The hardest gift you can give your kids is a folder they don’t have to assemble from scratch later. This page gives you two free pieces: a workbook to fill out and keep — where the documents are, who has copies, who to call — and a companion guide that explains why each piece matters. Texas-specific legal context is in the companion. The point isn’t to finish in one sitting. The point is to start.
Gather what you have. Understand what matters. Tell the people who need to know.
Fill in what you can today. Have the conversations as they come. Come back to it — the system holds your place.
The workbook walks you through four categories. You don’t need everything on day one. Start with what you have. Fill in the rest as conversations happen.
Will or trust, power of attorney (financial), power of attorney (medical / healthcare proxy), advance directive / living will, HIPAA authorization, deed to the home, any existing trusts. Who has copies. Where the originals are. Who to call if something happens tonight.
Social Security card, Medicare card, supplemental insurance cards, driver’s license or state ID, passport, birth certificate. Digital accounts: email passwords, banking login, Social Security online, Medicare online. Someone besides you needs to know how to access these.
Current medications (name, dose, pharmacy), primary care physician, specialists, allergies, recent hospitalizations, the name of who to call for medical decisions if you can’t make them yourself.
Bank accounts, retirement accounts (IRA, 401k, pension), Social Security income, any long-term care insurance policy (policy number, company, what it covers), VA status if applicable, homeowner’s insurance, property tax status, any debts or liens on the home.
If you’re a Texas homeowner: The Companion guide adds the Texas-specific legal context — Lady Bird Deed, MERP, community-property step-up, and why the home-sale conversation is a legal question before it’s a real estate question. Worth reading alongside the workbook. Download the Texas Companion →
If your family is reading along.
The Senior Move Roadmap system was originally written to the adult child — the daughter, son, daughter-in-law, or family member helping you with this transition. If you’d like to read what they’re reading, or share this with them so you’re working from the same map:
Planning — Family Edition → · Texas Planning — Family Edition →
This is informational guidance, not legal, medical, or financial advice. The right professional matters — and every section of this system tells you who that is.