An end-of-life planner can become enormous very quickly. That is not automatically better. The useful version is the one your family can actually understand, and that you are willing to keep current.
Personal and household basics
Begin with names, contact details, household members, pets and the people who should be called first. Think of this section as the page someone would want if they had to step into your everyday responsibilities for a week.
Clarity matters more than clever organization. Make the first folder, first page or first note so obvious that a trusted person would know what to do next even on a hard day.
Documents and where they live
List wills, powers of attorney, property papers, certificates and other formal records by location. If the original is held by a professional or institution, say that instead of inserting unnecessary copies.
Trying to complete every page in one sitting and using the planner as the only location for irreplaceable originals are both easy ways to create unnecessary work. Strip the process back until it feels usable again.
Money, insurance and recurring responsibilities
Create a readable overview of accounts, insurance, pensions, debts, utilities and subscriptions. The goal is to reveal the map of your financial life, not to write down every balance every month.
When a section feels too heavy, split it in two. Record the practical fact now — where something is, who to call — and leave the more personal wording for a day when you have more room for it.
Health information that matters
Include the contacts and essential facts that would help in an emergency or transition. Keep sensitive information protected and use the planner to point to formal documents when appropriate.
Keep the completed planner somewhere secure, and make sure the right person knows where that is.
Digital accounts and devices
Note which accounts matter, who should know they exist and what you want done with each of them.
Every extra layer creates something else to maintain. It is worth the trade only when it helps you separate “facts people need” from “preferences you want them to know”.
Funeral, memorial and personal wishes
You can be as detailed or as simple as you like. Music, readings, service style, burial or cremation preferences, people to notify and small personal touches are all easier to act on when they are written down.
Messages, memories and the human part
This is the section that does not have to sound administrative. Leave letters, stories, jokes, family recipes or a note about what mattered to you. The planner can hold both logistics and personality.
Include what helps someone act
Personal details, important contacts, insurance, financial information, household information, digital access instructions, wishes and messages all have a place — but only at the level that is useful and safe.
Think about the first 48 hours, the first month and the longer tidy-up afterward. Different information becomes useful at different moments, and that keeps the planner from becoming one giant undifferentiated list.
Keep what helps
A good planner is not a warehouse for every piece of paper you own. It is a clear guide to what matters, where it lives and what you want people to know.
General information, not legal advice. The rules about wills, executors and access to accounts differ from country to country, and in the US from state to state. They also change. Check what applies where you live before you act on any of this.