It doesn't need to be something dramatic. It could be a planned surgery, a longer trip, a temporary loss of capacity. The question is simple and worth sitting with: could your family manage your finances without you for a few weeks?
For most people, honestly, the answer is no.
Why this problem is more common than people admit
We tend to assume "they'll figure it out". That banks have processes for this. That someone will manage. But in practice, accessing another person's accounts — even as a spouse or adult child — without the right information is slow, bureaucratic, and exhausting when you're already under stress.
This isn't about writing a will (that's a different thing). It's about leaving a practical guide to your finances so that the people who care about you don't have to search through drawers, call five different banks, or wait weeks for a legal process to resolve.
What that guide should include
Bank accounts
For each account: the bank, account type (current, savings, investment), sort code and account number or IBAN, linked cards, and which direct debits are attached to it.
Most important: knowing which account the mortgage, insurance, or utility bills come from. If that account runs dry by mistake, those are the first payments to bounce.
Investments
Where things are held: which broker, which exchange, which bank manages the pension. You don't need to document strategies or returns. Just: "I have X at Vanguard, Y at Interactive Brokers and Z at Coinbase".
For crypto especially: how to access the wallet or exchange. Without access instructions, the money simply doesn't exist to anyone else.
Properties
Owned properties (including mortgaged ones), garages, parking spaces, land. For each: whether it's mortgaged and with which bank, whether there's a tenant, whether there's a lease in place.
Insurance policies
This is the most overlooked area — especially life insurance. If there's a life insurance policy that pays out on death, someone needs to know it exists. There are policies that are never claimed because the beneficiaries didn't know about them.
Also include: home insurance, car insurance, private health insurance, income protection.
Active debts
Mortgage, car finance, personal loans. Not to alarm anyone, but so they understand the complete picture. Debt doesn't disappear when the account holder does.
Regular income
Salary, rental income, dividends, pension... Who pays it, how much, and into which account. If someone has to manage your finances for a month, they need to know where money comes in.
Practical details that aren't money but matter just as much
- How to access online banking — not literally the passwords, but enough guidance to get there safely.
- Your accountant or financial adviser's contact, if you have one.
- Your solicitor's contact, if relevant.
- National Insurance number and any pension reference numbers.
- Solicitor or notary where your will is held, if you've made one.
How to prepare this without it being overwhelming
You don't need to do it all in one sitting. The most realistic approach:
- Start with bank accounts. They're the most urgent and the easiest to log.
- Add insurance policies. Especially life and home.
- Move to investments. Even just a list of where things are held, without full detail.
- Add properties and debts.
- Review it once a year. Things change.
LeVaultly's shared access feature
LeVaultly has a feature built exactly for this: shared access. You can invite a trusted family member to view your vault in read-only mode. They can't modify anything, can't move money. They just see what you've documented.
No PDFs sent over email. No shared Google Docs that go out of date. No drawers full of paper. Your family member sees exactly what you want them to see, when they actually need it.
You don't need to wait for something to happen before you prepare. Do it today, when you have time and clarity.