7 documents every household should be able to find

Most of us know roughly where the important papers are. The question is whether someone else could find them if you weren’t there to ask. Here are seven documents to start with, where people usually keep them, and how to make sure the right person knows.

The 7 documents

1. Will or trust. If you have one, where the original is matters: copies may not be enough. Note who the executor or trustee is. An estate attorney can confirm what applies in your state.
2. Powers of attorney and advance directive. Financial and health care. Note who is named and where the signed copies are.
3. Insurance policies. Life, home or renters, auto, health, long-term care. Include life insurance through work — it’s the policy families most often can’t find (more below).
4. Property papers. Deed, mortgage or lease, and vehicle titles.
5. Identity documents. Birth and marriage (or divorce) certificates, Social Security cards, passports.
6. Recent tax returns. Useful for finding income sources and accounts.
7. A list of your accounts (names, not numbers). Banks, retirement and investment accounts, credit cards, loans. Not passwords or full account numbers.

Worth adding if they apply: military discharge papers (DD-214), your safe deposit box key, adoption papers and business documents.

Could your family find your life insurance policy?

Policies through work, old policies and small policies are easy for a family to miss. Write down the company, where the policy document is, and whether it’s through an employer. If a family can’t find a policy after a death, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners runs a free Life Insurance Policy Locator.

Where to keep them

• A fireproof, waterproof box or safe at home: easy for the household to get to.
• A safe deposit box: secure, but check who else can open it. Access rules vary by bank and state, so ask your bank or an estate attorney.
• Digital copies: scans can help, but they don’t replace originals that may be needed.
• With your attorney: some people leave the original will with the attorney who drafted it.

Wherever they are, the step that matters most is the one many lists skip. The National Institute on Aging’s advance care planning guidance suggests keeping important papers in one place and making sure a trusted family member or friend knows where they are. They don’t need to know your business, just where to look.

Keeping the “where” list current

A binder can hold the papers. The list of where things are is what goes out of date, and it’s what other people need.

KinMap records what exists, where it’s kept and who to call, and shares it with the people you choose. Each person sees only what you allow. It doesn’t store your documents themselves and never asks for passwords, PINs or full account numbers. What KinMap stores.

For everything else your family would need — accounts, insurance and who to call — see the family emergency information checklist. Helping your parents? Here’s a checklist to work through together.