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End of Life Planner
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Emergency binder

How to assemble, maintain, and make an emergency binder accessible — paper, digital, or both.

Document inventoryPrintable planner

One source of truth · Not a will

By End of Life PlannerUpdated

What the binder is for

It’s the one place someone can open in a hurry. The contents come from the documents inventory and the planner worksheet. This page is the assembly and access problem: labeling, keeping it current, and making sure a person can actually open it.

Assemble, keep, and hand over

A death binder or EOL binder only works if someone can open it and it stays current.

  1. 01

    Pick one home: a labeled binder, a digital plan, or both that you update together.

  2. 02

    Put an index on top: who to call, where papers live, how to find the rest.

  3. 03

    Add copies and location notes from your documents inventory, using labeled dividers or folders.

  4. 04

    Tell one person where it is, and how they get in.

  5. 05

    Review twice a year, or after a big life change.

Sources

Public references this page draws on. We are not affiliated with these agencies, and this is not legal, medical, or funeral-director advice.

Next steps

Continue with a related guide, worksheet, or product feature.

  • Documents — Find out which end-of-life documents to gather, how to record original locations, and how to organize copies so your family can find them.
  • Planner template — Download a free end-of-life planner PDF with space for contacts, document locations, care notes, final wishes, and digital account instructions.
  • Document vault — Store encrypted copies of family documents, control trusted access, and export your files. Learn about storage limits and how the vault works.

Keep one binder current — paper, digital, or both.

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