A printed document with my pertinent information (social security number, date of birth, parent’s names/mom’s maiden name, children’s names and contact information, bank account information, marriages, automatic payments that will need to be stopped, etc). I also have my divorce decree and the kids adoption papers in there. I cannot for the life of me find my marriage license, but when I find it, it will go in there as well. I have copies of Tom’s death certificate, tax information, and a medication list. My will, power of attorney documents, and advance directive are also all in there.
I used information from the National Institute on Aging “Getting your affairs in order” page to work on creating this box. It is going to be an ongoing process that will need to be reviewed periodically (I’d say at least annually), but getting it started was the biggest step. Unfortunately, I am all too aware of the fragility of life and want to try and have as much organized for my family as possible when that time comes (hopefully many years down the road!).