A Step-By-Step Guide To Building a Life and Legacy Binder

As any first responder knows, life can change in an instant. A meaningful way to take care of your family before an emergency occurs is building your Life and Legacy Binder. A Life and Legacy Binder is a collection of documents, instructions, and personal details your loved ones may need one day if you’re incapacitated or gone. It’s understandable if this sounds like a heavy or emotional process—but taking time to prepare your binder now means your loved ones won’t have to search, guess, or worry later.

Plan

First, pick your preferred storage method—you could choose a physical three-ring binder or file folder, or you can take a digital approach. Decide what documents and information to include. Think about what your family might search for in critical times. Get started with this checklist sourced from the National Institute on Aging to help you begin and add your own line items as you see fit. Here are some of the basics:

Personal:

• Full legal name, any previous names, date of birth, place of birth, and current legal residence
• Copies of identification card, Social Security card, passport
• Location of birth and death certificate and certificates of marriage, divorce, citizenship, and adoption
• Education and military records

Financial:

• Sources of income and assets (pension, IRAs, 401(k)s, interest, etc.), and contact information for vendors
• Insurance information (life, long-term care, home, car) with policy numbers and agents’ names and phone numbers
• Names of your banks and account numbers (checking, savings, credit union)
• Copy of most recent income tax return
• Location of most up-to-date will with an original signature

Health:

• Living will
• Durable power of attorney for healthcare
• Copies of any medical orders or forms you have (for example, a do-not-resuscitate order)
• Health insurance information with policy and phone numbers

Miscellaneous:

• Instructions to call FPPA and report death (no need to wait for a death certificate)
• Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program information
• Information about reporting a death to government agencies, including a benefits finder and how to get copies of military records
• Death Certificate ordering instructions from the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment
• Colorado Department of Motor Vehicles instructions on what to do when a loved one dies

Don’t be afraid to customize your binder! A few ideas include:

• Emergency contact information of family and friends
• Letters to loved ones
• Funeral details (burial or cremation, outfit preference, songs for your service, etc.)
• Key life, career, or personal highlights to include in your obituary
• Preferred photograph for service or obituary
• Pet care plans, microchip number, vet information, and vaccination record

Gather

Tracking down all these documents might take a few weeks or be an ongoing project for a while. As you start the process of collecting documents, remember to stay organized. We recommend using your checklist as a “table of contents” for your binder. If you’re making a physical binder, you can print out your checklist and put a page or tab indicator next to each item. As you collect items to put in your binder, consider making a digital backup of physical files. If you choose to make a digital binder, you can store an editable table of contents as the first thing your loved ones see when opening the folder. Take care to name each file clearly and sort into labeled folders based on file type. Back up your digital files on an external drive, too.

Once you’re done gathering your documents, set a reminder to review your binder on an annual basis, to ensure you keep items up-to-date and add any other pertinent life event information.

Inform

Now that your Life and Legacy Binder is finished (or, a work in progress), it’s time to let your close loved ones and the executor of your estate know about your efforts. Invite them to ask questions, think about what else they would like for you to include in the binder, and even make a binder of their own. Write down detailed instructions on how to access your binder. Help your loved ones practice accessing your binder, especially if it’s protected with a code. Consider giving a digital backup of your binder to your lawyer or estate planner for safekeeping.

Your Life and Legacy Binder is a roadmap to help guide your loved ones when you’re not able to, even in the face of an emergency, incapacitation, or death. Preparing for life’s “what ifs” is not an easy task, but it is a practical, lasting gift of care and security for those you love most.