The following list provides a starting point for organizing and gathering the information you might need to take care of family members who becomes ill, or at the time of death.

• Name, address, and telephone number of parent’s attorney(s).
• Location of parent’s will and any trust instruments; complete list of beneficiaries with current addresses and telephone numbers.
• Location of copies of the parent’s living will, medical directive, or durable power of attorney with the name, address, and telephone number of the agent.
• Details of desired funeral arrangements; location of burial plot, if any, and deed to it. Name and address of clergy, if appropriate.
• Location of any letter of instruction listing personal property not disposed of by will and the parent’s wishes for it’s distribution.
• Location of important papers: birth certificate, social security card, marriage and divorce certificates, education and military records, other legal documents.
• List of bank accounts, including name, address, and telephone number of each financial institution, account numbers, location of passbooks, checkbooks, certificates of deposits.
• List of stocks, bonds, real estate, and other investments. Name, addresses, and telephone numbers of financial planner, tax advisor, broker, and/or anyone else with knowledge of or control over finances.
• All insurance data (health, life, auto, homeowner/renter policies; any employee benefit or pension plans), including name, address, and telephone number of each insurance company and agent, policy numbers, and locations. Location of safe-deposit box and key(s) with a list of the contents and names of anyone with access to it.
• Location of receipts and appraisals for valuables.
• List of active credit accounts (mortgage companies, banks, oil companies, department stores, etc.), including name and address of each company, account number, and type.
• Complete information, including substantiating documentation, about any personal loans the parents owe or are owed.
• Location of copies of tax returns for the past 3 years, copies of any gift or estate tax returns filed during the period.

Contact Aging Wisely today for caregiver assistance and help for your aging parents or eldercare concerns.

Information adapted from Document Locator List provided by the Foreign Service Worker Family Liaison Office.