How it works
Get it. Fill it in one file at a time. Tell two people where it is. Then look at it once a year. That's the whole method.
Get it
Choose the fillable PDF, the printed book, or both.
The fillable PDF ($29) is ready the minute you check out. Download it, open it in a PDF reader that supports fillable forms, and type. Save as you go. You can print any page, or the whole thing, whenever you like.
The printed book ($59) has your family's name on the cover, "The Larkin Family File," set in Caslon on a card in a brass label holder. It's coil-bound so it lies flat while you write, and it ships to US addresses: Printed in 3–5 business days; tracked delivery usually within 2 weeks. The fillable PDF comes with it, so you can start tonight.
Buying for someone else? Any printed book can ship straight to them with your note. How gifting works.
Fill it one file at a time
Don't try to do it all at once. Start with the First Ten, then take one numbered file per sitting.
The First Ten
Ten answers that cover most of what your family would need in the first days. Plan on one afternoon.
- Who to call first
- Where your will, trust or power of attorney is kept, if you have them
- Your main bank
- Your life insurance: the carrier and where the policy is
- How to get into your phone
- Whether your password manager's emergency access is set up
- The bills on autopay that need to keep getting paid
- Who looks after the kids, the pets, or anyone who depends on you
- Your final wishes, in one line
- Where this file is kept
Then the fourteen files
Each file opens with a divider page that says what goes in it and about how long it takes. Pick the one that worries you most, or just go in order. Skip anything that doesn't apply; blank pages are fine.
The privacy rules
Never write full Social Security numbers, full account or policy numbers, passwords, PINs, security answers or crypto seed phrases. Write where each thing is kept, plus the last four digits. For passwords, set up the emergency-access feature that many password managers offer, and note in the file that you did.
Tell two people where it is
A map only helps if someone can find it.
Keep your file 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 original documents, but it can be slow for family to open, so it's a poor home for the only copy of the map.
Then tell two people where it lives. The page "Who knows where this file is" has room for their names and the date you told them. Two, because one of them might be away, or might be the person who needs help.
Then, once a year
Pick a date you'll remember, like a birthday, tax season or New Year's Day, and spend twenty minutes with the file.
The Annual Review page in the back walks you through it and has sign-off boxes for ten years. The Change Log records what you updated and when. If something big happens in between, like a move, a new job, a new account or a new grandchild, update that file then.
If you use the PDF, save a fresh copy after each review and let your two people know if it moved.
Questions
How long does it take to fill in?
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.
What if parts of it don't apply to me?
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.
Where should I keep it?
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.
How does the fillable PDF work?
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.
Does one file work for a couple?
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.
Ready to start?
Fillable PDF, $29. Printed book with your name on the cover, $59 with free US shipping and the PDF included.
Get the Family File