Build a password and account inventory your family can actually use

If something happened to you tomorrow, could the people you trust get into the accounts that matter? For most of us the honest answer is no — not without a frustrating, weeks-long hunt through devices, drawers and guesswork. A password and account inventory fixes that. Done well, it's the single most useful practical document in your digital legacy.

The trick is building one that's genuinely usable and genuinely secure. Those two goals can pull in opposite directions, so let's do both properly.

Why a sticky-note pile isn't a plan

Scattered passwords fail in predictable ways. Sticky notes get lost or thrown away. A notes app on your phone is locked behind the one password no one has. A spreadsheet emailed to yourself is both insecure and out of date the moment you change a login.

A real inventory is complete, current, secure, and reachable by the right person at the right time. Miss any one of those and it stops working when it's needed most.

What to include

You're not cataloguing every account you've ever made. Focus on what actually matters:

• Your email — the master key, because it can reset almost everything else. Start here.
• Your password manager — if you use one, this is the vault; record how to reach it.
• Financial accounts — banking, payments, investments, anything with a balance.
• Devices — phone and computer passcodes, which unlock a surprising amount.
• Important services — cloud storage with your photos, key subscriptions, government and health portals.
• Sentimental accounts — social media and photo libraries your family may want to save or memorialize.

For each one, a good entry notes what it is, how to find it, and what you want done with it — not just a password.

Use a password manager as the backbone

The most reliable approach is a reputable password manager. It keeps logins encrypted, generates strong unique passwords, and — crucially — most offer an emergency access or legacy feature that grants a trusted person access after a waiting period or a verified request. Set that up now. It turns "they'll never get in" into "they can get in, safely, when they truly need to."

If you prefer a written record, keep it encrypted or physically secured — never a plain file named "passwords."

Keep it secure and reachable

This is the balance that trips people up. The inventory has to be hard for a stranger to misuse, but easy for the right person to reach at the right moment. A few rules:

• Never share live passwords in plain text — by email, chat or paper. Use a manager's sharing or emergency-access feature instead.
• Separate the map from the keys. It's fine for someone to know where your instructions live without holding everything today.
• Prefer time-delayed or verified access over handing over the master password now.
• Tell someone it exists. The best inventory in the world is useless if no one knows where to look.

Keep it alive

An inventory is only as good as its last update. Passwords change, accounts open and close, priorities shift. Pick a rhythm you'll actually keep — a quick review once or twice a year, or whenever you make a major change — and stick to it.

This is precisely the kind of record My Lasts is designed to hold: your accounts, instructions and the people who should receive them, kept encrypted and delivered only when the time comes — so your family inherits a clear map instead of a locked door.

Start today with just three entries: your email, your password manager, and your phone. That short list already covers most of what your family would struggle to access — and you can build from there.

This article is general guidance, not legal or financial advice. For decisions involving accounts, money or property, confirm the right process with each provider and a qualified professional.