The Life Folder Checklist
This page provides a practical checklist for organising those important documents, passwords and key information your family would need — for you or someone you support. This will be a one-stop-shop that needs to be made available and is up to date in case life changes.
Why Life Folders are important
When something happens suddenly — illness, accident, or death — the people left to sort things out rarely know where anything is. A bank account you’ve forgotten about, an insurance policy in a drawer, a password only you knew, even the code to your phone.. A Life Folder isn’t about expecting the worst; it’s about saving the people you love from a treasure hunt during the worst week of their life. Your Life Folder is about making things easy…it’s about being sorted!
What to include in your Life Folder
Personal documents
- Birth certificate, marriage/civil partnership certificate, passport, National Insurance number
Financial information
- List of bank accounts and building societies (not passwords — just which accounts exist)
- Pensions (workplace and private)
- Investments, ISAs, premium bonds
- Outstanding debts or loans
- Insurance policies (life, home, car)
Legal documents
- Your Will and where the original is held
- Lasting Power of Attorney, if in place
- Property deeds or mortgage details
Digital life
- A note of which accounts exist (email, social media, subscriptions); stored separately from actual passwords for security
- Details of a password manager, if used, and who can access it
Wishes
- Funeral preferences (see our Funeral Wishes guide)
- Who to notify (next of kin, close friends, employer)
- Any pets and who should care for them
How to organise the Life Folder
A simple ring binder works just as well as anything digital. The key is one place, kept up to date, and that at least one trusted person knows it exists and roughly where it is. If you have a digital Life Folder, make sure it doesn’t exist on a device that needs a password to unlock!
Quick Checklist
- One folder/file created (physical or digital)
- At least one trusted person knows it exists
- Reviewed in the last 12 months
- Sensitive items (like passwords) stored securely, separately from the folder itself
Making things easy
The premise of the SortedLifeGuide was based on an article I read about an Accountant who died suddenly. He’d left his family an envelope in his safe. In writing on the front it read “Dad is Dead….Here’s what you do next!”. Inside were all of the key information on bank accounts, tax documents, mortgage details, life policies and a will. This guy had sorted everything and his family could navigate the next steps a lot easier whilst dealing with bereavement. This is what the SortedLifeGuide is all about.
What to do next
Use What to Sort in Your 40s for the bigger picture, or Your Final Wishes & Legacy to add the personal, non-financial details.