Planning ahead is a critical aspect of your comprehensive estate planning and it doesn’t stop just at the creation and signing of your documents. While creating and signing these documents is certainly a key component of ensuring that your wishes are respected and that you have answered many of the most important questions around the topics of estate planning, it’s imperative that your loved ones be able to access the information necessary to carry out these wishes.

These documents need to be stored and quickly located if something happens to you. Either your spouse or other family members should have access to the following materials in case of an emergency:

• Email account information.
• Pins or passwords to access your phone or your computers.
• A list of insurance policies and financial accounts, including passwords, login details and websites to access that login information.
• List of your intangible and tangible property.
• Your health care and financial power of attorney documents.
• Any estate planning documents that outline your wishes, including a will or a trust.

In the immediate aftermath of an accident impacting your ability to take care of yourself, or in the sudden event of your passing away, you need the support of your family members to be able to take action quickly. If they don’t know where to find these important documents, their ability to take action for your estate plan could be extremely limited.