Setting up contacts
Do you have a curated contact list, or is it a combination of information from a few different accounts, with a lot of contacts that you no longer use? Does your family, your Executor or your Attorney have access to that contact list, if for some reason they didn’t have access to your phone? Do you have information that lives inside of your head, like the name of your treating specialist, or the name of your child’s best friend’s parent, that wouldn’t be obvious if someone looked at your current contact list?
Rather than telling yourself that you are going to curate your current contact list, because we all know that will take a long time, what if you had a specific #lifeadmin contact list? This list would have key details for key people that are complete (full name, residential address etc) and up to date details for your best friend, not different contacts with three different addresses.
I don’t have a photo with my best friend
You know the joke that the closer the friend, the less photos you have? It is sort of the same with things like their full name, their current residential address, or even their current email. Do you have an odd collection of multiple different contacts, with different options, but you know which one is the correct one? Do you have them saved in your phone with some sort of nick name? Do you even know what their current residential address is, or do you just know how to drive there?
As with all of my #lifeadmin tips I want this to be good for your estate plan, and for your everyday life too. Overhauling your current contact list is unlikely, it is a good idea but it will take awhile. If you have taken the first step in this series and created a life admin account, then I am betting that whatever platform you used for this has a contacts directory attached to it. Most email accounts providers have an attached contact list that they want you to use. You don’t need to give out more passwords or access points, just create a contact list as part of this existing life admin account that you have set up. Then in that contact list please do not, do not just copy in every contact you currently have. Please copy in key contacts, for instance -
who is your current, treating GP who would have all of your latest blood tests and other medical results?
what are the current details for the friends who you would want someone to call in an emergency, or to support you?
who is the best contact at work for any HR issues like a worker’s comp claim, or to notify them that you will be using up whatever sick leave you have accrued?
what is the best contact for your Mum and Dad?
which vet or boarding place do you use for your pets?
what is the name of your child’s best friend, and how would someone contact their parent?
if you are religious, what is the name and contact details for your current minister or bible study leader?
if you are in a sports team or social group, what is the name and contact details for the team manager?
You don’t need to write down the phone number for your insurance policy, that should be in an email in your inbox. This contact list is more focused on key people in your life, almost like the old My Space top 8 friends except it is the top 8 people that someone is likely to need contact details for. You also need these contact details, and will discover that you have three addresses that are all actually out of date for your best friend at the worst moment. You also need a contact list that is up to date for your key people, and your inner circle.
This information already exists
You might feel like this information already exists in your phone. There are a few problems with that, including -
what if you lost access to your phone?
what if you cannot remember which of the three contacts are the correct one at a key moment?
do the contacts in your phone have relevant information, or have you just saved the name and trusted that you will remember it later?
In your #lifeadmin contacts you would use the “Job Title” part of the contact to explain who this person is, and you would make sure that the contacts are actually complete and up to date. If you lose your phone then you still have these key details saved somewhere. It will also be important information if your Executor or Attorney needs to step in and contact these people.
While you are there
If you are thinking “this information exists in my phone” then please ask yourself, have you set up a legacy contact? You can find instructions for doing setting up a legacy contact in this Instagram post on my account. Don’t assume that others will be able to access your phone, even if they know your password. Your password might change, your phone might insist on biometric information, or some well intentioned person may inform your phone company that you have died as part of some dispute about a bill.
Letter of Wishes
This is the type of information that you could include in your Letter of Wishes, and an example of how the information that goes into your Letter of Wishes is often helpful for your #lifeadmin.
If you do an Estate Plan with me then we will complete a Letter of Wishes, together, you won’t be given homework that is simply added to your overwhelming pile of life admin. We will discuss it live, while working through the questions and starting to type up answers. This information is too important for me to ignore it, or leave it for you to complete at a later time on your own. So things like this would actually be covered as part of your Estate Plan, along with other issues like the contact details that are important for your family or Attorney or Executor to have if anything happens to you.
Estate Planning is more than Wills
Have you already set up a life admin account? If not, or if you don’t know what that is, you can read about that here. I covered it in my weekly emails, which are free, and which give you one life admin task a week to take care of because good estate planning should also take care of your life admin.
If you want all of my life admin and estate planning tips sent to your inbox so that you can catch up on the emails and tips that you have missed at your own pace, then click on the button below and drop your email address into the box.
