This is excellent. The issue with these (always), and the author mentions it, is that they can go out of date.
There's no ultimate solution. The closest that I have, and it is far from perfect, is that I have a family subscription to 1Password, and a very private shared vault, that my wife has access to, containing the most important stuff. She has a PDF and printed emergency access sheet for the 1Password account.
Here is something that a friend of mine posted on Facebook (She's a professional writer), a couple of years ago. She had to deal with a number of things:
The first time a doctor told me to “get my affairs in order,” I didn’t know whether that meant to do the bills or clear my browser history. (Both are a good idea.) I’ve had to do it a few times now, and apparently this is unusual. In what follows, I’m going to lay out my decidedly non-professional but overly experienced guide to “getting your affairs in order.”
This isn’t just what you do when you’re gonna die. If you think you might be out of commission for a while, you’ll want to make sure (as best you can) that when you recover, you can resume your life as you know it.
What follows are some basics. Some of this won’t apply to you, and I’m sure I missed some things. If you have sizable assets or a complicated life, consult an attorney. (My attorney friends strongly suggest that you talk to them about any of this. I am SO not a professional. This is just my experience.) This is going to seem overwhelming, but you can actually get it handled in an afternoon - while you’re healthy and clear.
So here we go:
Make sure someone has keys to your house.
Pull some cash, in case you need to send people to the grocery for you etc.
File for a tax extension and an absentee ballot NOW. You probably won’t need it. Just in case.
Is your ID/passport/car registration due to expire soon? Maybe get that handled.
Create a “RED FILE” that’s easily findable but not out in the open. I use an actual red file folder.
In it, place the following: I’ll explain below.
Contingency plans for pets/kids (and any guardianship docs you need for that)
Copy of your insurance card and ID
Relevant medical history
Meds list (include supplements, gym stacks, and mood stabilizers)
allergies
Medical Power of Attorney
Advance Directive
POLST
Financial Power of Attorney
SEALED ENVELOPE with PIN
A DIFFERENT SEALED ENVELOPE with passwords and a list of email accounts, social media accounts, etc.
copies of credit cards
list of bills that need to be paid and how
a will, if you have one
Bills - If you have bills like car payment, mortgage, etc that will have consequences for late payment, pay a little early if you can and/or set to autopay. Autopay absolute minimums on everything you can - you need your money to last, but you also don’t want to return to a credit apocalypse (I did. Credit apocalypse is treatable — but expensive.) Make a list of all your bills and how they’re paid, in case someone has to take over for a while.
I am brutally aware that most of us don’t have a financial cushion. Thinking about how to triage in a catastrophe is a lot easier when you’re not in the middle of it. Make the best decisions you can. But make the decisions, so these things are not surprises when you’re not in a place to think them through. Many places are agreeing to suspend utility cutoffs for now. Student loans can go on forbearance. You may be able to deal with lapsed credit cards better than a vehicle repo. Think it through.
MPOA, FPOA, POLST, Advance Directive, Will: These docs should be signed and notarized. That’s not a big deal; bring them to your bank *unsigned,* and if they won’t notarize them free or for low cost, they’ll refer you to someone who will. You’ll sign them in front of the notary; s/he has to witness that.
Medical Power of Attorney is a form that designates who makes medical decisions for you when you can’t. It doesn’t have to be a family member, and it helps if everyone knows ahead of time who that is. But they should know your wishes, and have the fortitude to carry them out. If they will be a pushy advocate, even better. Don’t choose your nicest friend. Choose the one who won’t be afraid to kick ass, or pull the plug.
An Advance Directive is a legal document in which you articulate what your wishes are if you’re really sick or injured and can’t speak for yourself. You can google a form or write something out (I do a combination).
A POLST is a medical form that gets super specific about the above. The acronym stands for Physician’s Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment. Some doctors like it filled out onsite, but a notarized one in the hands of your MPOA will help even if they have to copy from there onto a fresh form (annoying, but lots of things about health care are annoying). There’s a single form most states use; google your state to make sure you have the right form. NOTE: Filling this out will make your stomach hurt. You only have to do this once in your life, unless you change your mind about something - and remember, you will probably never need it.
Financial Power of Attorney (also called Durable Power of Attorney) allows someone access to all your assets (they should know what they are, and how to access what they might need (insurance policies, for example). At very least, they should be in a position to pay your bills, deposit checks, and get some cash if it’s needed, and to suspend your autopay gym membership while you’re not using it. If you have Venmo or Paypal or Bitcoin, they should know how to access it. If arrangements for pets/dependents have a financial component, they should be able to handle that. Make sure it’s someone you trust BIG. Don’t worry about hurting feelings when you make this decision.
Will: If you have simple assets, pull a simple will from LegalZoom or suchlike, and get it notarized when you take in the rest of your forms. Any assets that are registered - your car, even if it’s a hoopty; your retirement account, if you have such a thing; house, etc - all of it is much more easily transferred if there’s a will. For smaller things - you might simply want to write down in a separate, informal note that Lola gets your party dresses and you’d kinda like it if your books were donated to the prison library, or whatever. It might not matter. But if you know your brothers are gonna fight over your bicycle, do everyone a favor and make that decision for them. They don’t have to know unless - it’s that time.
In your red file is a *sealed* envelope addressed to your FPOA with your PIN numbers, online banking password, etc. DO NOT WRITE ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE ENVELOPE WHAT IS CONTAINED IN IT. JUST ADDRESS IT TO YOUR FPOA. DON’T MAIL IT AND DON’T GIVE IT IN ADVANCE.
If there is more than one person involved in your plans, make sure they all have each other’s contact info. You might consider creating a group chat that says something like, “Hi everyone, I just want to make sure you all have easy access to each other in case of an emergency. Heather, my dogsitter, has the house keys; Jamil is my medical POA and makes decisions for me when I can’t…” etc.
Someone needs to have your social media life in their hands. You don’t need to notarize or pull forms, but there should be an envelope addressed to this person. Include the passcodes to your phone and computer, and if you use a password wallet, how to access that. Are you on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn? Grindr? No judgment. Just make sure someone can protect your identity -and your brand, if you’re social-media intensive - while you’re away.
Don’t want them to know you’re on, um, Petfinder? Delete now, just in case. (It’s no time for a hookup, anyway.) Also delete/destroy any docs you don’t want someone else to find, including old journals. Also, consider clearing out anything else in the house you don’t want people to find. You can buy a new (whatever it is) later. And clear your browser history!