The "in case I die" binder: what to put in it, section by section

What an "in case I die" binder is, and why people build one

Call it a death binder, a legacy binder, a family emergency binder, a "start here" folder, or a "what my family needs to know" file. The idea: one place that lets the people you leave behind pick up your life without guessing.

It is not a legal document. A will, a trust, a power of attorney, and a health care directive give people authority. The binder tells them how to use it: which bank, which policy, which vet, who to call. Fidelity calls the core of it a letter of instruction with "an inventory of assets and a list containing names, addresses, and phone numbers of your various advisors" (Fidelity, checked 2026-09-17).

A Bogleheads forum thread started April 18, 2026 summed up the goal: "if we're hit by a bus tomorrow, our spouse or executor needs a document that tells them where everything is. Accounts, insurance, attorneys, passwords, the location of the will, beneficiary info, instructions for how we'd want things handled" (Bogleheads.org, user turtlesoup, checked 2026-09-17). Another member added: "The less involved in financial matters a spouse is, the more important the Death Book is" (Bogleheads.org, user HomeStretch, April 18, 2026, checked 2026-09-17).

The binder also matters while you are alive: it is what an adult child needs after a stroke or a hospital stay.

The 17 sections of a good binder

Put a one-page "read this first" sheet at the front listing the sections and the three people to call. Each section should say where the original document is.

1. Identity and documents

Full legal name, date and place of birth, Social Security number (or where the card is), and the location of birth, marriage, divorce, adoption, military, and naturalization records. Passport and driver's license details.

2. Key people

Spouse, children, and siblings with contact details. Executor, successor trustee, agents under each power of attorney, health care proxy, guardian for minor children. Lawyer, accountant, financial advisor, insurance agents, clergy, employer contact.

3. Accounts

Every bank, credit union, brokerage, retirement, HSA, and 529 account: institution, account type, whose name it is in, how to contact them, and whether it has a payable-on-death or transfer-on-death designation. Last four digits only.

4. Insurance

Life, health, Medicare, long-term care, disability, home, auto, umbrella, and employer group policies. Insurer, policy number, agent, and where the policy document is.

5. Property and vehicles

Deed and mortgage servicer, property tax, homeowners association, second homes, storage units. Vehicle titles and loans. Safe deposit box bank, box number, and who is authorized to open it.

6. Debts

Mortgages, home equity lines, car and student loans, credit cards, medical bills, money owed to family or to you. Lender, rough balance, due date.

7. Income and benefits

Salary, pension, Social Security, annuities, rental income, veterans benefits, and anything a survivor can claim. The Social Security lump-sum payment must be applied for within two years (Social Security Administration, checked 2026-09-17); pension survivor options have their own deadlines.

8. Bills and subscriptions

Utilities, phone, internet, streaming, software, memberships, charities on autopay, and the account each one draws from. Mark which to keep and which to cancel.

9. Digital life and access plan

The accounts that matter: primary email, phone carrier, cloud storage, photos, social media, online banking, domains, crypto (that a wallet exists, never the seed phrase). Then how to get in: your password manager's emergency access, plus legacy contacts. Apple's Legacy Contact needs "the access key that you generate when you choose them as your Legacy Contact" and "your death certificate" (Apple Support, checked 2026-09-17). Google's Inactive Account Manager lets you "select up to 10 people to receive this data" after a period of inactivity you set (Google Account Help, checked 2026-09-17).

10. Work and business

Employer HR contact, group life and 401(k) details, unpaid wages or PTO, stock options. For owners: entity documents, operating or buy-sell agreement, business accounts, key clients, who can sign.

11. Pets

Each animal's vet, medications, food, habits, and the person who has agreed to take them. If money is set aside, note the pet trust; every state and DC recognizes one (ASPCA, checked 2026-09-17).

12. Household access

Spare keys, garage and gate access, Wi-Fi network name, water shutoff and breaker panel. Alarm codes go to a trusted person, not the binder.

13. Medical

Diagnoses, medications and pharmacy, allergies, doctors, health insurance. Location of your living will, health care power of attorney, HIPAA release, and any DNR or POLST order. Copies of these go to your proxy and doctor, not only the binder.

14. Wishes and funeral

Burial or cremation, service preferences, organ donation registration, any prepaid funeral or cemetery contract, obituary notes. Remind your family that funeral providers must give a written, itemized price list and "must give you price information on the telephone if you ask for it" (FTC, checked 2026-09-17).

15. Letters

Personal letters, a note explaining any unusual choices in the will, and instructions for sentimental items. Keep them apart from the legal documents.

16. The executor's first steps

A one-page list for the first two weeks: get the legal pronouncement of death and order death certificates ("up to 10 or more copies," AARP, checked 2026-09-17); call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213; tell one credit bureau; find the original will; call the lawyer; secure the home and vehicles; keep essential bills paid; distribute nothing until the executor is appointed. Note that the final Form 1040 "is generally due on April 15 following the year of death" (IRS Publication 559, checked 2026-09-17).

17. Annual review and change log

A page at the back with the date of each review, what changed, and who was told. This page separates a binder that works from one that is three years stale.

What NOT to put in the binder

A binder is only as safe as the drawer it sits in. Leave out:

• Passwords and PINs. Use a password manager with emergency access. Bitwarden's lets a trusted contact request "view" or "takeover" access, and "the grantor may manually approve the request at any time, otherwise the request is bound by a grantor-specified wait time" (Bitwarden, checked 2026-09-17). 1Password Families lets family organizers recover a member's account (1Password, checked 2026-09-17).
• Full account numbers. Last four digits plus the institution is enough for an executor with a death certificate and letters testamentary.
• Seed phrases and private keys. Record that a wallet exists and where the recovery material is, with the same care you would give cash.
• Security answers, alarm codes, safe combinations. Give these to one trusted person or store them in the password manager.
• The only copy of any original document. The binder says where originals are and can hold copies.

One member who had helped settle two estates gave the minimalist version: "That bare minimum could be as simple as a list of organisations where you currently have live accounts. I'd definitely exclude passwords" (Bogleheads.org, user hashmap, April 18, 2026, checked 2026-09-17).

Paper, digital, or both

Most people land on both: a digital master that gets updated and a printed copy replaced once a year. The National Institute on Aging advice applies either way: keep everything "in one place," consider "a fireproof and waterproof safe," and if papers are in a safe deposit box, "keep copies in a file at home" (National Institute on Aging, checked 2026-09-17).

Keeping it updated: the main failure mode

Building the binder is a weekend. Keeping it current is the real job, and it slips. The member who started the April 2026 thread: "I started mine 18 months ago... It was great for about 3 months. Then I opened a new brokerage account and didn't update it" (Bogleheads.org, user turtlesoup, April 18, 2026, checked 2026-09-17).

What works, from people who have kept one going for years:

1. A fixed review date. Tax week is natural; every statement is already in front of you. Fidelity notes that "many estate plans no longer meet their creators' original intent due to a lack of routine updating" (Fidelity, checked 2026-09-17).
2. Page-level updates. Replace one page, not the binder: "I just print out the new page, replace the old page in the binder and continue on" (Bogleheads.org, user CaptainT, April 18, 2026, checked 2026-09-17).
3. A running change list. A phone note you add to whenever you open, close, or move an account.
4. Simplify. Fewer accounts mean fewer changes. "The key is to keep things simple. Changes are very infrequent" (Bogleheads.org, user jebmke, April 18, 2026, checked 2026-09-17).
5. A walkthrough. Go through the tabs once with your executor or an adult child. They will spot gaps.
6. Accept 95%. A binder that is mostly right beats a perfect one that never got finished.

Update right away after marriage, divorce, a birth or death, a move (especially across state lines, since "one state's advance directive does not always work in another state," CaringInfo, checked 2026-09-17), a new home, retirement, a new diagnosis, or a change in who you have named.

Ways to build one

The test for any of them: could your executor, starting from the front page, find every account, policy, and original document in an afternoon, without a single password from you?

When to get professional help

See an estate planning attorney if you do not yet have a will, a durable power of attorney, and a health care directive, or if yours are from another state or more than a few years old. Get legal advice if you own a business or property in more than one state, have a blended family or a family member with a disability, or expect a dispute. Ask a tax professional whether the estate may owe state estate or inheritance tax; the 2026 federal exclusion is $15,000,000 per person (IRS, checked 2026-09-17), but several states tax much smaller estates. Your state or county bar association can refer you or point to legal aid. Your doctor can help with the medical wishes section; Medicare covers that conversation during a yearly Wellness visit (Medicare.gov, checked 2026-09-17).