Your complete end-of-life
planning checklist.

A valid will directs who receives probate assets and can nominate a guardian for minor children. Without a valid will, state intestacy law controls probate assets and a court applies state law when appointing a guardian.

Assets properly transferred to a trust can avoid probate. Not everyone needs a trust, but if you own real estate or have a complex estate, discuss the state-specific benefits, costs, and maintenance with a qualified attorney.

This can authorize someone to manage specified finances if you can't. Without valid authority, a court process may be needed. Forms, powers, timing, cost, and privacy vary by state.

This can name someone to make medical decisions when you can't make or communicate them. State terminology, signing rules, and the agent's authority vary.

This records treatment preferences such as CPR, ventilation, and artificial nutrition. A current, accessible directive can help clinicians and family understand your wishes. State forms and execution rules vary.

Life insurance, retirement accounts, and eligible TOD or POD accounts may pass under a valid beneficiary designation rather than a will. Review the controlling form, account terms, and applicable law for each account.

A will can record your nomination and a backup. A court makes the appointment under state law and generally considers the child's best interests and current circumstances, so a nomination doesn't guarantee the court's appointment.

List banks, investments, retirement accounts, credit cards, loans, and mortgages. Use the last four digits rather than full account numbers where possible. Store the record securely and tell your authorized representative how to find it.

Life, health, disability, long-term care, homeowner's, auto. Include policy numbers, insurer contact info, and where the policies are stored.

Confirm the policy is active, the coverage still fits the people who depend on you, and every primary and backup beneficiary is current. Ask the insurer for a current policy summary and check for loans against the policy.

List mortgages, vehicle loans, student loans, credit cards, and personal loans. The estate representative uses applicable law and the estate process to address valid claims.

A valid transfer-on-death or payable-on-death designation may let an eligible account pass to a beneficiary outside probate. Availability, effect, and setup vary by state, institution, account type, and beneficiary, so confirm the current terms directly.

Access after death depends on state law and the bank agreement. A bank may require proof of authority, a court order, or another approved process.

NFDA's 2023 member survey reported an $8,300 national median for a funeral with viewing and burial. Cemetery interment, a monument or marker, and cash-advance charges weren't included. Pre-planning can record preferences. Before prepaying, review what's guaranteed, cancellation and transfer rights, how funds are held, and protections if the provider closes.

Document ownership, signing authority, payroll, taxes, key contracts, digital access, and who can keep the business running if you can't. Coordinate it with the governing documents, insurance, beneficiary designations, and your estate plan.

Use your state registry or other authorized process and tell your healthcare decision-maker and family. The legal effect, documentation, and donation process vary by state and circumstance.

List conditions, allergies, surgeries, primary care clinician, specialists, and where current records can be obtained. Store health information securely and share it only with authorized people.

Name, dosage, prescribing doctor, pharmacy. Update it whenever anything changes.

These are medical orders, and the name, eligibility criteria, authorized signer, required signatures, and format vary by state. Ask the treating clinician which form applies and where it should be kept for emergency access.

Options may include burial, cremation, green burial, body donation, or natural organic reduction where lawful and available. Record specific preferences and confirm who has legal authority to carry them out in your state.

Use a reputable password manager and its supported recovery, emergency-access, or legacy features. Do not place a master password in an ordinary checklist. Tell an authorized person where the access instructions are stored.

Review each provider's inactive-account, legacy, recovery, and deletion options. Record the account and your wishes without sharing the password or promising another person access, and without asking someone to impersonate you or bypass provider rules.

Platforms offer different memorialization, legacy-contact, download, and deletion processes that can change. Record what you want and configure available account settings directly.

Record that an asset exists, its custodian or wallet type, and where an authorized person can find the separate recovery plan. Do not put a seed phrase, private key, or full access credential in this checklist or an ordinary document.

List streaming services, software, memberships, and insurance payments so an authorized representative can review, transfer, or cancel them as appropriate.

Domain names, websites, online businesses, digital art/NFTs, royalties from digital content. These have real value and may need to be transferred or sold.

This person may file the will, protect estate property, address valid claims, and distribute assets under the will and state law, and may need court appointment before acting for a probate estate. Titles and duties vary by state. Ask before naming someone and consider a backup.

Birth certificate, Social Security card, passport, marriage/divorce certificates, military discharge papers (DD-214), property deeds, vehicle titles. Store originals safely and tell your executor where they are.

Record preferences for music, readings, speakers, location, guests, cost limits, and anything you don't want. Confirm which instructions are legally controlling in your state and who has authority to act.

This practical guide can explain where records are stored, who to call, and circumstances the representative should know. It doesn’t transfer property, grant legal authority, or override a will, trust, beneficiary designation, or state law.

Tell them where current documents are stored, who has been named for each role, and how to find emergency information. Share sensitive details only with people who are authorized to receive them. Plans are easier to use when the right people know where to find them.

Ask a willing caretaker and name a backup. Record care instructions and discuss a state-appropriate written arrangement or pet trust if money will be set aside for care. An informal note doesn’t transfer ownership, set aside enforceable funds, or replace state-specific legal planning.

A legacy letter can share values, stories, lessons, and personal messages. It’s separate from legal estate-planning documents.