What information should I leave for my family?

Why this matters

When someone dies, the people closest to them often face a difficult practical task alongside their grief: finding things. Bank accounts, insurance policies, pension details, the name of the solicitor, the funeral wishes, even the password to the household email. Most families don't know what exists, let alone where it's kept.

Leaving clear, organised information is one of the kindest practical things you can do. It doesn't need to happen in a day, and it isn't about expecting the worst — it's simply good housekeeping for the people you love.

1. Your will and legal documents

Your will is the single most important document your family will need. What matters most is not its contents — those are between you and your solicitor — but where it is. Record where the original is stored, where a copy is kept, and the name and contact details of the solicitor or firm who holds it.

The same applies to other formal documents many Irish families have: an Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA), an Advance Healthcare Directive, or arrangements made through the Decision Support Service. Note what exists, where it's kept, and who can explain it.

• Where the original will is stored (solicitor's office, home safe, bank)
• Solicitor or law firm name and contact details
• Whether you have an EPA or Advance Healthcare Directive, and where they're kept
• Names of any executors or attorneys you've appointed

2. Money, accounts and policies

Make a simple list of the financial institutions you deal with — banks, credit unions, pension providers, insurers, investment platforms. For each, the provider's name and a rough idea of what the account or policy is will be enough for your family to start the right conversations.

You should never record online banking passwords, PINs or security answers. A list of providers and account references is what helps; your family will deal with each institution directly and securely.

• Bank and credit union accounts (which institutions, not login details)
• Pension providers and policy numbers
• Life, home, car and health insurers
• Mortgage or loan providers
• Approximate locations of statements and policy documents

3. Regular payments and subscriptions

Recurring payments are easy to overlook: streaming services, gym memberships, phone plans, cloud storage, charity donations, insurance renewals. After a death, these can quietly continue for months from an account nobody is watching.

A short list — service name, roughly how much, how it's paid and how to cancel it — saves your family real money and hassle.

4. Your home

Who is the mortgage with, or who is the landlord? Which companies supply the electricity, gas, broadband and bins? Is there a home alarm, and who holds a spare key? Where are the deeds or the BER certificate?

None of this is dramatic — it's simply the practical knowledge one person in a household usually carries in their head.

5. Your digital life

Email accounts, social media, photos stored in the cloud, online shopping accounts — our digital lives are larger than we think. Record which services you use and any instructions for what you'd like done with them.

Don't write down passwords in a notebook or a document. Use a reputable password manager for the passwords themselves, and simply note that it exists and who should be told about it.

6. Your wishes

Burial or cremation? Church service or something quieter? Music you'd love, readings you wouldn't? Most people have preferences they've never said out loud, and families left guessing often worry afterwards about whether they got it right.

Writing your wishes down — even loosely — removes that burden. Remember: these wishes are guidance for your family, not a legal document, and that's exactly what makes them so helpful.

7. The people

List the people who matter professionally and personally: your solicitor, accountant, financial adviser, GP, close friends who should be contacted, neighbours who look out for the house, and anyone who helps care for a pet or dependant.

How to actually do this

Don't try to do it all in one sitting. Pick one area — most people start with their will and their bank accounts — and spend twenty minutes on it. Save what you have and come back next month.

This is exactly what When I'm Gone is built for: one secure, private place with gentle sections for each of these areas, so you can record things at your own pace and update them whenever life changes. It's not a legal will and doesn't replace a solicitor — it's the organised guide that sits alongside those documents.