Guides

Getting your affairs in order, one plain-English guide at a time

Practical, judgment-free help — written by Daniel Kuh, maker of the In Case Anything Happens planner. Every figure cited to its official source.

If someone has died

What to Do When Someone Dies: A Complete Checklist

First hours to first months — who to call in what order, what can wait, and the deadlines that matter. Almost nothing has to happen today.

If someone has died · 9 min read

Checklist After the Death of a Parent (Printable)

The parent-specific path: siblings and the executor question, a surviving parent, the house — and whether you owe their debts (generally, no).

If someone has died · 8 min read

Funeral Planning Checklist: Decisions, Real Costs, and Your Rights

Every decision in order, median costs from the industry's own data, your rights under the FTC Funeral Rule, and the veteran benefits most families never claim.

If someone has died · 8 min read

If you're planning ahead

The 10 Documents Your Family Needs Before a Crisis, Not After

The printable checklist of the ten papers a family reaches for first: what each one is, where to get it, and where it should live.

Planning ahead · 8 min read

Final Wishes: What to Write Down, Where to Keep It, and a Template You Can Print

A final wishes document is not a will. It is the one page your family reads first. Here is what goes on it, an example, a free printable template, and which parts need to be made legal.

Planning ahead · 8 min read

End-of-Life Planning Checklist: Every Decision, Document, and Login, in Order

The complete, printable checklist — care decisions, legal documents, the money map, digital access, funeral wishes, and who to tell — plus the version for when time is short.

Planning ahead · 9 min read

Getting Your Affairs in Order: The Complete Checklist

The documents, accounts, passwords and wishes your family would need — organized as three doors, with a 30-minute quick-start and a printable version.

Planning ahead · 7 min read

The Family Emergency Binder: What to Include

The eight categories, exactly what goes in each, where to keep it, and how often to update it — one binder that covers both disasters and the hardest day.

Planning ahead · 7 min read

Estate Planning Checklist: The Documents, the Access, and When You Need a Lawyer

The six documents in plain English, which ones you can do with free state forms (per the NIA), and the step everyone skips — making them findable.

Planning ahead · 6 min read

Apple Digital Legacy, Explained: Who to Choose — and What Happens If You Never Set It Up

The setting that decides whether your family gets your photos and messages — or faces a court order. Who to choose, what they can access, and the gap it leaves open.

Planning ahead · 6 min read