Getting your affairs in order sounds like something you do when you’re old. Or sick. Or when something bad almost happened.
But the families who are most grateful — and the people who sleep most soundly — aren’t the ones who waited. They’re the ones who spent one afternoon organizing everything before anyone needed it.
This guide walks you through exactly what “getting your affairs in order” means and how to actually do it — without an attorney, without overwhelm, and without spending a weekend buried in paperwork.
What Does “Getting Your Affairs in Order” Actually Mean?
It means making sure the people you love can handle your life if you can’t.
That includes:
- Knowing where your money is
- Finding your legal documents
- Understanding your wishes for medical care
- Knowing what to do first if you die
Right now, none of that is obvious to anyone but you. Your accounts exist in a dozen different places. Your passwords are in your head. Your wishes for a funeral are something you’ve thought about but never written down.
Getting your affairs in order means changing that.
Step 1: Legal Documents
These are the foundations. Without them, your family may have no legal authority to act on your behalf — even your spouse.
What you need:
Will and Testament
Your will directs where your assets go and who is responsible for carrying out your wishes. If you have minor children, it also names their guardian. Without a will, the state decides.
Power of Attorney (Financial)
This authorizes someone to manage your financial affairs if you’re incapacitated. Without it, your family may need a court order to pay your bills or access your accounts while you’re alive but unable to act.
Healthcare Directive / Living Will
This document your wishes for medical treatment if you can’t communicate them — resuscitation preferences, life support, organ donation. Without it, your family must make these decisions under enormous pressure, often without knowing what you would have wanted.
Healthcare Proxy / Medical Power of Attorney
Name a specific person to make medical decisions on your behalf. Different from a living will — this names who decides, not just what to decide.
Trust (if applicable)
Trusts avoid probate and provide more control over how assets are distributed. Not everyone needs one, but if you own significant property or want to provide for a minor child or family member with special needs, consult an estate attorney.
Where to keep them: In your organized document system — somewhere your executor can find them immediately. Give a copy to your attorney and let your executor know where the originals are.
Step 2: Financial Accounts
Your family needs to know where your money is. Not because they’re inheriting it — because they need to notify institutions, stop billing cycles, and manage the estate during probate.
Make a complete list of:
- Bank accounts (checking, savings) — institution, account number, branch phone
- Investment accounts — brokerage name, account number, financial advisor contact
- Retirement accounts — 401(k), IRA, pension — plan administrator contact
- Life insurance policies — company, policy number, how to file a claim, beneficiaries
- Annuities
- Outstanding debts — credit cards, student loans, mortgage, car loans, personal loans
Check your beneficiary designations. Retirement accounts and life insurance pay directly to named beneficiaries, bypassing your will entirely. Outdated beneficiaries — an ex-spouse, a deceased parent — mean the wrong people get the money. Review these every few years.
Step 3: Property and Physical Assets
What to document:
- Real estate deeds — address, mortgage lender, account number
- Vehicle titles — where they’re stored
- Safe deposit box — which bank, branch, where the key is
- Storage unit — facility, unit number, access code, what’s inside
- Valuable personal property — jewelry, art, collectibles, and your wishes for who gets what
Step 4: Digital Life
This is the category most people forget entirely.
Your digital footprint includes financial accounts, email, social media, subscription services, and potentially domain names or business accounts — all of which need to be accessed, closed, or transferred after you’re gone.
What to document:
- Email accounts (Gmail, Outlook, etc.) — login and password
- Online banking — login and how to access
- Social media — Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and what you want done with each (memorialized, deleted, or closed)
- Subscription services to cancel — Netflix, Spotify, Amazon Prime, Apple, streaming services, magazines
- Password manager — the master password or login
- Domain names or websites you own
- Any cryptocurrency or digital assets — how to access the wallet
Don’t store passwords in plain text in a physical document unless it’s locked away. The Orderly Affairs kit includes a USB drive specifically for digital files and a lockable storage box to keep everything secure.
Step 5: Personal Identification Documents
These are the documents your family will need to file death certificates, apply for benefits, and close accounts.
Gather and store:
- Social Security card and number
- Birth certificate
- Passport
- Marriage certificate
- Divorce decree (if applicable)
- Military discharge papers / DD-214 (if applicable)
- Citizenship or naturalization papers
- Medicare / Medicaid cards
Step 6: Insurance Policies
Your family needs to know what coverage you have, who to call, and how to file claims.
- Life insurance — company, policy number, agent contact, how to claim
- Health insurance — carrier, member ID, how to handle outstanding medical claims
- Homeowner’s or renter’s insurance — carrier, policy number, agent
- Auto insurance — carrier, policy, agent
- Long-term care insurance
- Umbrella or liability policy
Step 7: Final Wishes
These conversations are uncomfortable. That’s exactly why they’re so important to write down.
What to document:
- Burial vs. cremation preference
- Funeral service preferences — religious or secular, formal or informal, location
- Cemetery plot (if pre-purchased)
- Pre-paid funeral arrangements — funeral home, contract details
- Organ donation preferences
- Obituary notes — what you want mentioned, tone, who to credit
- Who should be notified — family, friends, colleagues, organizations
- Special requests — music, readings, who speaks
A letter of instruction (informal, not legally binding) is one of the most meaningful things you can leave. Write it in plain language. Tell your family what mattered to you.
Step 8: Practical Information
The things no one thinks to document until they desperately need them.
- Utility accounts — electric, gas, water, internet — provider names, account numbers
- Mortgage or lease — lender/landlord, account number, monthly amount
- Recurring automatic payments — what comes out every month, from which account
- Home alarm system — company, code, contact
- Key contacts — attorney, accountant, financial advisor, doctor
- Location of important physical items — spare keys, safe combination, valuables
How to Store It All
Documents are useless if no one can find them.
Physical documents need a central location — not scattered across filing cabinets and desk drawers. A single organized storage system that your family knows about is the goal.
Digital files need a backup — a USB drive kept with your physical documents works well.
The location needs to be known by at least one trusted person: your spouse, an adult child, or your executor. Write down where it is and give them a heads up.
Security matters. Financial documents, passwords, and legal papers should be locked or stored somewhere that only trusted people can access. Not hidden — organized and secure.
The Fastest Way to Do This
The Orderly Affairs kit was built specifically for this process. Instead of staring at a blank binder, wondering where to start, you get:
- 57 pre-labeled folders covering every category above — already organized and ready
- 82 double-sided instruction sheets — the front guides you through what to gather, the back tells your family what to do with it
- A USB drive for digital files and passwords
- A fireproof document bag for your most critical papers
- A durable lockable storage box to keep everything together and safe
Most people complete the full setup in one afternoon. Not because it’s simple — but because all the structure is already done for you.
Shop the Orderly Affairs kits →
A Note on Timing
There is no version of this where you waited too long and nothing bad happened.
There is a version where you waited too long, and something did.
The people who avoided that outcome aren’t the ones who started early out of pessimism. They’re the ones who started early because they understood what they were actually doing: taking care of their family before anyone needed care.
This afternoon is a good time to start.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean to get your affairs in order?
Getting your affairs in order means organizing your legal documents, financial accounts, insurance policies, digital accounts, and final wishes so your family can manage your estate and carry out your wishes without having to search for information during an already difficult time.
What are the most important documents to organize?
The most important documents are your will, power of attorney (financial and healthcare), healthcare directive, life insurance policies, bank and retirement account information, and personal identification documents (Social Security card, birth certificate, passport).
How long does it take to get your affairs in order?
Most people complete a thorough review in one afternoon — typically 2 to 4 hours. The hardest part is usually gathering documents scattered across different places. Using an organized system like the Orderly Affairs kit makes the process significantly faster.
Do I need an attorney to get my affairs in order?
You need an attorney to create or update legal documents like a will, trust, or power of attorney. But organizing those documents — along with your financial accounts, insurance, and final wishes — is something you can do yourself. That’s what a document organization system like Orderly Affairs is for.
What happens if you die without getting your affairs in order?
If you die without organized documents, your family faces weeks of searching for accounts, policies, and paperwork while grieving. Accounts may go unfound. Insurance claims may be missed. Without a will, the state distributes your assets according to default rules that may not match your wishes. Beneficiary designations may be outdated. The process becomes longer, more expensive, and more painful than it needed to be.
Related Reading
In Case of Death Folder: What to Include
The Best Gift for Aging Parents
The Orderly Affairs kit gives you 57 pre-labeled folders, step-by-step instructions, and everything your family needs — in one box. On sale from $119. Shop now →
About the Author
The Orderly Affairs Team
Orderly Affairs helps families get their important documents in order before they are needed. We are not lawyers or financial advisors. We are people who believe getting organized is one of the kindest things you can do for the people you love. Everything we write is meant to make a hard topic simple and clear.