Don't Overthink It — Just Start

You don't need to do everything on this list at once. Print it out, work through it over a few weekends, and store each item in your Lazarus Vault as you go. Even completing five items puts you ahead of most people.

Financial Accounts

  • Bank and credit union accounts — institution names, account numbers, and how to log in (or where your password manager is)
  • Credit cards — card numbers, customer service phone numbers, and how to close or manage them
  • Investment and retirement accounts — brokerage names, account numbers, and beneficiary information
  • Insurance policies — life insurance, health insurance, disability, auto, and home. Include policy numbers and agent contact information
  • Mortgage and loans — lender names, account numbers, payment due dates, and whether autopay is set up

Digital Accounts

  • Email accounts — passwords or password manager access. This is the master key to resetting every other account
  • Password manager — if you use one (and you should), where is it and how do you access it
  • Social media accounts — your preferences for memorialization or deletion, plus login information
  • Cloud storage — iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox, or wherever your photos and documents live
  • Phone and computer — passcodes, recovery keys, and where backup drives are located

Legal and Vital Documents

  • Will or trust — where the original is stored and who your attorney is
  • Power of attorney — who has it and where it is
  • Birth certificate, marriage license, passport — where originals are kept
  • Property deeds and vehicle titles — physical location and any digital copies

Personal and Practical

  • Emergency contacts — a list of people who should be notified, with phone numbers and relationships
  • Funeral or memorial wishes — what you want, even if it's just "I trust my family to decide"
  • Final messages — letters to the people you love. This is the part that matters most and is the hardest to do. But it's also the part your family will treasure forever
  • Subscriptions and recurring payments — streaming services, gym memberships, software licenses, anything that auto-charges your card monthly
  • Business information — if you own a business, someone needs to know how to access bank accounts, pay employees, and contact clients

How to Use This List

Don't try to gather everything into one document. Instead:

1. Upload documents to your vault

Scan or photograph physical documents and upload the files. Label them clearly.

2. Write a message with account information

Create a message in your vault titled "Account Access" and list your logins and passwords there. The message is encrypted — no one can read it until your trigger fires.

3. Write personal messages

Create separate messages for each person who matters to you. These don't have to be long. A few paragraphs from you, delivered at the right moment, will mean more than you can imagine.

4. Set your check-in schedule

Choose daily or weekly, set your threshold, and you're done. Your vault is ready.

You Don't Have to Be Perfect

This checklist has 20 items. If you only get through 10, that's 10 things your family won't have to figure out on their own. If you only get through 5, that's still 5 more than most people have.

The goal isn't perfection. The goal is to start.