Plan ahead
I’m helping someone else
make a plan.
You can make the process easier without making the decisions for them. Start with permission, let their choices lead, and help make the final information usable.
← Choose a different pathFree first step
Work through the free checklist together
Use one list for the documents, decisions, accounts, contacts, and funeral preferences they choose to address.
Open the free planning checklistKeep going
Resources for this exact question
Choose the next topic that matches what you need. You don't have to work through them in order.
Build a situation-based action list
Let the person choose the situation that fits, then work through the suggested actions at their pace.
Open the personal plannerCheck the rules in their state
Legal documents and disposition authority depend on the person’s jurisdiction, not the helper’s.
Choose their stateFind a listed provider
MORTL currently lists funeral directors, hospice and palliative care providers, grief counselors, and financial advisors. Estate attorneys aren't currently listed.
Search the provider directoryHelp without taking over.
Ask before opening documents or contacting providers. Let the person make and record their own choices whenever they can. Your job is to reduce friction, organize what they approve, and help them find qualified advice when a decision requires it.
Premium tool
The Folder
Build one handoff packet from the contacts, document locations, account hints, digital access notes, and wishes the person chooses to record.
Open the Premium handoff toolHow these resources are verified
The MORTL guides linked on this page show their citations. Articles show publication dates. State-specific pages show review dates and link to the statutes and official agencies behind the guidance. Read MORTL's sources and methodology.
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