Nobody wakes up thinking, “Today’s the day I tackle estate planning.” And yet here you are — which means you’re either slightly morbid, refreshingly responsible, or someone just scared you straight. Either way: welcome. Let’s get your sh*t together.
This isn’t a 40-page legal guide written by someone who billable-hours you into a coma. It’s a plain-English checklist of every document and task you need to make sure the people you love aren’t left holding a bag of confusion, legal fees, and unanswered passwords when you’re gone.
Morbid? Maybe. Necessary? Absolutely.
The Estate Planning Checklist (2026 Edition)
Print this. Screenshot it. Tattoo it on your forearm. Just don’t ignore it.
☐ 1. Last Will & Testament
What it does: Tells the world who gets your stuff, who raises your kids, and who’s in charge of making it all happen (your executor).
Why it matters: Dying without a will means the state decides all of that for you. And spoiler: the state doesn’t know you wanted your vintage guitar collection to go to your sister, not your estranged uncle.
What to do: Write a will. It doesn’t have to be complicated. If your estate is straightforward — a house, a bank account, a dog with expensive taste — a simple will gets the job done. Killswitch has one for $69.
☐ 2. Financial Power of Attorney (POA)
What it does: Names someone to manage your money and financial decisions if you become incapacitated — before you die, not after.
Why it matters: If you’re in a coma or seriously ill, your bank account is essentially frozen to everyone except you. No one can pay your mortgage, your credit card, or your Netflix subscription on your behalf — not even your spouse — without this document.
What to do: Name a trusted person as your financial POA. This is someone who will act in your financial best interest, not their own. Killswitch’s POA is $39.
☐ 3. Advance Healthcare Directive / Living Will
What it does: Specifies your medical wishes if you can’t speak for yourself, and often names a Healthcare Proxy (someone to make medical decisions for you).
Why it matters: Without this, your family may be forced to make impossible decisions under extreme stress — or worse, fight about them. You get to spare them that nightmare by deciding now.
What to do: Answer questions like: Do you want life support if there’s no chance of recovery? Who makes medical calls when you can’t? Killswitch’s Healthcare Directive is $39.
Start with these three. Will + POA + Healthcare Directive = the core stack. Killswitch bundles all three for $99 — and you can finish all of them in about 30 minutes.
☐ 4. Beneficiary Designations
What it does: Tells your life insurance company, 401(k), IRA, and bank accounts who gets that money directly — bypassing probate entirely.
Why it matters: Here’s the thing most people don’t know: your will does NOT control who inherits your retirement accounts or life insurance. Beneficiary designations do. And they override everything else.
What to do: Log into every account. Check who’s listed. Update them after any major life event — marriage, divorce, new baby. This one’s free. Just do it.
☐ 5. Digital Asset Inventory
What it does: Documents your online accounts, passwords, crypto wallets, subscriptions, and anything else that lives in the cloud.
Why it matters: The average person has 100+ online accounts. Without a record, your family has no idea your email password, your crypto seed phrase, or that you had $4,000 in a forgotten brokerage account. That money doesn’t automatically come with you — but it also can’t easily go to them.
What to do: Create a secure document (use a password manager or encrypted file) that lists: login credentials, financial accounts, crypto wallets, subscription services, social media accounts with instructions for memorialization or deletion. Store it somewhere accessible — not just in your head.
☐ 6. Letter of Instruction
What it does: A non-legal companion to your will that gives your family practical guidance — funeral preferences, where documents are stored, who to call, what to do with your stuff that doesn’t have monetary value.
Why it matters: Your will handles the legal. Your letter handles the human. It’s the difference between “technically covered” and “actually helpful.”
What to do: Write a letter. Be honest. Tell them where the will is, who your lawyer is, what you want done at your funeral, and what happens to the family dog. This doesn’t have to be formal — just clear.
☐ 7. Safe Storage of Documents
What it does: Ensures your critical documents don’t get lost, destroyed, or — worse — found by the wrong person.
Why it matters: A will that no one can find might as well not exist. Same goes for your POA and healthcare directive.
What to do: Choose a safe storage method:
- Fireproof home safe — accessible, secure
- Safe deposit box — secure, but can be tricky to access quickly in emergencies
- Secure digital storage — backed up, encrypted, cloud-stored copies of signed originals
- Attorney’s office — if you worked with a lawyer to draft them
Pick one. Use it.
☐ 8. Tell Someone Where Everything Is
What it does: The most underrated step in estate planning. None of this matters if no one knows it exists.
Why it matters: Families regularly miss out on assets, miss deadlines, and get blindsided — not because documents didn’t exist, but because no one knew where to look.
What to do: Tell your executor, your spouse, or a trusted family member:
- Where physical documents are stored
- How to access your digital inventory
- Who your attorney, financial advisor, and accountant are
- The location of your safe and combination (or how to find it)
This conversation takes 20 minutes. It might save your family months of chaos.
Start Here: If You Do Nothing Else
If this list feels overwhelming, narrow it down to the three that actually require legal documents:
- Will — Who gets what, who’s in charge
- Financial POA — Who manages money if you’re incapacitated
- Healthcare Directive — Who makes medical decisions, and what you want
These three form the minimum viable estate plan. Everything else matters — but these are the ones that can leave your family in legal limbo if missing. Killswitch bundles all three for $99 and walks you through them step by step.
When to Update Your Estate Plan
Estate planning isn’t a one-and-done activity. Revisit your documents whenever:
- You get married — Add your spouse as a beneficiary; update your will
- You get divorced — Remove your ex from everything immediately. Like, today.
- You have a child — Name a guardian; update beneficiaries
- Someone on your plan dies — Update executors, POAs, healthcare proxies
- You buy a home or major asset — Ensure it’s covered in your will or trust
- You move to a different state — Laws vary; your documents may need adjustment
- 5 years have passed — Just review it. Life changes fast.
Will vs. Trust: Do You Need Both?
Quick answer: most people only need a will. Trusts are more complicated and typically matter if you have significant assets, complex family situations, or specific goals like avoiding probate in multiple states. If you’re a regular human with regular stuff, a will + the documents above gets you most of the way there.
FAQ
The Bottom Line
You’ve been putting this off because it feels like the kind of thing you need a lawyer, an afternoon, and a stiff drink to deal with. Turns out you need about 30 minutes and $99.
Start your estate plan at Killswitch →
Will. POA. Healthcare Directive. Done. Your family will thank you — even if they never have to use it.
