Security and privacy guide

What not to put in a family emergency binder

A family information binder should make the right information easier to locate without becoming a single package of everything someone would need to misuse it.

Never record live credentials

• Passwords and PINs
• Safe or alarm combinations
• Full payment-card numbers
• Recovery codes or authentication secrets
• Complete answers or other account-reset details

Use locators instead

Write where protected access instructions are stored, which institution or professional holds the relevant information, and whom a trusted person should contact. A locator is often enough to guide the next step without exposing the secret itself.

Be selective with original documents

The binder can identify where wills, deeds, insurance policies, titles, and other original records are kept. Unless a qualified professional advises otherwise, avoid turning the binder into the only storage location for irreplaceable originals.

Protect the completed binder

Choose a location that balances privacy, fire or water protection, and practical access. Tell at least one trusted person where the binder is and what it does—and does not—authorize.