Organizers for Your Estate
WHAT IF Something Were to Happen to You Tomorrow?
If something happened to you tomorrow, would your next of kin be prepared to manage your home, possessions, online accounts, assets, finances, and wishes?
Planning for the future by organizing all your vital information in one place ensures that your loved ones can easily manage your affairs after you pass away. There are several guided planners available that help you document essential details, including contacts, legal matters, health records, financial information, and personal instructions. Some samples of these are shown below in this article. You can also consult your attorney or financial advisor for suggestions on tools to use for this purpose. By compiling everything in one place, you reduce stress and confusion for your family during a difficult time, allowing them to fulfill your wishes smoothly and efficiently. Many estate planning law firms will also help you prepare these documents, if the idea of doing this on your own is too daunting.
Once completed, store your planner in a secure yet accessible location, such as a safe or with a trusted person, and inform key individuals of its existence. Regularly updating the information ensures it remains accurate and relevant. Put a note on your calendar to review this information at least once a year. Taking this proactive step provides peace of mind, knowing that your loved ones will have clear, up-to-date guidance and the necessary tools to handle your affairs with confidence.
These planners can include sections such as My Personal Information, My Medical Information, Key Contact Information, At the Time of My Passing, My Dependents, Important Documents, Financial Information, Commercial/Business Information, What Beneficiaries Can Expect, Personal Property, Insurance, My Pets, What to Pay, Close, and Cancel, Email and Social Media, Miscellaneous Information, My Personal Wishes, and Last Words. By carefully filling out each section, you ensure that essential aspects of your life are accounted for and accessible when needed.
Please note that a personal planner is not a legal document and does not replace a valid will.
Some examples of these services include:
- Next of Kin Nokbox
Available in a variety of formats, sizes and options, starting at $39.00 and up (as of 2/19/2025).
- I’m Dead, Now What? Organizer by Peter Pauper Press
Use it to gather vital details about your contacts, legal matters, health, financial affairs, instructions, and more. Enter the information in this guided planner, and keep it in a secure location.
Valuable and practical, it is a tremendous gift for your family and personal representatives.
Available for $14.99 (as of 2/19/2025)
https://www.peterpauper.com/products/im-dead-now-what-organizer
We provide these as examples of available services, but do not specifically endorse these services.
Last updated 07/21/2025.
Recent Stories
The Wit and Wisdom of Fran Carpentier: 57 Years with Type 1 Diabetes
“I think that my first husband felt that I made life hard for us. I couldn’t be as spontaneous as he probably wanted me to be. You know this was pre-insulin pumps and CGMs. We were young, he wanted to go out and do things and I felt I had to do things a certain way to keep my sugar really well-controlled. I think I’m the most fun person in the room, but he felt that I was a wet blanket. There was probably truth to it forty years ago. Today, technology has freed up life for us T1Ds. Of course that freedom means relying on all manner of medical apparatus and being visible about it.”
Museum curator, 77, Learns Gen Z (AAVE) Slang and Goes Viral: “Honestly, she ate.”
The National Gallery of Art’s deputy head of sculpture stepped behind a 16th-century urn and began to describe it to the camera. “Chat, I’m about to buss it down Roman Empire style,” said Alison Luchs, 77, using Gen Z slang she recently learned. “Haters will say this urn is mid, but they don’t know we’ve clocked its tea.”
Aging with T1D: In Living Color
Haidee Merrit is a New Hampshire-based artist best known in theT1D community as a cartoonist whose three books of diabetes-themed cartoons and illustrations share a humorous, and often edgy, take on life as a type one. She is also a colorful artist whose works are vibrant and lively, often featuring vividly detailed insects or splashy abstract landscapes. She met with us at T1Dto100 to talk about what led her to her specific art forms and her philosophy about living with T1D.