Questions and answers

A fill-in organizer that records where everything is and who to call if something happens to you: the people to call, your accounts and policies, the house, the bills, your digital accounts, your final wishes and letters to your family. It's organized into 14 numbered files, so the people you love can find what they need without hunting for it.

No. A Family File records facts and locations. There are no legal forms in it, and it doesn't replace a will, trust or power of attorney. What it does have is a Legal Documents Locator, where you note whether you have those documents, when they were signed and where the originals are kept. For decisions about your estate, talk with a licensed attorney in your state.

Plan on one afternoon for the First Ten, the ten things your family would need first. After that, take one numbered file per sitting, at whatever pace suits you. Nothing has to be finished in one go.

Skip them. No business? Skip File 10. No pets? Half of File 12 stays blank. A file with a few empty pages is still a good file.

Yes. A couple can share one Family File and note whose account, policy or wish each entry is. If you'd each like your own Final Wishes and Letters pages, the fillable PDF lets you print extra copies of any page.

Once a year, plus whenever something big changes: a move, a new job, a new account, a new grandchild. The Annual Review page in the back has sign-off boxes for ten years, and the Change Log keeps track of what you updated and when.

Yes. Because it records what exists and where it's kept, it works anywhere in the US. Laws about wills, probate and powers of attorney differ by state, which is one more reason the file asks where your documents are instead of telling you what they should say.

If anyone would need to find your accounts, pay your bills or look after your kids or pets while you spent a week in the hospital, yes. And it's much easier to keep a file up to date than to start one in a hurry.

No, and the file never asks you to. It never asks for full Social Security numbers, full account or policy numbers, passwords, PINs, security answers or crypto seed phrases. You write where each thing is kept, plus the last four digits so your family can tell accounts apart. For passwords, the file suggests turning on the emergency-access feature that many password managers offer.

No. We never see what you write. Your file lives on your paper or your own device: the PDF is a file on your computer, and the book is a book. When you order, we collect only your name, email, shipping address and the name for the cover, plus a phone number for printed books, because the printer's carrier requires one for delivery.

Somewhere your people can reach without you: a labeled box in a closet, a desk drawer, or a fire-resistant box at home whose key they can find. A safe-deposit box is a fine place for originals, but it can be slow for family to open, so it's a poor place for the only copy of the map. Then tell two people where it is.

Get the PDF if you like to type, want to start tonight, or want to keep it on your computer. Get the book if you'd rather write by hand, want something your family can pull off a shelf, or are giving it as a gift. The book includes the PDF, so you don't have to choose forever.

After checkout you'll see a download button. Open the file in a PDF reader that supports fillable forms (the free Adobe Acrobat Reader works on computers, tablets and phones), type into the fields and save. Some web-browser PDF viewers don't keep what you type, so download the file first. You can also print it and write by hand.

Your family name, set in Caslon on a card in a brass label holder. Type Alvarez and the cover reads “The Alvarez Family File.” You have up to 24 characters: letters, spaces, hyphens, apostrophes, periods and the ampersand. Leave it blank and the cover reads “The Family File.”

Yes, up to 10 of the same book in one order. One for each household works well: yours, your parents', a sibling's. Each household fills in its own.

A companion book for the weeks after someone dies: checklists for the first 48 hours, the first two weeks, the first three months and the first year, plus trackers for death certificates, notifications, accounts and claims. It's general information and checklists, not legal advice. More about the Next Steps File.

Essentials is a 32-page printed starter booklet: the First Ten, the people to call, and one-page locators for accounts, insurance, documents and digital life. The Family File is the full book, 112 pages across 14 files. Essentials is a good first step or a small gift; the Family File is the whole map.

Printed books are made to order: Printed in 3–5 business days; tracked delivery usually within 2 weeks. We'll email you tracking when your book ships. The fillable PDF is ready the moment you check out.

Not yet. Printed books ship to US addresses only. The fillable PDF works anywhere, though some parts, like Social Security and Medicare, are written for US families.

Yes, at no extra charge. Choose a printed book, tick “Send it as a gift,” add their name and a short note, and enter their address as the shipping address at checkout. One order ships to one address, so check out separately for each person you're sending to. Ideas for giving it.

If a book arrives damaged or misprinted, email [email protected] within 30 days with a photo and we'll replace it. Because each book is printed to order, often with your name on it, we can't take back books that arrive as ordered. If the PDF won't open or work for you, email us and we'll sort it out. Details are on the Shipping & returns page.

Go to the Redeem page, enter the code, the family name for the cover and the address to ship to. There's nothing to pay. We'll print your book and send it to you.

Yes. The Pro Edition puts your firm's logo on the cover and your contacts inside, starting at 10 copies. See pricing, the sample kit and the quote form.

No. Every edition records facts and locations only. There are no product recommendations, no referrals and no legal forms, and your firm's branding is limited to your logo, a short contact block and a contacts page.