Twenty-Five Documents to Leave Behind For Loved Ones

According to a new article in the Wall Street Journal, the twenty-five item list below details the documents all individuals should begin collecting and organizing to ensure that loved ones can one day find and follow existing estate plans and other end-of-life instructions:

1. Will
2. Letter of instruction
3. Trust documents
4. Housing, land, and cemetery deeds
5. Escrow mortgage accounts
6. Proof of loans made and debts owed
7. Vehicle titles
8. Stock certificates, savings bonds, and brokerage accounts
9. Partnership and corporate operating agreements
10. Tax returns
11. List of bank accounts
12. List of all user names and passwords
13. List of safe-deposit boxes
14. Durable health-care power of attorney
15. Authorization to release health care information
16. Living will
17. Do-not-resuscitate order
18. Personal and family medical history
19. Life insurance policies
20. Individual retirement accounts
21. 401(k) accounts
22. Pension documents
23. Annuity contracts
24. Marriage license
25. Divorce papers

See Saabira Chaudhuri, The 25 Documents You Need Before You Die, The Wall Street Journal, Jul. 2, 2011.

Special thanks to Paul L. Caron (professor of law, University of Cincinnati),  Joel Dobris (Professor of Law, UC Davis School of Law), and Jim Hillhouse (WealthCounsel) for bringing this article to my attention.