What My Family Needs to Know is a popular record keeper offered at Habitudes, my personal and household record keeper website. I’m working on a new version, which will include a Table of Contents. But for those who already have the original, here it is. If you don’t have the original, you could use the TOC as a checklist to create your own record keeper. But why bother? Click over to Habitudes and download our 14 page, Word based template for just $14.95.
Table of Contents, What My Family Needs to Know
Note: The record keeper provides quick access to basic info and the location of documents and details.
- Address & Contact Information: Family & Friends, Home Services, Physicians, Business Contacts
- Advisors: CPA, Investments, Estate, Financial Planning, etc..
- Attorney
- Bank Accounts
- Bills
- Birth Information
- Business Interests: Copyrights, Patents, Trademarks, Partnerships
- Charitable Contributions & Endowments
- Computer Cloud Backup Service
- Computers & Electronic Devices
- Credit, ATM & Debit Cards
- Driver’s Licenses
- Email Accounts
- Employer Information
- Family Contacts
- Family Tree & Ancestry
- Home Inventory
- Home Service Providers: Housekeeper, Gardener, Handyperson, Security Systems, Utilities, etc..
- Income Sources
- Insurance: Annuities, Dental, Disability, Health, Homeowners, Liability, Life, Long Term Care, Mortgage, Prescription Drugs, Renter’s, Vehicles, Other
- Internet service provider
- Investments, Brokerage Accounts
- Investments, Other
- Loans: Mortgage, Car, Student Loans, etc..
- Loans Made to Others
- Medical Web Portal
- Memberships
- Military Service Records
- Passports
- Passwords
- Pets
- Photos, Videos, Recordings & Memorabilia
- Physicians
- Post Office Box
- Real Estate: Primary Residence, Secondary Residence, Investment Properties
- Religious Affiliations
- Retirement Plans & Accounts: Social Security, Profit Sharing, 401K’s, Pensions, etc..
- Safe Deposit Box: Location, Key or Combination Info, Contents
- Social Media Accounts
- Social Security Numbers
- Storage Unit: Location, Keys or Code, Contents
- Tax Returns
- Telephone Service Providers
- Trusts
- Vehicles, Boats, Planes
- Wallet Contents
- Wills & Last Wishes: Wills, Estate Attorney, Advance Health Care Directives, Power of Attorney for Health, Power of Attorney for Finances (Property & Personal Affairs), Organ Donation, Pet Care Wishes, Obituary Wishes & Facts, Disposition Wishes (Interment, Entombment, Cremation), Funeral or Memorial Service Wishes
How to Use the Table of Contents
If you don’t have What My Family Needs to Know you could use this table of contents to create your own document. But why not click over to Habitudes and download the real thing for $14.95? The document is 14 pages long and includes a lot of things the family should know, some you probably haven’t even thought of. It would cost at least $20 per hour for a personal assistant to create a similar document. At about $1 per page, What My Family Needs to Know is a money and time saving bargain.
If you already have What My Family Needs to Know simply copy and paste the Table of Contents to a separate document to keep with your completed version. The sections in the original are arranged alphabetically. You may need to rearrange them on the TOC if you’ve changed them. You can add page numbers if you like, but it’s better to leave section names in alphabetical order since the page numbers will change over the years as you update, add and delete content.
Coming Soon: Additions to What My Family Needs to Know
A section for POLST Orders will be added under Wills and Last Wishes. A POLST order (Physician/Provider Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) is a full set of medical orders. It includes a DNR-style choice as one of several sections. A POLST complements Advance Directives and is not intended to replace them. A DNR Order (Do not resuscitate) is one instruction as to whether to attempt CPR or other emergency measures if your heart stops or you stop breathing. Your primary care physician can provide POLST and/or DNR orders.
A Digital Assets section will be added under Wills and Last Wishes. Thanks to hackers, I get “emails” from a friend who died years ago. To help prevent things like that, I’m creating a section where you can add legacy contacts and instructions for closing your social media, email and other digital accounts.
Hope this post is helpful.
Feel free to share your thoughts and suggestions in the comments.
Jackie Pettus
Founder
HabiLinks Guide Links You Can Really Use
Habitudes Record Keepers Life, Nicely Done.