Information Your Family Should Know

Who to contact

Consider the people who would be helpful to reach, their relationship to you and a current way to contact them. Tell them what you hope they can help with; listing a person in an app does not give them legal authority.

• People you want notified first.
• The professional or organization that holds important records.
• A person who knows your household routines.

Your wishes and priorities

Describe what matters to you in everyday language. Separate a preference from an instruction that needs professional or legal preparation. You might note a meaningful tradition, the people you want included or something you would prefer to avoid.

Funeral preferences

You can record preferences to make a later conversation easier. Discuss them with the people likely to make arrangements and ask a funeral provider about practical options. The FTC offers information about planning ahead; preferences recorded in Styson48 are not a purchase or funeral contract.

Source: FTC: Planning your own funeral

Where important information is kept

Record a useful location or the name of the person to ask. Important documents are not uploaded or stored in Styson48. Keep original records in an appropriate secure place.

• “The insurance folder is in the labeled home file.”
• “Ask my attorney where the signed documents are held.”
• “My household contact knows where the pet-care notes are.”

Everyday responsibilities

Think about the small details another person might not know: pet routines, who normally picks up a dependent, or who to contact about an urgent household task. Discuss any responsibility with the person first. A note is not a substitute for arranging qualified ongoing care.

What to leave out

Do not use planning notes for passwords, access codes, recovery codes or full sensitive identity numbers. Avoid hints that reveal the secret itself. Describe how an authorized person can find the appropriate contact or secure process instead.

Start with one conversation

Choose one person and one topic. Ask whether your notes would make sense to someone unfamiliar with your routines. Recheck names, contact details and locations after a move or another important change.