The end of life checklist you'll actually finish

Most end of life planning advice gives you ten paragraphs on why you should plan and then a vague suggestion to "get your affairs in order." That is not helpful. What you need is a list you can sit down with on a Saturday morning, coffee in hand, and actually work through.

This is that list. An end of life checklist broken into clear categories, with brief context for each item so you know what it is, why it matters, and what "done" looks like. You do not need to finish it in one sitting. Print it out, bookmark it, come back to it. The point is to start.

Why a checklist works better than a plan

People get stuck on end of life planning because it feels enormous. Where do you even begin? A checklist fixes that. It breaks the enormous thing into small, concrete tasks. You check a box, you feel a little lighter, you move on to the next one.

The other thing a checklist does is make sure you do not miss anything. When my father-in-law passed, the family knew about the will. They did not know about a life insurance policy tucked inside a filing cabinet, or the auto-pay subscriptions that kept charging his card for months. An EOL planning checklist catches those gaps before someone else has to find them under stress.

If you want a deeper look at which documents matter most, start with our end-of-life planning 101 guide. But if you already know the basics and just want to get moving, keep going.

Legal documents

These are the documents that give your wishes legal weight. Without them, the state decides what happens to your money, your property, and your medical care.

Last will and testament. States how your assets get distributed and names a guardian for minor children. Without one, your state's intestacy laws decide, and they probably will not match what you want. You need a signed, witnessed copy. Talk to an estate attorney or use a reputable online service.
Revocable living trust (if applicable). Not everyone needs a trust, but if you own property in multiple states, want to avoid probate, or have a blended family, it is worth the conversation with an attorney.
Durable power of attorney (financial). Names someone you trust to handle your money, pay your bills, and manage your accounts if you cannot do it yourself. This kicks in if you become incapacitated. Pick someone who is good with details and who you trust with a checkbook.
Healthcare power of attorney / health care proxy. Names someone to make medical decisions on your behalf. This is a different person (or the same, your call) from the financial power of attorney. Make sure they know your values, not just your preferences. For more on this, see our guide to the top 10 legal documents you need.
Living will / advance directive. Spells out what kind of medical treatment you do and do not want if you cannot speak for yourself. Things like ventilators, feeding tubes, resuscitation, and pain management. Be specific. "I don't want to be kept alive by machines" is a start, but your doctors need more detail than that.
DNR / DNI orders (if desired). Do Not Resuscitate and Do Not Intubate orders. These are medical orders, not just preferences. Your doctor has to sign them. If this is what you want, have the conversation with your physician and make sure the paperwork is on file at your hospital or care facility.
Beneficiary designations reviewed. These override your will. Check the beneficiaries on your life insurance, retirement accounts, bank accounts, and investment accounts. If you got divorced five years ago and never updated these, your ex may still be listed. Do it today.

Medical decisions

Some of these overlap with legal documents, but this section is about making your wishes clear to the people who will be in the room.

Primary care physician and specialists listed. Write down names, phone numbers, and what each one treats. Your family should not have to search through old appointment cards to figure out who your cardiologist is.
Current medications documented. A full list with dosages, prescribing doctor, and pharmacy. Keep this updated. A printed copy in your bedside table and a digital copy somewhere accessible.
Allergies and medical conditions noted. Drug allergies, food allergies, chronic conditions. If you have a rare blood type, note that too.
Organ and tissue donation preferences stated. Yes, no, or specific organs only. Register with your state's donor registry and tell your family. The registry makes it official, but your family's knowledge of your wishes matters during those first hours.
Preferences for end-of-life care written down. Hospice at home or in a facility? Palliative care priorities? Pain management preferences? These are personal, and there are no wrong answers. What matters is that you have thought about it and someone else knows.
POLST or MOLST form completed (if applicable). Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment. This is for people with serious illness or advanced age. It is a medical order, not a preference document, so it travels with you between care settings. Ask your doctor if this applies to you.

Financial information

Your family does not need to know your net worth right now. They need to know where to find things when the time comes. The goal here is a single document or location that points to everything.

Bank accounts listed. Bank name, account type, rough location of statements. You do not need to write down account numbers if you are worried about security, but someone needs to be able to find them.
Investment and retirement accounts listed. Brokerage accounts, 401(k), IRA, pension. Include the institution name and any financial advisor contact info.
Life insurance policies documented. Carrier, policy number, death benefit amount, and who the beneficiary is. If you have policies through work and privately, list them all. People forget about employer-provided coverage all the time.
Debts and obligations noted. Mortgage, car loans, student loans, credit cards. Your estate is responsible for these, and your family needs to know what exists. Include lender names and approximate balances.
Property deeds and vehicle titles located. Where are the physical documents? Are they in a safe deposit box, a filing cabinet, with your attorney?
Tax returns accessible. Your executor will need recent returns. Note where you file (CPA, software, which service) and where returns are stored.
Safe deposit box location and key. If you have one, someone needs to know where the key is and who is authorized to open it.
Financial advisor and accountant contact info. Names, firms, phone numbers. These people can help your family navigate the financial side enormously.

Personal wishes

This is where your end of life checklist gets personal. These are the things that are not legally required but make a real difference to the people you leave behind.

Funeral or memorial service preferences. Burial or cremation? Religious service or secular? Specific music, readings, or locations? If you want a party instead of a funeral, say so. If you want something quiet, say that too. Being specific here is a kindness to your family because it takes the guesswork out of an emotional time.
Burial or cremation details. If burial, do you have a plot? Where? If cremation, what do you want done with your ashes? If you have prepaid arrangements, note the funeral home and contract number.
Obituary notes. You do not need to write the whole thing, but jotting down the facts helps: schools attended, career highlights, organizations you belonged to, names of people to mention. Your family will be grateful for this when they are trying to write one at 11pm the day after you die.
Legacy letters written. These are letters to the people who matter to you. Your kids, your spouse, your best friend. Not legal documents. Just honest words. What you are proud of, what you are sorry for, what you want them to remember. Writing legacy letters pairs naturally with the rest of this planning, and we go deeper into that in our post on legacy letters and end-of-life planning.
Personal items designated. Grandma's ring goes to your daughter, the guitar goes to your nephew, the photo albums go to your sister. Write it down. Even if it is not in the will, a written list of who gets what avoids hurt feelings and arguments.
Charitable donations or gifts specified. If you want a portion of your estate to go to a cause you care about, note it here and in your will.
Pet care plan in place. Who takes your dog? Do they know? Have you talked to them about it? Leave some money set aside for veterinary care if you can.

Digital accounts and online presence

This is the category most people skip, and it causes the most frustration after someone dies. Your digital life does not disappear when you do.

Email accounts listed. Provider, username, and a way for your executor to access them. Many email providers have inactive account policies. Google, for example, lets you set up an Inactive Account Manager. Do that.
Social media accounts documented. Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, whatever you use. Note whether you want these memorialized or deleted. Facebook has a legacy contact feature. Set it up.
Password manager or password document created. The best option is a password manager with a shared emergency access feature (1Password, Bitwarden, and others support this). If you use a written list, store it somewhere secure and tell someone where it is.
Subscription services listed. Streaming services, software subscriptions, meal kits, gym memberships, news subscriptions. Anything that auto-charges a card or bank account. Your family will need to cancel these.
Cloud storage and files noted. Google Drive, iCloud, Dropbox. If you have important photos, documents, or files stored online, someone needs to know they exist and how to get to them.
Website or domain ownership transferred. If you own a website or domain names, document the registrar, login, and what you want done with them.
Cryptocurrency or digital assets documented. If you hold crypto, your family needs wallet addresses and access to private keys or seed phrases. Without these, the assets are gone permanently. Store this information very carefully.

People to notify

When someone dies, there is a surprisingly long list of people and organizations that need to be told. Making this list now saves your family from scrambling.

Family and close friends. List the people who should be called first, with phone numbers. Your family knows your best friend, but do they know your college roommate who you still talk to every month?
Employer or business partners. If you are working, your employer needs to know. If you own a business, your partners or employees need to know and they need to know where to find critical business information.
Attorney and financial advisor. They need to be contacted early to begin the estate process.
Insurance companies. Life, health, auto, homeowner's. Each one needs a death certificate and a claim or cancellation.
Banks and financial institutions. Every bank and brokerage where you hold accounts.
Social Security Administration. To stop benefits and potentially start survivor benefits for a spouse or children.
Creditors and lenders. Mortgage company, credit card companies, student loan servicers.
Doctors and healthcare providers. Especially if there are ongoing treatments or prescriptions.
Memberships and organizations. Professional associations, clubs, religious organizations, veterans' organizations.
Utility companies and landlord. If you live alone, someone needs to handle these.

Where to keep all of this

A checklist is only useful if people can find it when they need it. Here is what works.

Keep a physical copy in a fireproof safe or filing cabinet at home. Tell at least two people where it is. Keep a digital copy in a secure location, whether that is a password manager, encrypted cloud storage, or a service designed for this purpose. Your attorney should have copies of the legal documents. Your healthcare proxy should have copies of the medical documents.

Do not put everything in a safe deposit box alone. In many states, it takes a court order to open a safe deposit box after someone dies, which defeats the purpose of having everything ready.

Review your checklist once a year. Set a calendar reminder. Update it after any major life event: marriage, divorce, birth of a child, death of a beneficiary, major asset purchase or sale.

Start with one section

If this whole list feels like too much, pick one section and finish it this week. Legal documents is the most important, but even knocking out the "people to notify" list in twenty minutes is real progress. The worst version of this checklist is the one you never start.

And if you want help thinking through how to document your final wishes in a more personal way beyond just the logistics, we have a guide for that too. The checklist handles the practical side. The personal side, the letters and stories and things you want people to remember, that is worth its own time.

You are not planning for something sad. You are making sure the people you love are not left guessing.