Journey Together
Legal
Last Will & Testament
Living Will / Advance Healthcare Directive
Power of Attorney (POA)
- Why: Directs how your assets are distributed and reduces stress for loved ones.
- Tip: Keep it updated and choose a responsible executor.
- Tools: Use FreeWill, Trust & Will, or Nolo WillMaker to easily create or update your will. Here is why writing a will matters.
Power of Attorney (POA)
Living Will / Advance Healthcare Directive
Power of Attorney (POA)
- Why: Allows someone to manage finances and legal matters if you're unable.
- Tip: Choose someone trustworthy and clear about your expectations.
- Tools: Create legal POA documents using LegalZoom, Rocket Lawyer, or LawDepot.
Living Will / Advance Healthcare Directive
Living Will / Advance Healthcare Directive
Living Will / Advance Healthcare Directive
- Why: Documents your medical care preferences if you're incapacitated.
- Tip: Be specific and review it regularly with your healthcare provider.
- Tools: Use Five Wishes, Prepare for Your Care, or CaringInfo.org to create your directive based on your state.
Healthcare Proxy / Medical POA
Asset & Insurance Documentation
Living Will / Advance Healthcare Directive
- Why: Specific type of advance directive that authorizes someone to make healthcare decisions on your behalf.
- Tip: Pick a strong advocate and communicate your wishes clearly.
- Tools: Assign a proxy using forms from CaringInfo.org, and explore guidance from Everplans or Aging with Dignity.
Legacy & Emergency Information
Asset & Insurance Documentation
Asset & Insurance Documentation
- Why: Centralizes key info (contacts, documents, passwords) for easy access.
- Tip: Keep physical and digital versions updated and accessible to trusted people.
- Tools: Organize your information using the Peace of Mind Planner, In Case of Emergency (ICE) Binder, or Everplans.
Asset & Insurance Documentation
Asset & Insurance Documentation
Asset & Insurance Documentation
- Why: Helps your representative locate and distribute financial and insurance assets.
- Tip: Maintain an updated list of accounts, policies, and beneficiaries.
- Tools: Track and organize finances with a budgeting app, and prepare physical or digital copies of important documentation.
Care Plan
Advance Care Planning (including DNR)
Advance Care Planning (including DNR)
Advance Care Planning (including DNR)
- Why: Ensures that medical teams respect your end-of-life wishes. e.g., no CPR, intubation, do not resuscitate (DNR).
- Tip: Talk openly with your doctor and healthcare proxy about what you want in specific scenarios.
- Tools: Use Five Wishes, PREPARE for Your Care, and state-specific DNR forms (available at hospitals or departments of health).
Ongoing Care Instructions & Routines
Advance Care Planning (including DNR)
Advance Care Planning (including DNR)
- Why: Helps others understand your daily needs if you're unable to manage them yourself.
- Tip: Document daily schedules, medications, symptoms, mobility needs, and food preferences.
- Tools: Try a care app like CaringBridge or a shared document for easy communication with caregivers.
Emergency & Contingency Planning
Advance Care Planning (including DNR)
Emergency & Contingency Planning
- Why: Prepares for unplanned hospitalizations, emergencies, or when the primary caregiver becomes unavailable.
- Tip: Keep an emergency binder with backup contacts, insurance info, medications, and POAs.
- Tools: Downloadable Emergency Medical Info Sheets, or use apps like Pillboxie and MySOS Family.
Long-Term Care Planning
Planning Care For Adult Children with Disabilities
Emergency & Contingency Planning
- Why: Identifies how care will be funded and where it will happen (home, assisted living, skilled nursing).
- Tip: Research costs and coverage (Medicare, Medicaid, long-term care insurance) and have a plan B.
- Tools: Use Genworth's Cost of Care Tool, consult Aging Life Care Association (article from them on planning for care), or meet with an elder law attorney.
Planning Care For Adult Children with Disabilities
Planning Care For Adult Children with Disabilities
Planning Care For Adult Children with Disabilities
- Why: Ensures continuity of care, financial support, and housing for dependents when a caregiver passes.
- Tip: Set up a special needs trust, name guardians or successor caregivers, and document routines.
- Tools: Use The Arc’s Center for Future Planning, ABLE accounts, and connect with a special needs attorney for legal guidance. Here is how to start planning future care for adult children with disabilities.
End-of-Life & Hospice
Planning Care For Adult Children with Disabilities
Planning Care For Adult Children with Disabilities
- Why: Aligns care with your values and relieves loved ones from making those difficult choices.
- Tip: Document preferences around pain management, location of care (home/hospice), and spiritual or cultural needs.
- Tools: Talk with local hospice providers, use The Conversation Project, and explore GoWish Cards to clarify values and wishes.
Funeral Plan
Prepayment or Funeral Insurance
Prepayment or Funeral Insurance
Prepayment or Funeral Insurance
- Why: Reduces financial stress and ensures funds are available specifically for end-of-life expenses.
- Tip: Review options carefully—some prepayment plans are non-transferable or may not cover everything.
- Tools: Consider Funeralwise Prepaid Plans, Lincoln Heritage Funeral Advantage, or talk to your life insurance provider.
Burial OR Cremation
Prepayment or Funeral Insurance
Prepayment or Funeral Insurance
- Why: Clarifies your final wishes and reduces the emotional and financial decision-making burden on loved ones.
- Tip: Decide early, document clearly, and communicate your preferences with your family and in your advance directive.
- Tools: Use Parting.com to compare local funeral homes, or document wishes with Everplans.
Final Resting Place
Prepayment or Funeral Insurance
Memorial Service Planning
- Why: Determines where your remains will go—whether in a cemetery, scattered, or stored—which affects logistics and costs.
- Tip: If you’ve purchased a plot or niche, keep the deed and paperwork accessible; if not, include location preferences.
- Tools: Check availability and pricing through Funeralocity, or explore memorial forests via Better Place Forests.
Memorial Service Planning
Obituary & Death Notifications
Memorial Service Planning
- Why: Allows you to shape your remembrance and lifts the burden of planning off grieving family.
- Tip: Choose readings, music, speakers, or religious/spiritual elements ahead of time and write down your preferences.
- Tools: Use My Wonderful Life or Cake to pre-plan services and share ideas with loved ones. Canva and Template.net also have memorial service templates. Here is more about why planning a memorial in advance can be a gift.
Obituary & Death Notifications
Obituary & Death Notifications
Obituary & Death Notifications
- Why: Helps ensure family, friends, and community are informed while honoring your life story accurately.
- Tip: Draft a basic obituary in advance and store it with your funeral plans; include key people to notify.
- Tools: Use templates from Legacy.com or services like Ever Loved to create and share memorial pages.
Digital Legacy & Memorials
Obituary & Death Notifications
Obituary & Death Notifications
- Why: Manages your digital footprint, accounts, and how you’re remembered online.
- Tip: Designate someone to manage your digital estate and express preferences for online memorials, social media, etc.
- Tools: Many Email and social media platforms have "Inactive Account Manager" or "Memorialization Settings". Funeral homes frequently offer online tributes. GatheringUs and Ever Loved provide online tributes too.
Life Story
Online Memory Archives & Family Trees
Online Memory Archives & Family Trees
Online Memory Archives & Family Trees
- Why: Helps families stay connected across generations and preserves lineage and identity.
- Tip: Build collaboratively with relatives and keep documents, photos, and stories all in one place.
- Tools: Use Ancestry.com, FamilySearch, or MyHeritage to create digital family trees and archive stories.
Legacy Letter
Online Memory Archives & Family Trees
Online Memory Archives & Family Trees
- Why: Shares your values, hopes, and personal reflections—not legal or financial, but deeply emotional.
- Tip: Write to loved ones as if it were your final letter—what do you want them to carry forward?
- Tools: Use templates from Cake or Everyday Legacies. Here are tips on writing a legacy letter.
Photo Memories
Online Memory Archives & Family Trees
Audio or Video Legacy Recordings
- Why: Preserves visual memories and timelines for family members and future generations.
- Tip: Choose a few key events or periods and build around them—include captions, dates, and reflections.
- Tools: Create digital photo books with Mixbook, Shutterfly, or digitize old photos by scanning them.
Audio or Video Legacy Recordings
Audio or Video Legacy Recordings
Audio or Video Legacy Recordings
- Why: Captures your voice, personality, and expressions in ways text alone cannot.
- Tip: Record in short segments (5–10 minutes) on meaningful topics like life lessons, beliefs, or turning points.
- Tools: Explore tools mentioned on MyLifeStories.com, or simply use your phone with apps like Marco Polo.
Passing Down Meaningful Objects
Audio or Video Legacy Recordings
Passing Down Meaningful Objects
- Why: Keeps sentimental items (jewelry, books, heirlooms) tied to your story and personal meaning.
- Tip: Tag items with notes or stories about their significance, and document who they’re intended for.
- Tools: Use Artifcts to record the stories behind physical objects, or make a memory box using LegacyBox.
Writing a Life Story or Memoir
Audio or Video Legacy Recordings
Passing Down Meaningful Objects
- Why: Sharing your journey helps others understand your values, experiences, and lessons learned.
- Tip: Start small—short stories or themes (e.g., childhood, love, resilience); don’t worry about grammar or flow at first.
- Tools: Try guided journaling tools like Storyworth, MemoryGram, or Penzu for digital journaling.