The "If I'm Gone" Journal: Everything Your Family Needs in One Place
An "If I'm Gone" journal is one sealed place that answers what your family needs on the worst day: who to call, where the will and insurance are, legal and medical wishes, funeral preferences, who depends on you, and what you want them to know. In Killswitch you can build it as a notebook, attach the real documents, and put it on a deadman switch (or share it now) so it arrives when it is needed.
Picture the worst day for the people you love. They are grieving, and on top of that they have to become detectives. Where is the will? Is there life insurance, and with whom? Did you want to be buried or cremated? Who needs to be called, and in what order?
You know all of it. The problem is, right now, it only lives in your head. An "If I'm Gone" journal moves it somewhere safe, so the people you love can spend that day grieving instead of guessing.
What goes in an "If I'm Gone" journal?
It is the one place that answers "what now?" for the person who has to step in. The sections that matter:
- People to tell: the call list, in order, so no one important learns it from a feed.
- Where everything is: the will, the documents, the safe, mapped so nothing critical stays hidden.
- Money and insurance: the accounts, the advisor, and the life insurance policy, because unclaimed payouts are one of the most common things families never collect.
- Legal and medical wishes: the executor, the attorney, and your advance directive, so no one has to guess your wishes in a hospital hallway.
- Funeral and final wishes: burial or cremation, the kind of service you'd want, and a gentle note not to overspend out of grief.
- Who depends on you: kids, pets, and anything that needs daily care, plus who has agreed to step in.
- What you want them to know: the part that isn't logistics. The letters, the things you'd want heard.
Write it for the person who will be too overwhelmed to think clearly. Make it easy to follow.
Why does this belong in a sealed vault, not a drawer?
This journal is a portrait of your whole life: accounts, documents, family, wishes. A drawer can burn in a fire or be read by anyone who opens it. A shared doc is a slow leak. And a journal nobody can find when the moment comes is the same as no journal at all.
Killswitch is built for exactly this:
- Encrypted by default. It is Sealed: encrypted at rest, private until the moment you choose to share it or it is delivered. Only the person you choose will ever read it.
- Built for it. One notebook, one entry per section, with the real documents attached: the will, the policy, the advance directive.
- Delivered when it is needed. Put it on a deadman switch. Check in on your schedule, and if you ever can't, it goes to the person you named. It even covers the in-between case, where you are alive but can't speak, by pointing them straight to your medical wishes.
- Or share it now with the person who'd carry it, revocable anytime.
The whole point of writing it down is that someone can find it on the day it matters. Sealed delivery is how that actually happens.
Where can you see a real example?
We built one so you don't have to face a blank page on a heavy subject. Here is a sample "If I'm Gone" journal:
Pair it with the Password Manager Break-Glass Kit (this journal points to it for every login), and the people you love are covered on both the paperwork and the passwords.
How do you start yours?
- Create a notebook called "If I'm Gone."
- Add an entry for each section above.
- Attach the will, the policies, and the directive.
- Put it on a deadman switch, or share it with your person today.
One afternoon now for one less nightmare later.
Start free at killswitch.app/register →
FAQ
What should an "If I'm Gone" journal include?
Cover people to tell, where documents live, money and insurance, legal and medical wishes, funeral preferences, who depends on you, and what you want them to know. Write it so someone overwhelmed can follow it cold.
Why not keep this journal in a drawer or shared doc?
A drawer can burn or be opened by anyone. A shared doc can leak. If nobody can find the journal when it matters, it is the same as having none.
How does Killswitch deliver the journal when it is needed?
You can put the notebook on a deadman switch with a check-in schedule. If you stop checking in, it is delivered to the person you named. You can also share it now with a link you can revoke.
Can I attach the actual will and policies?
Yes. Use one notebook with an entry per section and attach the real documents (will, policy, advance directive) alongside the instructions.
Does this help if I am alive but cannot speak?
Yes. The post notes the in-between case: the journal can point people straight to your medical wishes when you are alive but cannot speak.