The best end of life planner is the one that covers your accounts and digital access as well as your medical and legal wishes, matches your country, suits how you work, and actually gets finished. Planners come as guided workbooks, pocket binders, fillable PDFs, and printable templates, and they differ more in what they prompt you to record than in how they look. This guide shows how to compare them, and where our own planner fits.
Key takeaways
- Judge a planner by what it prompts you to record, not by its cover. Check for digital access: passcodes, two-factor apps, and recovery emails.
- Match the format to how you work: paper if you will fill it in once, fillable if you expect to keep updating it.
- Country matters. Pension, tax, and health terms differ, so a US planner may ask about things that don't apply to you.
- A planner organizes information. It does not replace a will, a power of attorney, or a health care proxy.
- Free guides from the National Institute on Aging and The Conversation Project are a good start with any planner.
What should the best end of life planner include?
At minimum, the best end of life planner records where your documents are, who to call, what you own and owe, how to get into your accounts, and what matters to you. If a planner skips one of those, you will end up keeping that information somewhere else.
| Category | What a good planner prompts for | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Legal and medical | Where the will, power of attorney, health care proxy, and advance directive are kept; the names of the people you chose; your doctors | The planner points to the legal documents. It does not replace them. |
| Money | Bank, investment, and retirement accounts, insurance policies, debts, and recurring payments | Your executor can't act on accounts they don't know exist. |
| Digital access | Phone passcodes, authenticator apps, recovery emails, your password manager, and any legacy contact you set up | Locked devices and two-factor prompts stop access to everything behind them. |
| Final wishes | Funeral or memorial preferences and who to notify | It removes guesswork at the hardest moment. |
| What matters to you | Values, messages, and instructions that are not paperwork | It helps the people deciding for you act on your priorities. |
| Where everything is | A page that says where originals, copies, and keys are stored | The best record is useless if no one can find it. |
Why does digital access need its own check?
A passcode or a two-factor prompt can lock your family out of an account even when they know the password. Apple, for example, lets you name a Legacy Contact, someone you choose to have access to certain data in your Apple Account after your death.
The contact needs an access key that you share, and Apple reviews the request before granting access. A planner with a spot for who your contact is and where the key is kept saves your family a step. Our guides to managing your digital estate and preventing digital lockout cover this in more depth.
What about the medical side?
Most planners record who your health care agent is and where the paperwork is kept. The Conversation Project offers a free Guide to Choosing a Health Care Proxy if you haven't decided yet. Once you have, your planner is the place to note who they are and where the signed form lives.
Which type of end of life planner is best?
There is no single best type. The best end of life planner for you depends on whether you want guidance or blank forms, paper or a file, and a US or local edition. The table compares the common types.
| Type | Best for | Watch for | How to judge it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guided workbook or journal (printed) | One physical record, with prompts so you aren't starting from a blank page | Pages can't be edited, so changes mean crossing out | Count the sections that prompt for digital access and money details |
| Pocket binder or organizer | Keeping originals, copies, and forms together | It stores paper but may give little guidance on what to write down | Check the pockets and whether guided pages are included |
| Fillable digital (PDF) | Details that change often, or relatives who live far apart | The file is only as safe as where you store it | Confirm it saves properly on your device and keep an offline copy |
| Printable template | Low cost and customizing the layout yourself | You print and assemble it, and prompt quality varies | Look at sample pages before you commit |
| Country edition | Anyone whose accounts and benefits are outside the US | A US planner may ask about programs that don't apply to you | See whether it uses your country's terms |
| Free guides (NIA, The Conversation Project) | A no-cost start on documents and conversations | They guide checklists and talks, not a record of your accounts | Use them alongside any planner |
The Conversation Project's own free guide has a practical warning for fillable PDFs: save a copy to your computer first, or what you type will not be saved. Test any fillable file before you spend an evening filling it in.
Paper or digital: which should you choose?
Choose paper if you will fill the planner in once and hand it to your executor. Choose digital if your accounts and passwords change often or your family lives in different places. Many people end up using both: a printed copy for the originals and a fillable file for updates.
If you choose a fillable file, give it a clear name, keep one copy offline, and update it whenever a passcode or account changes. A planner that is out of date can cause as much confusion as no planner at all.
Whichever you pick, store it where your executor can find it. The National Institute on Aging advises putting important papers and copies of legal documents in one place and making sure someone knows where that place is.
Does your country change which planner is best?
Yes. The accounts and benefits your family has to deal with depend on where you live. A US planner naturally refers to Social Security and Medicare. A Canadian one should refer to CPP and RRSPs. A UK one should refer to the State Pension and ISAs. If a planner asks about programs that don't exist where you live, you will spend time translating instead of recording.
Lamorial publishes editions for several markets: the US edition, a Canadian edition, a UK edition, and an Australia and New Zealand edition.
What can't a planner do?
A planner can't make a document legally valid. It organizes information and points to the documents that do. For that you need a will, a power of attorney, and a health care proxy that meet your state's rules.
“We believe that the place for this to begin is at the kitchen table—not in the intensive care unit—with the people who matter most, before it’s too late.”
If you are still deciding which documents you need, start with our estate planning basics guide and the legal document checklist. The National Institute on Aging also keeps a free guide to getting your affairs in order.
Where does the LAMORIAL planner fit?
The LAMORIAL End of Life Planner & Journal is a guided workbook of 83 pages. It walks you through your accounts, passcodes, insurance policies, subscriptions, and emergency contacts section by section, and it is written to feel calm rather than clinical. It is designed to sit beside your will, not replace it.
If you would rather type, the fillable digital edition has the same guided pages in a fillable format. A printable planner walkthrough guide explains each section and includes glossaries, and a fire- and water-resistant document organizer keeps the finished planner and your originals together.
See the End of Life Planner & Journal
What should you ask before you buy?
- Does it prompt for digital access? Look for passcodes, authenticator apps, and recovery emails, not only bank accounts.
- Is it written for my country? Check that the terms and programs match where you live.
- Will I write it or type it? Pick the format you will actually keep updating.
- Does it guide me or hand me blank forms? Prompts make it easier to finish in a few sittings.
- Where will I keep it, and who knows? Decide this before you buy, not after you fill it in.
Where to start this week
“It always seems too soon, until it’s too late.”
You don't need to find a perfect planner. Pick the type that fits how you work, check it against the six categories above, and fill in the easy pages first. If you want a place to start, look at the LAMORIAL End of Life Planner & Journal.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. A planner is an organizing tool and does not replace a will, a power of attorney, or a health care directive. Talk to a licensed attorney in your state about the documents you need.