Retired on Paper

Retired on Paper › Family records › The Family Emergency Binder

The Family Emergency Binder

If something happened to you tomorrow, could your family find everything?

The Family Emergency Binder

Everything the people you love would need to find, in one place.

The bank, the insurance, the pets, who to call first. Fill it in once, tell one person where it is, and your family isn't left hunting through drawers on the worst day.

38 pages · 15 sections · 1,095 fill-in boxes · fillable or printable

It works when you type in it. The boxes line up and the Tab key moves through each page in reading order. It doesn't save itself, so the first page shows you exactly how to save your work.

The sensitive pages are built for a pen. Account numbers, keys, gate codes and where the passwords live go on print-and-write pages, because a file on a computer can be copied in seconds and paper can't.

Fillable PDF on Etsy

What's inside

  1. Start here — how to use it and where to keep it
  2. The first 48 hours — who to call, what can wait, what not to rush
  3. People — family, the person in charge, professionals, who holds a key
  4. Documents — what exists and where it is
  5. Medical — conditions, medicines, doctors, coverage
  6. Money and accounts — banks, cards, loans, income (plus a print-and-write page for full numbers)
  7. Bills and subscriptions — what goes out and when
  8. Insurance — policies, agents, where the paperwork is
  9. Home and property — utilities, vehicles (plus a print-and-write page for keys and codes)
  10. Digital life — devices, accounts (plus a print-and-write page for where passwords live)
  11. Work and benefits — including pensions from decades ago
  12. Pets — food, vet, medications, who takes them
  13. Last wishes — arrangements, who to tell, in your own words
  14. Document checklist — one page that says what exists and where
  15. Notes

Plus a Find your state page, because rules differ everywhere, pointing to the official directories rather than guessing.

The sections inside The Family Emergency Binder
Sample pages from The Family Emergency Binder

What you get

  • The complete binder as a fillable PDF: 38 pages, 15 sections, 1,095 fill-in boxes, and a CLEAR THIS PAGE button on every page that asks before it erases anything
  • A zip of the same binder split into 15 separate section files, so you can open or print only the part you need
  • Print-and-write pages for account numbers, keys, codes and where the passwords live

Who it's for

Anyone whose family would have to go looking.

Fillable PDF on Etsy

Common questions

What do I need to fill it in?

A computer and a free PDF program: Adobe Acrobat Reader, Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge (tested on a Windows computer). No account, no subscription, nothing to sign up for.

Does it save by itself?

No. The first page shows you exactly how to save your work in each of those programs.

Can I print it and use a pen instead?

Yes. Every box prints as a bordered line, so it works with a pen straight out of the printer. Print the whole thing or only the pages you need. US Letter, 8.5 x 11.

Is anything shipped?

No. It's a digital download from our Etsy shop. For personal use in one household.

Please read

This is an organizer, not a legal document. It is not a will, a trust or a power of attorney, and it does not replace any of them. The rules for settling an estate, claiming a benefit or transferring a vehicle differ from state to state and change over time. Nothing here is legal, financial, medical or tax advice, and we are not attorneys. This binder is not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Check anything you rely on with a licensed attorney or advisor in your own state.

This item was created with the use of AI.