A legacy binder the family can actually find.
The single hardest part of settling any estate is the paperwork nobody documented. A file solves ninety percent of it, quietly, years in advance.
This is the file you make once, revisit annually, and hope no one needs for decades. It's also the single most useful thing you can leave, after the will itself.
Where things are
Where the will is, who drafted it, executor and their contact. Life insurance policy numbers. Pensions. Property deeds. The safe deposit box, and who has the key.
Digital accounts, in words not passwords
List the important accounts — bank, mortgage, e-mail, cloud storage — and the process for reaching them (password manager master, next of kin at the bank). No passwords in this file.
Written for the person who'll read it
Assume the reader is grieving and in a hurry. Section headings; plain instructions; the phone numbers up top.
What to reach for
Common questions
Passwords?
Do not put passwords in this file. Do include how to reach the person who can.
Where should the file live?
On the family laptop and on a USB stick in the safe. Print a copy for the executor.
How often to update?
Annually. Same weekend you file the taxes; it becomes a habit.
Does this replace a will?
No — a will is a legal document from a solicitor. This is the map to it.