How to Create a Family Emergency Binder

Illness or death for a loved one is never easy to process. Your mind is filled with all of the emotions and may not be thinking through the specific tasks that you need to get done. Learning how to create a family emergency binder might just be the solution for being more prepared for a crisis.

We’ve had a number of close family members pass away recently and it had me thinking about a family emergency binder.

Do I know where all of the important papers are for the house?

Would my adult kids know where to find information needed to pay bills?

Does my husband know who to contact from my work in case of an emergency?

Would I know whom to contact for him?

All valid questions. Each one left me worried that we weren’t as organized as I’d like.

I started making a list of items that will need to go into a family emergency binder. This binder would contain very sensitive information so keeping it in a flood and fireproof safe was important.

I drafted a list of documents and information and have used it as the table of contents for the family emergency binder. You can get this from the VIP Portal and start creating your family emergency binder today.

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How to Create a Family Emergency Binder

When figuring out how to create a family emergency binder, I thought of all of the information my kids would need if we were in an accident tomorrow. There are four main sections: legal documents, financial documents, bill and tax information, and emergency contacts.

Supplies Required

three-ring binder large enough to hold a number of documents
sheet protectors
section tabs
paper
hole punch (optional)

Legal Documents

The legal documents you will need will depend upon your situation. I recommend speaking to a lawyer to determine your needs, based upon your personal wishes. At the very least you should consider the following legal documents for the family emergency binder:

A living will – it specifies your wishes to any doctor treating you for end-of-life medical care.
Healthcare Proxy – it specifies who can make healthcare decisions in the event you are unable to.
Last Will and Testament
Power of Attorney – there are many kinds. I recommend determining what is right for you by speaking with a lawyer.
Marriage Certificate
Birth Certificates

I’ve heard stories where widows had to prove to the government that they were married to their late husband before they could get benefits. Long lost marriage certificates delayed this process and made it very difficult and extremely frustrating during this time.

Financial Documents

This section is broken into two: Insurance documents and Other Financial information. Each section is extremely important so that the surviving parties dealing with the estate have the information on hand.

Insurance Documents

The documents included in this section include:

Life Insurance
Property Insurance
Vehicle Insurance
Healthcare Numbers
Medical Insurance

I was in a car accident in my early 20’s and my purse was under the truck that had rolled into the ditch. My healthcare number was in my purse. Hopefully, the hospital would treat the person without the healthcare number. However, if there had been a family emergency binder my family would have been able to get that information easily.

Other Financial Information

The information in this section will help keep the family informed as to the pieces of this puzzle. We’ve lumped the following into this section:

Banking information – Financial Institutions where you hold accounts
Loans – Financial Institutions where you have loans
Property Ownership – documents proving ownership
Vehicle Ownership – documents proving ownership

Bill & Tax Information

This section is basically a summary of account numbers and proxy information for bills and taxes. Consider the following list when creating this section in your family emergency binder:

Utility Accounts: gas, water, power, cable/internet, phone
Rental Accounts – property, storage units, storage/parking lots
Taxes – Federal, Provincial/State, City, Community

Emergency Contacts

This section is a list of names and phone numbers of important people to contact in the event of an emergency or death. We have included the following in our list:

Lawyer
Doctor
Work/Employer
Accountant
Financial Planner

Keeping the Family Emergency Binder Up-to-date

Once you’ve learned how to create a family emergency binder, and created your own you will want to keep it safe from natural disasters and potential theft. Your family emergency binder should also be updated in the event any information changes. A good rule of thumb is to review the binder at tax time every year, just as a set routine.

Make sure someone you trust knows how to get the family emergency binder from the safe. In the event of an emergency, they will need this information first. It’s truly my hope that we will not need this binder for many, many years but if we do I don’t want our disorganization to be the reason for added stress, during that time for my family.