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Disaster File – A Simple Way to Prepare for Your Death

Baptiste Wicht | Updated: |

(Disclosure: Some of the links below may be affiliate links)

Today, I talk about a subject that most people would rather not discuss: Death. More specifically, we discuss what will happen to your family after your death.

Even if it is not a funny concern, you should prepare for your death. Not for you. But for people who depend on you. The bills will not stop coming after your death.

Your loved ones just went to the tragic event of your death. Now, they may be faced with new difficulties. What if you are the only one that knows how to get access to the banking system? What if you are the only one with access to all the insurance policies?

A disaster file is one way to help your loved ones during this trouble. Such a file will help in that case, but it will not solve all the possible problems, of course. It is the first step to be better prepared.

Disaster file

A disaster file contains all the necessary information about how to deal with administrative and financial things. This file is meant to be useful once you are dead. Or once you are unable to take care of the finances. Some people also call it a death file or an in-case of death file.

But I think that is a bit sinister. I prefer the name disaster file. And there are some cases when this file can be useful even if you are not dead. Imagine you are in a coma or are disabled. In these cases, the disaster file may be of great help.

So what should be in the disaster file? Many things should be present in this file. The first thing I would add is an introduction letter. You can add a private message to this if you want. What this should contain is instructions on how to use the disaster file. It should list what it contains and what to do to get access to the information. You can also include your last wishes to be clear.

Passwords

If you have not shared this information before, the first actual information in the disaster file should be the password to your personal computer.

If you use your smartphone more than your computer, its password should also be included. I do not recommend including all your passwords in this file. There are too many of them.

On the other hand, I would advise you to add all your passwords to a password manager. For instance, I am using KeePassXC to manage all my passwords. And do not forget about two-factor authentication. Then, you can share a way to access this account, and the recipient of the disaster file will have all your passwords directly! Whether you want to include all your passwords in the file or make them accessible through another means, I think they need to be included.

If you want to know about security, you can read my article about securing your online finances.

Documents

The disaster file should also contain key documents. These will be different from one family to another. If you have a will, this is an excellent place to put a copy of it. You should also include your real estate property documents, insurance policies, work contracts, and tax records.

Depending on what you want, there could be many documents included. What is important is that you include the most important documents. I would also recommend having the digital copy of these documents available somewhere.

Contact information

If you have advisors, you must also prepare a list of them with their contact information. It could be your tax advisor, your financial advisor, your home property manager, or your insurance manager. It is essential that somebody can contact them after your passing. Your estate will not merely end with you. Someone needs to manage it after you. You should probably tell these people who may be able to contact them.

One thing you may not think about is medical information. The first information would be the contact information for the personal doctor. Then, you should include all the details of health insurance policies. These details should also include the medication that is taken by each member of the family. And finally, information about the allergies of everyone.

Personal finance tasks

If you manage most of the family finances and budget, you must include information about that. Ideally, your loved one is already aware of all this. Regardless, include all the information about it in the disaster file. This information should include all you need to do about managing bills and budgets.

I have a set financial routine that I already described on this blog. You should include this routine in your disaster file. Describe everything you do to pay the bills and manage your budget.

Of course, to pay the bills, you need the information on how to get access to all the accounts. You need to describe where your money is. This information should include the login information for your bank, brokerage, and investment accounts.

If you have some physical assets stored in the house, do not forget them. Also, if you have a bank safe, this should indicate to each of them why it is used. Moreover, this should also include information about your investment strategy. And do not forget about your credit card PINs.

You may think that some of this information is probably too much. Indeed, your significant other should already have much of this information available. And this may be true now. But who knows if everything will be remembered in several years.

And what if both you and your loved one die simultaneously? A member of your family or a friend may manage your estate. Or your oldest child could take care of it. In that case, they may have much less information than necessary. That is why your disaster file should be complete.

How to store your disaster file

Of course, it is not enough to write a disaster file. You need to make sure that your significant other can easily get access to it. You should also ensure it is safe from the stranger’s eyes. It contains a lot of sensitive information.

I would advise having several versions of it. Even in these years of Technology, I would recommend a paper version. But I would also do an electronic version that can be accessed safely.

There are many ways to arrange for this, but here is what I would do:

  1. One digital version of the disaster file is on my computer, protected by a password.
  2. One paper version is stored in another home. I would consider storing that in one of my parent’s homes. And maybe one paper version in our own home.

It is much more challenging to lose the digital version than the paper version. Moreover, this will also force you to scan your essential documents. Having everything ready is a good motivation to go paperless.

Another idea is in a safe deposit box. But that is not free and may be a bit over the top. Unless you are managing a large estate, it is probably enough to have two versions.

You can also go the all-digital way. For this, you need to ensure that the recipient of the disaster file has access to the file. For instance, you could simply put the file in your Google Drive account. Or any other cloud storage account. If the account is accessible already by the other person, in case of a disaster, they could easily access the disaster file.

Since this will contain sensitive data, ensure you protect access to this account. Two-factor authentication is once again very important here. In any case, you want to enable two-factor on most of your online accounts. Encryption of your disaster file is also a good idea :)

And do not forget to update your disaster file. If you write a disaster file and do not update it for ten years, it will not be very useful. You should probably revisit it every few months. I think updating it every six months or one year is quite reasonable. Or you can update it each time something in it changes.

Template (my disaster file)

These files are quite personal, so everybody will adapt their own version. However, since many people requested it, here is the table of contents of my disaster file with some notes:

  1. This document – How to read the document
  2. Bank Accounts – All our bank accounts, how to use them, and what they are used for
  3. Credit cards – All our credit cards, how to use them, and what they are used for
  4. Investments – Our investment accounts and investing philosophy
  5. Insurances – List of all our insurance policies
  6. Our Budget – How do we manage a budget
  7. The Poor Swiss – Information about the blog
  8. Lost my phone – What should happen if my phone is lost?
  9. Important Documents – Where are our documents stored, and how to access them?
  10. Passwords – Authentication to all our online services
  11. Personal Finance Routine – How do I manage our money
  12. Loans – List of the loans we have
  13. Assets – Information about our assets, what to do about them
  14. Announce my death – Who to tell if I die
  15. Funeral Arrangements – What to do with my body
  16. Contacts – Who to contact for help?
  17. Updating this document – How to update and maintain this document

I hope this can be useful as a starting point.

Conclusion

A disaster file can be a powerful tool to help your loved ones after passing away.

It may help your loved ones to continue their life. I have written one and shared it with my wife. She reviewed it to make sure it was clear. Since I am managing most of our finances, I think it would be very helpful in the event of my death.

Another good way is also to share all this information while you can. Both people in your couple should have access to the accounts of the family. And both should be aware of what needs to be done for the bills, the insurance, and all that administration stuff. I still think that even in that case, it can help to have a disaster file.

Of course, it is only one of the things you can do to ease the event of your death. One other thing that is important in the event of your death is to prepare a will. If your situation is straightforward, you may not need one. But there are many cases when a will can help.

In another article, I will try to cover what should go into a will and how to do one. One other thing you can do is not be the only one that is in charge of the accounts. It is easier if your spouse is also a legal owner of everything you have. It will help a lot.

Since this is a security article, you can read how to secure your personal finances.

What about you? How did you prepare for your death?

Recommended reading

Photo of Baptiste Wicht
Baptiste Wicht started The Poor Swiss in 2017. He realized that he was falling into the trap of lifestyle inflation. He decided to cut his expenses and increase his income. Since 2019, he has been saving more than 50% of his income every year. He made it a goal to reach Financial Independence and help Swiss people with their finances.
Discover Swiss Financial Secrets That Maximize Your Money!

Learn easy ways to optimize your finances and save thousands in Switzerland with our exclusive e-book. Learn about the most cost-effective financial services tailored for savvy residents and expats!

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4 thoughts on “Disaster File – A Simple Way to Prepare for Your Death”

  1. I have a password manager and I also do a manual file in a private vault through my iPad and phone. Great little app. I print these out from time to time and place in paper file. I have accidentally deleted a password before and even a file. Supposed computers are stolen or damaged? I have digital and paper.

    1. Hi Mitchell,

      That’s a very good idea to actually print it out and keep it safe. I am planning to do this. But I have to say that I have been procrastinating on that item.
      I am just not set on how to have it safe.

      Which password manager do you use?

      Thanks for stopping by!

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