How to build your end-of-life planning folder (the actual, physical one)

My friend's mother passed away last spring. She had a will. She had life insurance. She had, by all accounts, planned ahead. But when the family sat down to figure out next steps, nobody could find anything. The will was in a filing cabinet at her office. The insurance policy was in a drawer in the guest room. The passwords to her bank accounts were on a sticky note inside a cookbook. It took them three weeks and a locksmith to piece it all together.

She had done the planning. She just hadn't put it in one place.

That's what an end-of-life planning folder actually solves. Not the planning itself, but the findability of the plan. One physical binder, clearly labeled, in a known location, with everything your family needs organized behind tabbed dividers. No treasure hunt. No guessing. No calling five different offices while grieving.

This guide is the hands-on, go-to-the-office-supply-store version. We're talking about the actual binder, the actual tabs, and exactly what goes behind each one.

What you'll need from the store

This doesn't require anything fancy. Here's your shopping list:

A 2-inch three-ring binder. Not a folder, not an accordion file. A binder. You want something that lays flat when open and lets you add or remove pages easily. Pick a color that stands out on a shelf. Red or bright blue works. You don't want it to blend in with old tax returns.
A set of eight tabbed dividers. The kind with the plastic-coated tabs you can write on. You can buy the pre-printed ones, but blank tabs are better because you'll customize them.
Sheet protectors. A pack of 20 or so. Some of your documents are originals, and sliding them into sheet protectors keeps them safe without needing to hole-punch them.
A few zippered pencil pouches (the three-ring kind). These are for small items like USB drives, keys, or cards that don't belong in sheet protectors.
A label maker or a thick marker. The spine of this binder needs to say exactly what it is so anyone scanning a shelf can spot it.

Total cost: somewhere around $20-30 at any office supply store. You probably already have half of this at home.

The tab structure: eight sections that cover everything

Here's the tab layout I recommend. You can adjust the order, but this sequence follows a natural logic: the most time-sensitive information comes first.

Tab 1: Instructions and contact list

This is the "read this first" section. It should include:

A one-page letter explaining what this binder is and why you made it. Keep it short. Something like: "This folder contains everything you'll need to handle my affairs. Start here and work through the tabs in order."
A contact list of the people your family should call. Your attorney, financial advisor, insurance agent, accountant, doctor, employer's HR department, and any close friends who should be notified. Include names, phone numbers, email addresses, and a one-line note about each person's role.
The name and contact info of your executor or the person you've asked to handle things.

This tab is the table of contents for your entire plan. If your family reads nothing else, this page points them in the right direction.

Tab 2: Legal documents

This is where the weight of the folder lives. Include copies of:

Your will or trust. (Keep the signed original with your attorney or in a fireproof safe, but put a full copy here so your family knows what it says.)
Power of attorney documents, both financial and medical.
Advance healthcare directive or living will.
HIPAA authorization forms so your designated people can talk to your doctors.
Guardianship designations if you have minor children.

If you're unsure which legal documents you need, the top 10 legal documents to secure your legacy breaks down each one and explains when it applies.

Tab 3: Financial accounts

Your family needs to know where your money is and how to access it. For each account, write down or print:

The institution name and account type (checking, savings, brokerage, 401k, IRA, HSA)
Account numbers
Contact information for the institution
Whether the account has a named beneficiary
Login information or a reference to where digital credentials are stored

Don't forget less obvious accounts: PayPal, Venmo, cryptocurrency wallets, savings bonds, money owed to you, or money you owe.

Tab 4: Insurance policies

List every insurance policy you carry:

Life insurance. Policy number, company, agent's name and phone number, death benefit amount, and who the beneficiary is.
Health insurance. Especially relevant if a spouse or dependent is on your plan.
Homeowner's or renter's insurance.
Auto insurance.
Long-term care insurance if applicable.
Any other policies: umbrella, disability, supplemental.

For each one, include a copy of the declarations page (the summary page that shows coverage amounts). Your family doesn't need to read the full 40-page policy on day one. They need the declarations page and a phone number.

Tab 5: Property and assets

This is the inventory section. Document:

Real estate. Address, how it's titled, mortgage company and account number, location of the deed.
Vehicles. Make, model, year, VIN, loan information if any, where the title is stored.
Valuable personal property. Jewelry, art, collections, firearms, anything with significant financial or sentimental value. Note who you'd like to receive each item if that's not covered in your will.
Safe deposit box. Bank name, box number, location of the key, and who's authorized to access it.
Storage units if you have any. Facility name, unit number, what's in there.

Tab 6: Digital accounts and passwords

This one feels tedious, but your family will thank you for it. List:

Email accounts
Social media accounts
Subscription services (streaming, software, memberships)
Online banking and investment logins
Cloud storage accounts (Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud)
Your phone's passcode

You have two options here. You can write credentials directly on a printed sheet inside a sealed envelope (labeled "Open after my death"), or you can reference a password manager and include the master password. Either way, make a note here. For more on balancing security with accessibility, the guide on how to safely store important documents for emergency access walks through the tradeoffs.

Tab 7: Final wishes and personal preferences

This tab is where the practical meets the personal:

Funeral and burial preferences. Burial or cremation? Religious service or celebration of life? Specific songs, readings, or requests? If you've pre-paid for any arrangements, include the contract.
Organ and tissue donation preferences. Yes or no, and whether you've registered.
Obituary notes. Not a full draft necessarily, but the details you'd want included: accomplishments, organizations, family members, a photo you like.
People to notify who might not be on the main contact list. Old friends, distant relatives, former colleagues.

Tab 8: Personal letters

This is optional, but it's the section people remember most. If you've written letters to specific family members, notes of gratitude, explanations of decisions, or anything you want someone to read after you're gone, they go here.

Even a single page that says "I thought about this, and I did it for you" can mean more to your family than the financial accounts and insurance policies combined.

Labeling and finishing the binder

Once everything is filed behind the right tab, do three more things:

Label the spine clearly. Use a label maker or write in thick marker: "END-OF-LIFE PLANNING FOLDER" and your full name. This isn't a time to be subtle. You want someone scanning a bookshelf to spot it immediately.

Add a date to the front cover. Write "Last updated: [date]" on the inside front cover. Every time you update something, change this date. It tells your family how current the information is.

Include a master checklist. Print a one-page list of every document and item in the binder, organized by tab. Tape it inside the front cover. This lets your family quickly check if something is missing or if a section needs attention.

Where to keep it (and who to tell)

The best end-of-life planning folder in the world is useless if nobody can find it. Here are the ground rules:

Keep it at home, in a known and accessible location. A fireproof safe is ideal. A locked filing cabinet works. The top shelf of your bedroom closet is acceptable if that's what you've got. The point is that your executor and at least one other trusted person know exactly where it is.

Don't keep it in a safe deposit box. This is counterintuitive, but safe deposit boxes can be sealed upon death, and accessing them may require the very legal documents that are trapped inside. Your binder should be reachable within hours, not weeks.

Tell at least two people where the folder is. Your executor is obvious. A spouse, an adult child, a sibling, or a trusted friend should also know. You don't have to share the contents. Just tell them: "There's a red binder on the top shelf of my office closet labeled 'End-of-Life Planning Folder.' If anything happens to me, that's where you start."

If you want a broader framework for what belongs in your overall plan, the end-of-life planning checklist covers the full picture from legal documents to conversations with family.

Keeping it current

A binder you built in 2024 and never touched again will have outdated beneficiaries, closed accounts, and missing documents by 2027. Set a reminder, once a year, to sit down with the folder and update it.

Good times to do a review:

After any major life event: marriage, divorce, birth of a child or grandchild, death of someone named in your documents
When you change jobs, open a new account, or buy or sell property
After you update your will or any legal document
At tax time, since you already have your financial records out

The annual review doesn't take long. Maybe an hour. You're mostly confirming that account numbers are still right, contact information hasn't changed, and no new documents need to be added. Update the date on the front cover when you're done.

The version that exists beats the version you're still planning

Most people reading this already know they should do something like this. The gap isn't knowledge. It's inertia. So here's the smallest possible first step: buy the binder. Not next weekend. This week. Grab a binder and a set of dividers, label the eight tabs, and put it on your desk. That's it for day one.

On day two, print your contact list and slide it behind tab one. On day three, gather your insurance declarations pages. You don't have to fill every section in a single afternoon. You just have to start.

The folder doesn't need to be perfect. It needs to exist. Because the alternative, the one where your family spends weeks tracking down scattered documents while they're also trying to grieve, is the version nobody wants.

Build the folder. Label the tabs. Tell someone where it is. Everything after that is refinement.

If you want a place to store the letters and personal messages that go behind that last tab, When I Die Files gives you a secure, private space to write them and make sure they reach the right people when the time comes.