Get organized so your family won't have to.
A guided, private place to put everything your family will need — built at your own pace.
For whenever you are ready
Start the plan that your family will be glad to find.
Settling an estate often takes many months, and court costs and fees vary a great deal by state. In California, for example, attorney and executor fees are set by statute as a percentage of the estate. Pick a starting point below, and work through it at your own pace.
Where to start
Documents — for you
The seven documents that change everything.
Most adults are missing at least four. None take more than an hour each. All of them live in one secure place after.
- Sunday afternoon
The legal four
- Will — current, witnessed
- Healthcare proxy — who decides when you can't
- Advance directive — what you do and don't want
- Power of attorney — finances, when needed
- An evening
Account inventory
- Bank, brokerage, retirement
- Life insurance, long-term care
- Deeds, titles, safe-deposit key
- Thirty minutes
The passwords your family can't recover
- Apple ID, phone passcode, primary email
- These are nearly impossible to retrieve later — even with a death certificate
- Stored encrypted, released to the people you choose
One vault. Family knows where it is. Free to start, no card required.
Documents — helping a parent
The conversation, then the seven documents.
Start with the document inventory — it's the least loaded entry point. The hard conversations open from there.
- First weekend
Find out what already exists
- Is there a will? When was it last updated?
- Healthcare proxy and advance directive in writing?
- Power of attorney for finances?
- If gaps, an estate attorney covers all four in one sitting
- A quiet hour
The account inventory
- Where the will is, who has copies
- Bank, brokerage, retirement, insurance
- Deeds, titles, safe-deposit access
- While they can recall
The passwords nobody can recover later
- Apple ID, phone passcode, email — frame as logistics, not urgency
- Family vault lets multiple people hold access keys
Their vault, shared with you. You see only what they release.
These steps are general guidance only — not legal, medical, or financial advice. Every situation is different. Consult a licensed attorney, physician, or financial advisor for decisions specific to your circumstances.
Feature · Document Vault
One vault. Everything that matters.
The first decision your family will make is "where do I look?" Save them three days of phone calls and locked-out accounts.
What lives inside
Encrypted at rest. Your designated Successor can view it once a death is reported and takes full control after Passings verifies the death; you choose who that person is. You see what's in it; they see only what you release.
- Legal documents — will, healthcare proxy, advance directive, POA, trusts
- The recoverless passwords — Apple ID, phone, primary email, password manager keys
- Accounts & assets — bank, brokerage, retirement, life insurance, real estate, vehicles
- Beneficiaries & designations — who gets what, on which account
- Where the physical things live — safe-deposit, fireproof box, the manila folder in the desk
Feature · Legacy Center
The part of you they'll actually keep.
The will gets filed. The vault gets opened once. A voice memo is the thing they play again for years. Add letters, recordings, photographs, and the stories that go with them.
Yours to give. Theirs to keep.
Released to the people you choose, after your death, no earlier than the timing you set. Add to it over years, on Sunday afternoons.
- Letters to specific people, sealed until after your death
- Voice memos & short video — five minutes is enough
- Photographs with the stories that go with them — names, places, why
- Recipes, family history, who-knows-what — the things only you know
- Delivered no earlier than the timing you choose: once your death is confirmed, 24 hours later, or one month later. Your Successor can delay a delivery by up to 14 days but cannot stop it
Feature · Guided checklist → your Plan
A guided checklist. A plan your family can use.
A short wizard learns your situation — family, assets, state, faith — then shows you only the tasks that apply. Tick them at your own pace, bring family in where it helps. The Plan composes itself as you go.
Tailored to you. Ticked at your pace.
Each task is one decision — not a whole document. The checklist hides anything that doesn't apply, so you're never staring at a list meant for someone else.
- Guided & interactive — at your own pace, save and resume anytime
- Tailored to you — the wizard surfaces only the tasks that apply to your situation
- Collaborative, with permission control — invite spouse, executor, adult children; you set what they see and when
- Plan ready to hand off — a readable document your family opens the day they need it
- Free to start. No card. Email only when you're ready to save
- Add features as you go — vault, Legacy Center, marketplace, all in one place
Side by side
What it actually looks like — with and without.
Same six categories. Two very different versions of what your family does in the year after.
When it would help
People who do this every day.
You don't need an attorney to start a plan. When you are ready to sign documents, make a pre-need arrangement or choose a cemetery, these are the people who do it every day. Browse local providers and contact them directly.
Reading the page and starting a plan are free. You only pay a provider when they do work for you.
A few common questions
Things people ask before starting.
I'm healthy and in my 40s. Is it really worth doing this now?
Yes — and not because anything's imminent. The cheapest, easiest version of every document on this page is the one written when you're healthy. Will, healthcare proxy, advance directive, beneficiary review — all easier to do calmly than reactively. You can start whenever you are ready, and go at your own pace.
What does this actually cost?
Passings itself: free to start, no card. You only pay a provider, such as an attorney, financial advisor or funeral home, when they do work for you, and you arrange that with them directly. Each provider can tell you their prices before you decide.
Will or trust?
It depends on your state, your assets and your family. Real estate in more than one state, a blended family, minor children or an heir with special needs can all change the answer. An estate attorney can tell you what fits your state, often in one sitting.
Why share the plan with family if I just spent time on it?
Because the plan only works if the right person finds it. Half the value is in your executor and family knowing where to look — without that, your work shows up six months into probate. You control who sees what, and when. Many readers share read-only with a spouse and adult child; that's plenty.
Is it secure?
Documents and the Legacy Center are encrypted at rest. Release rules are yours to set. Zero-knowledge documents can't be read by anyone at Passings. Legacy content goes to the people you named, no earlier than the timing you chose, after Passings confirms the death and releases it. Your Successor can delay a delivery by up to 14 days but cannot stop it.
My parent won't talk about any of this. What do I do?
Don't lead with funerals. Lead with logistics: "where's the safe deposit key?", "where's the will?", "what's your Apple ID for the photos?" Most conversations open from there. If they're stuck, the Plan engine has a script-style intake they can fill at their pace — and you don't have to be the one asking the questions out loud.
How Passings works
Step 1: Answer a few questions
Faith tradition, family situation, and state — so your checklist fits your life.
Step 2: Get your personalized plan
Thousands of tasks across 12 categories, tailored to your specific situation.
Step 3: Complete at your own pace
Save and return anytime. Everything auto-saves. No pressure, no deadlines.
Step 4: Give your family clarity
When the time comes, your family has a clear blueprint — organized and accessible.