Estate Planning Checklist — One Sheet for Physical Property and Digital Assets
TimeWill · Updated 2026-06-24
A complete estate planning checklist has three sections: physical property (real estate, savings, vehicles, insurance) noting where each asset is and where the deeds are kept; digital assets (WeChat and Alipay balances, cryptocurrency, social accounts, cloud storage) noting account clues and what you want done with them, with sensitive credentials stored separately in an encrypted vault; and final wishes (messages to family, memorial preferences, charitable intent) kept as letters or voice recordings. Update once a year and name a trusted contact.
The hardest part of estate planning is getting started — most people don't know where to begin. This checklist breaks it into three sections you can just fill in. Once it's done: keep the paper part somewhere your family knows about, and store the digital part encrypted in TimeWill.
Section 1: Physical Property Checklist
- Real estate — Address + property deed number + where the deed is kept. If there's a mortgage, note the monthly payment and the lender.
- Bank deposits — Bank name + last four digits of the account number + whether it's wealth management, a term deposit, or current. Don't write the balance — it changes constantly.
- Insurance — Insurance company + policy number + customer service hotline. Your family needs the policy number when they file a claim.
- Vehicles — License plate number + where the registration certificate is + insurance expiry date.
- Other — Company equity, collectibles, copyrights, patents — anything with a registered certificate.
Section 2: Digital Assets Checklist
- Payments — WeChat Pay, Alipay, Apple Pay — account + password hint. Don't write the password in plaintext.
- Crypto assets — Exchanges, wallets — account name / wallet address + where the private key or seed phrase is stored. Don't write the private key itself (store it encrypted in the password vault).
- Social — WeChat, QQ, Weibo — account + password hint + linked phone number. Note how you want each one handled (keep / delete / memorialize).
- Storage — iCloud, Baidu Netdisk, Google Drive — account + password hint. Flag which service holds your photos and files.
- Subscriptions — Video memberships, music, cloud storage — list expiry dates and renewal method. At least let your family cancel them.
Section 3: Final Wishes
- Funeral preferences — How you want your body handled (cremation / burial / donation), memorial style, music choices.
- Organ donation — Whether you're willing to donate, registered with the China Organ Donation Administrative Center.
- A letter for each person — Write a few short letters. Don't worry about the prose — sincerity matters more than elegance.
Once the three sections are filled in, lock the paper copy in a drawer and store the digital copy encrypted in TimeWill. Then forget about it and get on with living.
FAQ
Q: Should I write exact amounts in the estate checklist?
No need to write exact amounts — they go out of date. Just record where each asset is: which bank, which brokerage, which policies, which platforms. Your family looks up the current balance when the time comes.
Q: What's the difference between a checklist and a will?
A will is a legal document that decides who owns what; a checklist is a supporting document that tells your family what you have, where it is, and how to find it. They work together: the checklist helps your family locate the assets, the will decides how they're distributed.
Q: Where should I keep the checklist once it's done?
Two copies: one on paper with a trusted family member or lawyer, one encrypted in a digital vault. Don't leave it alone in cloud storage (privacy risk), and don't hand the paper copy to everyone (easily lost or tampered with).