Should Your Elderly Parents or You Be Living Alone? 12 Warning Signs

This template can be used as a checklist for documents you should store securely and share with others. Always keep original documents. Make copies of the most important ones (marked with an *) and have them certified. Store these separately, such as in a safe deposit box.

Document	Share with
☐ Adoption or guardianship papers*	Personal attorney, executor
☐ Annuity contracts	Financial advisor
☐ Bank account documents	Add name(s)
☐ Bank loan agreements	Add name(s)
☐ Bank statements	Add name(s)
☐ Birth certificates*	Add name(s)
☐ Business licence*	Add name(s)
☐ Cancelled checks	Add name(s)
☐ Cemetery deeds	Heir
☐ Citizen papers*	Executor
☐ Credit card statements	Add name(s)
☐ Death certificates	Executor
☐ Degree and diploma certificates	Add name(s)
☐ Divorce decree and settlement papers	Personal attorney
☐ Employee benefits	Add name(s)
☐ Employment contract	Add name(s)
☐ Health or medical records	Family doctor
☐ Home improvement documents	Add name(s)
☐ House and real estate deeds and titles*	Add name(s)
☐ Identity documents*	Add name(s)
☐ Immunization records	Family doctor
☐ Insurance policies	Financial advisor
☐ Investment account statements/portfolios	Financial advisor
☐ Inventory of household items	Financial advisor
☐ Inventory of documents – use this checklist	Add name(s)
☐ Valuable possessions (art, jewelry, precious stones, etc.) valuation certificates	Executor
☐ Lawsuits	Personal attorney
☐ Letter of last instructions	Executor
☐ Marriage certificate	Executor
☐ Medical directives	Executor, heir
☐ Medical bills	Add name(s)
☐ Military discharge	Add name(s)
☐ Mortgage documents	Add name(s)
☐ Naturalization or immigration certification	Add name(s)
☐ Passports*	Add name(s)
☐ Passwords	Add name(s)
☐ Pension plan documents	Financial advisor
☐ Powers of attorney	Family doctor, heir
☐ Prenuptial agreement*	Add name(s)
☐ Property tax assessment	Add name(s)
☐ Property titles – boats, aircraft, etc.	Add name(s)
☐ Receipts of items under warranty	Add name(s)
☐ Receipts of very expensive items	Add name(s)
☐ Repeat medication prescription	Family pharmacist
☐ Retirement plan benefits	Financial advisor
☐ Safe deposit box inventory	Add name(s)
☐ Social security cards and statements	Financial advisor (statements)
☐ Stock and bond certificates	Add name(s)
☐ Tax deductibles – supporting documentation	Add name(s)
☐ Tax return with supporting documentation	Add name(s)
☐ Trust declarations or agreements	Executor, heir
☐ Vehicle repair receipts	Add name(s)
☐ Vehicle titles	Add name(s)
☐ Vehicle registration	Add name(s)
☐ Warranties with receipts	Add name(s)
☐ Will	Executor, heir