Plan ahead,
at your own pace
Nothing is urgent, and that is the best time to start. Pick one small thing. Most of these take an afternoon or one good conversation.
What happens, and when
Times are typical, not rules. Skip anything that doesn’t apply to you.
Start here
Step 1: The first conversation
One calm talk about what they want. It makes everything after it easier.
How to start an end-of-life conversation
A calm, practical way to begin talking about wishes without demanding every answer at once.
Includes a checklist: Conversation starter checklist
- Coming soon
When your parent doesn’t want to talk about it
What to do when the first try goes badly, and how to come back to it.
Includes a script: Coming back to it later
- Coming soon
Getting your siblings on the same page
Agree on who does what before a crisis decides it for you.
Includes a template: Family meeting agenda
An afternoon
Step 2: Find what exists
Where the papers, accounts and keys are, before anyone needs them.
- Coming soon
Find the documents before anyone needs them
Which papers matter, where they usually hide, and how to note where they are.
Includes a checklist: Documents to gather before a crisis
- Coming soon
Keeping track of accounts without sharing passwords
A safe way to list what exists without putting passwords in a shared file.
Includes a template: Account inventory
- Coming soon
One visit
Step 3: Write down their care wishes
What they want if they can’t speak for themselves, and who speaks for them.
- Coming soon
Talking through care wishes: what to ask
Questions that get past “I don’t want to be a burden.”
Includes a script: What matters most to you?
- Coming soon
Advance directives and healthcare proxies, in plain words
What each form does, who signs it, and where copies should go.
Includes a checklist: Advance directive checklist
- Coming soon
A few weeks
Step 4: See a lawyer
A will, a power of attorney, maybe a trust. Know what to ask for.
- Coming soon
Wills, trusts and powers of attorney, explained
What each one does, and which families usually need which.
Includes a checklist: Legal documents your parent may need
- Coming soon
What an estate plan costs, and how to hire the lawyer
Flat fees, hourly rates, and the questions to ask on the first call.
Includes a checklist: Questions to ask an estate planning attorney
- Coming soon
Before care is needed
Step 5: Plan for care costs
What care costs and what insurance covers, while there’s time to plan.
- Coming soon
Paying for long-term care
What Medicare, Medicaid and insurance do and do not cover.
Includes a checklist: Coverage to confirm
- Coming soon
When they’re ready
Step 6: Their funeral wishes
Burial, cremation or something else, chosen calmly and written down.
- Coming soon
Burial, cremation and other choices, before anyone has to decide
Learn the options now, calmly, instead of from a salesperson later.
Includes a template: Funeral wishes record
- Coming soon
Should you prepay for a funeral?
When preneed plans help, when they don’t, and what to read before signing.
Includes a checklist: Before you sign a preneed contract
- Coming soon
Any time
Step 7: Their stories and digital life
Photos, accounts, and their voice, kept safe for later.
- Coming soon
What happens to phones, photos and accounts
The settings to change now so the family can get in later.
Includes a checklist: Digital legacy settings
- Coming soon
Recording your parent’s stories while you can
Simple ways to capture their voice, with questions to start.
Includes a script: Questions for a life story interview
- Coming soon
A gentler beginning
You do not have to plan everything today.
Planning ahead is less about predicting every detail and more about leaving the people you trust with fewer unanswered questions.
Begin with one conversation, one document, or one decision. A useful plan can grow in small, honest steps.
Who can help
The people families usually call in these weeks. Each page explains the service before listing anyone.