
Names and best contact numbers for immediate family who should be notified.
Power of Attorney (Financial)
Full name, phone, email, and where the POA document is located.
Healthcare Proxy / Medical POA
Full name, phone, email. This person makes medical decisions if you can’t.
Estate Attorney
Name, firm, phone, email. They have (or should have) copies of your legal documents.
Financial Advisor / Accountant
Name, firm, phone, email. They understand your financial picture.
Employer / HR Contact
Company name, HR phone number, your employee ID. They’ll need to be notified for life insurance, retirement benefits, and final paycheck.
Section 2: Financial Accounts
List every financial account you have — even ones you rarely use. For each account, include the institution name, account type, approximate balance, and how to access it.
Checking & Savings Accounts
Bank name, account numbers, whether it’s joint or individual, online login info or “see password manager.”
Credit Cards
Issuer, last 4 digits, whether autopay is set up, and what bills are charged to each card.
Investment / Brokerage Accounts
Firm name, account type (taxable, Roth IRA, 401k, etc.), beneficiary designations, advisor contact.
Retirement Accounts
Employer 401k/403b, IRA accounts, pension plans. Note beneficiary designations — these override your will.
Loans & Debts
Mortgage, car loans, student loans, personal loans. Lender name, account number, monthly payment amount, autopay status.
Digital Payment Accounts
PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, Zelle. Balances and linked bank accounts.
Don’t forget: Beneficiary designations on retirement accounts, life insurance, and bank accounts supersede your will. Make sure they’re current and match your actual wishes. This is one of the most common (and costly) estate planning mistakes.
Section 3: Insurance Policies
Insurance money may be the first thing your family needs to cover immediate expenses. But they can’t file a claim if they don’t know the policy exists.
Life Insurance
Company, policy number, death benefit amount, beneficiaries, agent/contact info. Note if it’s through your employer — those often end when employment ends.
Health Insurance
Provider, policy/group number, member ID, what it covers. Your family may need to continue coverage under COBRA or switch plans.
Homeowner’s / Renter’s Insurance
Company, policy number, coverage amount, agent contact.
Auto Insurance
Company, policy number, vehicles covered, agent contact.
Long-Term Care Insurance
If you have it, include company, policy number, what triggers benefits, and daily/monthly benefit amount.
Disability Insurance
Short-term and long-term. Company, policy details, whether it’s through your employer or private.
Section 4: Legal Documents
Your family needs to know what legal documents exist AND where they’re stored. A will that nobody can find is the same as no will at all.
Last Will & Testament
Location of the original (attorney’s office, safe, safe deposit box). Name of executor. Date last updated.
Trust Documents
If you have a living trust or any other trust, note the trustee, successor trustee, and where documents are stored.
Power of Attorney (Financial)
Who holds it, when it takes effect (immediately or upon incapacity), where the document is located.
Advance Directive / Living Will
Your wishes regarding life support, resuscitation, pain management. Who your healthcare proxy is. Where the document is filed.
Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate, Social Security Card
Location of originals. These will be needed for death certificates, insurance claims, and legal proceedings.
Passport, Military Records, Citizenship Documents
Location of originals. Military records may entitle your family to VA benefits.
Section 5: Medical Information
If you’re hospitalized or incapacitated, your family and medical team need this information fast.
Primary Care Doctor
Name, practice, phone number, patient portal login.
Specialists
Cardiologist, oncologist, therapist, dentist — anyone you see regularly.
Current Medications
Name, dosage, frequency, prescribing doctor, pharmacy where you fill them.
Allergies
Drug allergies, food allergies, latex allergy — anything medical professionals should know.
Medical Conditions
Chronic conditions, past surgeries, family history of major diseases. This helps doctors make better decisions.
Medical Wishes
DNR status, organ donation wishes, preferred hospital, religious considerations for medical care.
Section 6: Digital Life
Your online life is just as important as your physical one. This section covers the digital accounts and access your family would need.
Email Accounts
Provider, email address, password or “see password manager.” Email is the master key to everything else.
Password Manager
Which one (1Password, LastPass, Bitwarden, etc.), master password, where recovery codes are stored.
Phone & Computer
Device passcodes, fingerprint/face ID setup, encryption passwords. Physical device access is the first barrier.
Social Media Accounts
Which platforms, your wishes (memorialize, delete, or leave as-is), legacy contacts if set up.
Cloud Storage
Google Drive, iCloud, Dropbox — what’s stored there and how to access it.
Subscriptions to Cancel
Netflix, Spotify, gym, meal kits, software, news sites. List recurring charges and which card they’re billed to.
Section 7: Property & Assets
Real Estate
Property addresses, deed location, mortgage company, property tax account number, HOA contact if applicable.
Vehicles
Make, model, year, VIN, title location, loan company if financed.
Safe Deposit Box
Bank name, box number, where the key is, who else is authorized to access it.
Valuables & Sentimental Items
Jewelry, art, collections, family heirlooms. Note specific wishes for who should receive what, especially items with emotional significance.
Storage Units
Facility name, unit number, access code, what’s stored there, autopay details.
Section 8: Final Wishes
This is the section nobody wants to fill out — but it’s the one that brings the most relief to your family. They won’t have to guess. They’ll know.
Burial or Cremation
Your preference. If you’ve pre-purchased a plot or plan, include the cemetery name and contract number.
Funeral Preferences
Religious service, celebration of life, private vs. public, specific readings, music, or speakers you’d want.
Organ Donation
Your wishes. Whether you’re registered as a donor. Any specific instructions.
Pre-Paid Funeral Plans
Funeral home name, contract number, what’s covered, what’s still needed.
Obituary Notes
Key details you’d want included: organizations, achievements, family members to mention. This helps whoever writes it.
Personal Messages
Letters to family, final thoughts, anything you’d want your loved ones to read. This is optional — but many people find it meaningful.
How to Use This Worksheet
You don’t need to fill it all out in one sitting. Here’s the approach that works best:
1. Start with what you know off the top of your head
Emergency contacts, insurance companies, bank names. Get the easy stuff down first — it builds momentum.
2. Gather documents over the next week
Pull out insurance cards, dig up account numbers, check your password manager. Fill in the details as you find them.
3. Store it securely
Fireproof safe, with your attorney, or in a secure digital vault. Don’t just leave it in a desk drawer.
4. Tell at least two people where to find it
Your spouse, your adult child, your executor, your sibling. The worksheet is useless if nobody knows it exists.
5. Update it once a year
Set a calendar reminder — your birthday, New Year’s, tax season. Review and update whenever something major changes.
“I filled this out on a Sunday afternoon while watching football. Took about 45 minutes. My wife said it was the most useful thing I’d done in years.”
— Reddit, r/daddit
Go Digital — Keep Everything in One Secure Place
A printed worksheet is a great start. But paper gets lost, damaged, and outdated. The modern version of this worksheet is a secure digital vault — a place where you store all of this information (plus the actual documents themselves) and give the right family members access.
No digging through filing cabinets. No guessing at passwords. No “I think Dad kept it in the desk drawer.” Just everything, organized and accessible, when your family needs it most.
CareTabs — Your Family’s Secure Document Vault
Turn this worksheet into a living system. Store your documents, account details, medical wishes, and emergency contacts in one encrypted place — and share access with the people who matter. Free to start.
Get Started Free →
Sources & Further Reading
- FTC — Financial Documents You’ll Need When Someone Dies
- AARP — Caregiving Financial & Legal Resources
- National Institute on Aging — Getting Your Affairs in Order
- Nolo — Estate Planning Legal Resources
- CareTabs — Secure family document vault
