Getting Your Affairs in Order: 7 Things to Organize While Your Memory Is Strong

Key takeaways:

• Organizing documents while your memory is strong can make it easier to explain your wishes, update details and reduce confusion later.

• Key items to organize include legal documents, medical information, financial accounts, insurance policies, property records, digital access and trusted contacts.

• Estate planning rules can vary by state, so talk with an estate planning attorney about wills, powers of attorney, trusts and other legal documents.

• Talk with your doctor or health care provider about advance directives, living wills and who you would trust to speak for you if you could not speak for yourself.

• Review your checklist after major life changes, such as retirement, moving, marriage, divorce, a new diagnosis, the death of a loved one or a change in beneficiaries.

What does it mean to get your affairs in order?

Getting your affairs in order means organizing the information someone may need to help you manage health, financial, legal or personal matters if you become seriously ill, injured or unable to speak for yourself.

It can include formal legal documents, such as a will, power of attorney, advance directive or living will. It can also include practical details that are easy to overlook, such as where you keep insurance policies, how bills are paid, who your doctors are, what medications you take and who should be contacted in an emergency.

This does not have to be only an end-of-life task. It can also be a planning habit for your current life. When your memory is strong and your routines feel familiar, you are often in a better position to make decisions, write things down, ask questions and explain what is important to you.

Why organize important documents while your memory is strong?

Important information is easier to gather before there is a crisis. You may know where the deed is, which account pays the mortgage, who has a spare key or which doctor manages a medication. But that knowledge may not be obvious to a spouse, adult child, caregiver, executor or trusted contact.

A list of accounts and contacts is helpful, but some of the most important details are the ones that explain who can speak for you and what choices you would want made on your behalf.

Dr. Tammy Lovette, MD, ABFM, vice president and medical director at Mutual of Omaha, puts a few of those higher-priority items into focus.

In Mutual of Omaha’s 2026 Aging Well Survey, adults age 50+ most often said they had organized insurance information (57%), financial information (56%) and emergency contacts (49%) to make things easier for themselves or their families. Fewer had organized living will or final care wishes (45%), medication lists (42%) or medical records (38%).*

At the same time, 20% said they had not organized any of those items.* That creates a useful starting point: choose one category, gather what you can and make it easier to find next time.

Getting affairs in order checklist

The best checklist is one you can actually use. Start with the documents and information that would be hardest for someone else to find without you.

1. Legal documents and decision-making authority

Legal documents can help explain who should make decisions, what should happen to your property and what medical care you would or would not want if you could not speak for yourself.

Common documents may include:

• A will

• A trust, if applicable

• A financial power of attorney

• A durable power of attorney for health care or health care proxy

• An advance directive

• A living will

• Beneficiary designation forms

• Guardianship or caregiving documents, if applicable

Estate planning documents can vary by state, and different documents do different things. A will generally explains how you want property handled after death. A financial power of attorney may allow someone to manage financial matters if you are unable to do so. A health care proxy or durable power of attorney for health care names someone you trust to make medical decisions if you cannot. A living will describes the treatments you would or would not want in certain situations.¹

Talk with an estate planning attorney about which documents fit your situation and your state’s requirements. If you already have documents, review whether the named people, addresses and wishes are still current.

2. Medical information and care preferences

Medical details can be hard to remember under pressure. A simple health file can make it easier for a trusted person to help with appointments, medication questions or emergency care.

Include:

• Primary care doctor and specialists

• Pharmacy information

• Current medications and doses

• Allergies

• Health conditions

• Surgeries or hospitalizations

• Health insurance cards

• Medicare or Medicare supplement information, if applicable

• Emergency contacts

• Advance directive or living will

• Health care proxy or durable power of attorney for health care

Medical wishes can be hard for loved ones to interpret if they have never been discussed. Dr. Lovette recommends putting them in writing before decisions feel urgent. “You never know what will happen, so it helps to have your medical wishes and important documents organized before there is a crisis.”

Advance directives are legal documents that allow you to spell out certain medical care decisions ahead of time. A living will can describe treatments you would or would not want if you were dying or permanently unconscious, while a durable power of attorney for health care names someone you trust to make health decisions if you cannot.¹

This is also a good place to write down the conversations you want to have with your doctor. If memory or focus, medication management or appointment follow-through are becoming harder, talk with your doctor.

3. Financial accounts, bills and tax records

A clear financial inventory can help a trusted person understand what money comes in, what bills go out and who to contact if help is needed.

Keep financial documents in a safe, accessible place, and make sure trusted loved ones know where to find them. This can include bank and brokerage statements, mortgage and credit information, insurance policies, pension and retirement benefit summaries, Social Security payment information and contact information for financial and medical professionals.²

You do not need to include balances in a document someone else can see unless you are comfortable doing that. For many people, a simple account list is enough to start.

Consider organizing:

• Checking and savings accounts

• Retirement accounts

• Pension or annuity information, if applicable

• Social Security payment information

• Mortgage, rent or home equity details

• Credit cards and loans

• Regular bills and subscriptions

• Tax returns and tax records

• Contact information for your tax professional, attorney or financial professional

Keep login information separate and secure. Do not put passwords in a folder that many people can access.

If you are helping an aging parent, ask permission before reviewing accounts or making changes. A signed legal document, such as a financial power of attorney, may be needed before you can act on someone else’s behalf.

4. Insurance policies and beneficiary information

Insurance information is one of the most useful categories to gather because policies can be difficult for family members to track down later.

Organize details for:

• Life insurance

• Health insurance

• Medicare or Medicare supplement insurance

• Long-term care insurance, if applicable

• Homeowners or renters insurance

• Auto insurance

• Disability insurance, if applicable

• Employer-sponsored coverage, if applicable

For each policy, write down the company name, policy number, contact information and where the original policy is stored. It may also help to include the agent or customer service contact.

This is also a good time to review beneficiary designations. Beneficiaries listed on life insurance policies, retirement accounts and some financial accounts may not automatically change because you updated a will. If you have had a marriage, divorce, death in the family, new child or other major life event, check whether your beneficiary information still reflects your wishes.

5. Property, personal records and household information

Property records can include more than a house deed. Think about anything someone would need to locate, transfer, maintain or secure.

Include:

• Home deed or mortgage documents

• Vehicle titles

• Safe-deposit box information

• Storage unit information

• Business ownership records, if applicable

• Marriage, divorce or adoption records

• Birth certificates

• Military records

• Pet care instructions

• Spare key locations

• Home security codes or service contacts

• Instructions for utilities, repairs or regular household services

If you own property in more than one state, talk with an estate planning attorney about whether that changes your planning needs. Do not assume one document handles every situation.

6. Digital accounts and passwords

Digital accounts can create confusion for families because so much of daily life now happens online. Bills, bank statements, insurance information, photos, email, cloud storage and subscriptions may all require access.

Start by listing the accounts that would matter most if someone had to help you.

Examples include:

• Email accounts

• Online banking

• Retirement accounts

• Insurance portals

• Mortgage or rent portals

• Utility accounts

• Cellphone and internet accounts

• Social media accounts

• Cloud storage

• Password manager

• Subscription services

• Devices that require a passcode

Do not keep passwords in an unsecured document. A password manager, locked file or other secure system can help, but choose an approach you understand and can maintain.

It also helps to write down where the access instructions are kept and who has permission to use them. If you are not sure how digital access should be handled after death or incapacity, ask an estate planning attorney.

7. Trusted contacts, storage and update plan

A checklist only helps if the right person knows it exists. Once your documents are gathered, decide who should know where they are and how to access them.

Your trusted contact list may include:

• Spouse or partner

• Adult child

• Sibling

• Close friend

• Executor or personal representative

• Attorney

• Tax professional

• Financial professional

• Primary doctor

• Health care proxy or agent named in a power of attorney

You do not have to share every detail with everyone. You might tell one person where the full file is kept and give another person a smaller emergency contact list.

1. Store originals and copies carefully. A fireproof safe, locked filing cabinet or secure digital vault can work, depending on your preferences.

2. Make sure at least one trusted person knows how to find the information and understands what to look for first.

That last step is easy to miss. As Lovette says, “Keeping important documents in a safe place and telling a trusted person where they are can take a burden off family or friends.”

Review your file once a year or after major changes. Retirement, moving, a new diagnosis, a death in the family, marriage, divorce, a new grandchild, a new account or a change in doctors can all be reasons to update your records.

What documents do you need for an aging parent?

If you are helping an aging parent, start with conversation before paperwork. Ask what they have already organized, where documents are stored and who they want involved.

Lovette offers a simple starting point. “Approach planning conversations as a routine matter everyone should address, not as something only one person needs to worry about.”

From there, you can ask about the specific documents and details that would be most helpful to locate.

Useful documents and information may include:

• Emergency contacts

• Medication list

• Doctors and pharmacy information

• Health insurance cards

• Advance directive or living will

• Health care proxy or durable power of attorney for health care

• Financial power of attorney

• Will or trust information

• Insurance policies

• Bank and bill information

• Funeral or final care wishes

• Password or digital access instructions, if they choose to share them

People who manage money or property for someone else, including people named in a power of attorney, court-appointed guardians, trustees and government fiduciaries, may have different responsibilities and limits.³ It is important to understand what authority you do and do not have.

If your parent is open to it, set aside one small task at a time. For example, start by creating a medication list or gathering insurance cards. If the conversation becomes tense, pause and come back to it later.

Where should you keep important documents?

Keep important documents somewhere secure but accessible to the people who may need them. The location matters less than having a system that is clear, updated and known to a trusted person.

You might use:

• A labeled home file

• A fireproof safe

• A bank safe-deposit box

• A secure digital folder

• A password manager

• An attorney’s office, depending on the document

Be careful with safe-deposit boxes. If no one else has legal access, important papers may be hard to reach at the very moment they are needed. Ask your bank and attorney how access works in your state and situation.

Create a one-page “where things are” sheet. It should not list every private detail, but it can tell a trusted person where to find your documents, who to call and what to look for first.

How to start getting your affairs in order

You do not have to finish your full affairs-in-order checklist right away. Use the first week to create momentum.

If that still feels like too much, start with one page: emergency contacts, doctors, medications, insurance information and where to find legal documents. That one page can be useful even before the rest is complete.

Frequently asked questions about getting your affairs in order

What affairs should be in order before death?

Important affairs to organize include legal documents, medical information, financial accounts, insurance policies, beneficiary details, property records, digital access instructions, funeral or final care wishes and trusted contacts. You should also make sure someone you trust knows where to find the information.

What documents do I need for end-of-life planning?

Common end-of-life planning documents may include a will, advance directive, living will, health care proxy or durable power of attorney for health care, financial power of attorney and beneficiary designations. Needs vary by state and personal situation, so talk with an estate planning attorney about which documents fit your circumstances.

Why is it important to have a will and power of attorney?

A will and power of attorney serve different purposes. A will generally explains how you want property handled after death. A power of attorney may allow someone to act for you while you are living if you cannot manage certain decisions yourself. Because rules vary, talk with an estate planning attorney before creating or changing these documents.

What is a living will, and do I need one?

A living will is a legal document that describes the medical treatments you would or would not want if you could not make your own decisions.¹ Whether a living will belongs in your plan depends on your wishes, health situation and state rules. Talk with your doctor or health care provider about care preferences and an estate planning attorney about legal requirements.

How do I get my affairs in order if I do not know where to start?

Start with the basics: emergency contacts, doctors, medications, insurance information, financial accounts and legal documents you already have. Then choose one missing item to work on next, such as updating beneficiaries, talking with an attorney or writing down where documents are stored.

What should you avoid doing immediately after someone dies?

Avoid throwing away paperwork, distributing property, closing accounts or using the person’s credit or debit cards before you understand who has legal authority to act. A funeral home may report the death to Social Security, but if that does not happen, someone should contact Social Security.⁴ The IRS also has rules for final income tax returns after someone dies, so review IRS guidance or speak with a tax professional before handling tax matters.⁵

Should I keep passwords with my important documents?

Do not keep passwords in an unsecured folder or document. Instead, consider a password manager, locked file or another secure system that a trusted person can access if needed. Write down where access instructions are stored, but keep private login details secure.

How often should I update my affairs-in-order checklist?

Review your checklist at least once a year and after major life changes, such as retirement, moving, marriage, divorce, a new diagnosis, a new account, a change in doctors or the death of a loved one. Even a quick review can help keep names, phone numbers, beneficiaries and account details current.

Sources:

*Mutual of Omaha utilized research vendor quantilope to conduct a five-minute online survey about Aging Well. The study included 400 adults age 50 and older with annual household incomes of at least $50,000. Research was conducted June 17-21, 2026.

1. MedlinePlus, Advance Care Directives, reviewed Jan. 14, 2026, accessed Aug. 2026. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000472.htm

2. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Planning for Diminished Capacity and Illness, Jan. 8, 2025, accessed Aug. 2026. https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/educator-tools/resources-for-older-adults/financial-security-as-you-age/planning-for-diminished-capacity-and-illness/

3. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Managing Someone Else’s Money, June 25, 2026, accessed Aug. 2026. https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/managing-someone-elses-money/

4. Social Security Administration, How Social Security Can Help You When a Family Member Dies, 2025, accessed Aug. 2026. https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10008.pdf

5. Internal Revenue Service, File the Final Income Tax Returns of a Deceased Person, Aug. 13, 2025, accessed Aug. 2026. https://www.irs.gov/individuals/file-the-final-income-tax-returns-of-a-deceased-person