A letter of instruction
the note that tells the people you love where everything is.
How to use this: fill in what you know, leave blanks for what you don't — a blank is a to-do, not a failure. Keep it with your important documents, tell one person it exists, and re-read it once a year. One rule: no passwords in this letter. Say where the keys are — don't be the key ring.
The people to call first
Family first, then the pros who already know you — the attorney, the accountant, the insurance agent, the doctor… the vet.
Where the documents live
Not the papers themselves — where they are. Be embarrassingly specific: "fireproof box, top shelf of the hall closet, blue folder."
Accounts and bills
The map, not the balances: which institutions, what kind of account, how each bill gets paid — so nothing quietly gets missed, or shut off.
Insurance and benefits
Policy numbers, and a real human to call. Don't forget benefits through work — group life insurance is the one most often lost.
Digital access
The password manager is the key to everything now. Point to it — don't copy it out. no passwords on this page
The wishes that aren't in the will
Funeral notes, who takes the pets, the keepsakes with a story — the things you'd hate left to a guess. Bullet points beat silence.
This letter is a map for the people you love — it isn't a will or legal advice.
© 2026 Kate Lastrapes · Pip ·
pip.katelastrapes.com/letter-of-instruction
· free to copy and share with the people you love 🦉