Once you’ve completed your Ending Note and the Conspectus, who should know about them? Honestly, there’s not much point doing all this work if nobody knows it exists when they need it.
Can you just tell people about it? Should you give a copy to someone? This is going to depend on your level of trust.
Who are your trusted contacts?
It took me a while to figure out who my trusted contacts are. I thought they all needed to be utterly trustworthy, but that’s not how people are, is it? For example, I have a friend who checks in on my cats while I am travel, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable giving her access to my passwords. I trust some friends to drive my car and others…not so much.
So my trusted contacts in this case don’t all have the same set of materials from the Ending Note.
- My legal professional (who is my executor) has my Conspectus and she knows where to find the full Ending Note. She has the Emergency Access Guide, too.
- My neighbor has the key to my house and she has a copy of Emergency Access Guide. She is lives a few doors down and is great in a crisis. She knows everyone and all the local services.
- My best friend in Tokyo is a good gateway to the “foreigners in Japan” portion of my life. So she has the Emergency Access Guide and also knows about my Ending Note.
- My sister and sister-in-law have the Emergency Access Guide. They both have the Family Guide and my sister has a copy of my Ending Note; she is an emergency contact for my password manager, too.
- My husband has the originals of everything, access to all my passwords already, and knows how to reach the relevant parties when needed.
So I have six trusted contacts who can work together to access whatever they need. None of them is going to be surprised to get a call or email from the others.
See why it’s a bit confusing? You might do it differently…there is no definitive way.
One Page for Everyone
Let’s look in depth at the Emergency Access Guide on page 7. It’s probably the most useful single page in the whole book because as I said, it lets your trusted contacts connect and gives them the information they need to handle an emergency.
This page is designed for that moment when someone needs immediate access to your essential information. Like if you’re in the hospital and can’t communicate, or if there’s an emergency and someone needs to get into your apartment.
It has:
- Your emergency contact
- Your trusted keyholder
- How to access your house or apartment
- Where you keep your Ending Note
- Where your insurance policies and bank books are
- Your critical passwords – phone unlock, computer, email
That’s it. One page.
Tailoring the Information
Now, you might be thinking, “I don’t want to give my neighbor my phone unlock codes.”
Fair. Levels of trust vary! So here’s what you do:
Fill out a separate copy of page 7 for each contact. That lets you tailor the information to each trusted person. For anything you prefer not to divulge, just note who has access: “Contact Mimi for the unlock code.”
Why are passwords even on this page? Well, a few years ago, a friend of a friend passed away suddenly and mysteriously. Her devices were all locked. She had once mentioned she wanted her computer wiped of embarrassing details if something ever happened. I saw the efforts my friends took to make things right before her parents arrived in Japan, and learned how awful it can be for others if you are the sole keeper of your unlock codes.
So now you know what the Emergency Access Guide is all about. Go fill it in and make sure your trusted people know what they need to know.
You’ve got this. Take care.