How to leave instructions for your family — the practical guide
If you couldn't answer your phone tomorrow, would your family know what to do on Monday? This isn't about inheritance — it's about operations: what gets paid, where the papers are, who to call, how the business keeps going.
Leaving instructions doesn't take lawyers or weeks. It takes a method. This is the one we use at FamiliaLista, and you can start it today in one afternoon.
The life manual: 6 sections
- Key people: who finds out first, in what order, and who makes decisions — with current phone numbers.
- Money in and out: accounts, auto-payments, debts, and dates — so nothing bounces or piles up.
- Documents: where the certificates, policies, deeds, and contracts live — physically and digitally.
- The business: active clients, outstanding invoices, vendors, and the one person who can keep it afloat.
- Access: not loose passwords — the HOW of getting in securely when the time is right.
- Your words: the messages you want each person to receive from you. The part no one else can write.
The notebook problem
The notebook or spreadsheet goes stale, gets lost, or gets found by the wrong person. A living system updates in minutes, stays encrypted, and is delivered only to who you chose, only when truly needed — until then it's private, and it's never sold or shared.
Your life's operations manual, ready in an afternoon
FamiliaLista stores your instructions, messages, and access — and delivers them to your people only if you're ever gone or unreachable. Via WhatsApp and email, in English and Spanish.
Start free →Familia plan from $79/year · Your family, ready. No matter what.
Frequently asked questions
How often should I update my instructions?
A review twice a year (or after big changes: a move, a new account, a birth) is enough. That's why digital beats the notebook: editing takes minutes and the stale version disappears.
Who should receive my instructions?
Two to five people, in layers: who acts first (spouse, sibling), who supports (adult child, business partner), and who verifies. FamiliaLista delivers each person only THEIR part — your business partner doesn't need your letters to your kids.
Is it safe to put this information on a platform?
Safer than the real-world alternative (paper slips, phone notes, an unencrypted spreadsheet). Information is stored encrypted and shared with NO ONE while you keep responding to your check-ins. You control what, who, and when.
Does this replace a will?
No — they complement each other. The will is the legal inheritance document; the life manual is immediate operations. The lawyer takes months; your family needs the manual in hours.
More guides to get your family ready
An accident or hospitalization can pause your life without warning. How to keep your home and business running.Will vs. life operations manual: what each one covers
A will decides who inherits; a life manual solves what to do tomorrow morning. Why your family needs both.How to start the conversation with your family
Why it's hard, gentle ways to open the door, and exactly what to cover — so no one has to guess.Questions to cover at the family table
The list to sit down together and cover what matters: money, documents, health, wishes and more.Digital accounts & RUFADAA
Who can access your accounts after death, the law's 3-tier priority, and the steps that actually work.Digital inheritance in Mexico
Mexico's digital-legacy law, the 'albacea digital,' and how to leave your accounts ready — plus other countries.See all guides →
All 18 guides to get your family ready, in one place.