Create a Password List for Loved Ones

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12/12/2005, 8:48 pm

If you consider your own demise enough to realize it’s possible you won’t see it coming, you’re faced with the fact that you should keep your house in order all the time.

And even if you only occasionally consider that your life is but a sliver of a “tick” in the grand scale of time, you know you need life insurance to protect your dependents. And, being a responsible person, you will also want a will, a living will, durable power of attorney, and a health care proxy. (A good attorney is probably what you need for all of these.)

One thing you can do by yourself without an insurance agent or attorney is to create a password list and leave it in a safe place (I’m thinking safe deposit box in a bank) for your loved ones. Most of us have more accounts and passwords than we realize until we sit down and start recording them. You may have financial accounts, accounts for online services, passwords for computers and other personal electronics. A password list may prevent a lot of stress and frustration.

If you make a password list, make it useful. Identify the organization, the account information, user name, password, phone numbers, web site, etc.

Be cautious about creating a password list on your computer. You may want to create it with pen and paper.

Paranoia about passwords is always a healthy thing.

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