Nestbound

The example binder

What your family would be holding

Judy Miller spent a few Sunday afternoons answering questions about her life. This is the book that came out of it. One day her daughter Susan will open it, and everything Susan needs will already be there, in her mother’s words.

The parts nobody thinks to write down

Most of a binder is practical. Which bank, which doctor, where the deeds are. But the lines families end up keeping are usually the ones that weren’t on anybody’s checklist.

  • Do not rush to empty the house. There is no hurry and you will regret it.

    Judy, in the first section, where the binder asks what she would want said.

  • Susan is a joint holder, so it does not freeze.

    About the savings account. Nine words that decide whether there’s money in the house in the first week.

  • He is frightened of the vacuum cleaner.

    About Biscuit, on a page that also records who has already agreed to take him.

  • Not to be opened before it is needed.

    On a sealed envelope with Susan’s name on it, in the top drawer of the bedside table.

  • Still to write: A letter for when he is grown. Not started yet.

    For her grandson Sam. You’re allowed to write down the things you haven’t got to yet.

What Susan won’t have to do

Without something like this, the first month is a phone in one hand and a filing cabinet in the other. Calling round to find out whether a policy still exists. Guessing which of three banks the direct debits come out of. Opening drawers in her mother’s bedroom looking for a piece of paper. People are still describing that afternoon years later.

With it, the book opens on a short list: who to tell, in what order, and what each of them is going to ask her for. Then which account still works. Then who has a key and who feeds the dog. Everything else can wait, and the binder says so on its own first page.

The whole thing

Start anywhere. Judy’s is filled in the way a real one is after a couple of Sundays: some sections have four things in them, some have one, and that’s fine.

The back of the binder is where the photographs go. In yours those are the pictures you took of your own paperwork, reproduced full size and captioned with which entry each one belongs to.

Every page has its words underneath it, so you can read it rather than look at it.

Or go straight to a section

  1. The first two weeks
  2. Personal & family
  3. People to call
  4. Papers & where they live
  5. Accounts at a glance
  6. Insurance
  7. Home, vehicles & keys
  8. Digital life
  9. Health at a glance
  10. The animals
  11. Wishes
  12. Letters
  1. Cover. A letterspaced kicker reading “The family binder”, the Nestbound family tree printed small in gray, then the name Judy Miller set large in a serif face, a short rule, and the italic line “Prepared with love.” A gray footnote reads “2 pages may be worth a fresh look. They carry a small ◦ mark.”
    Page 1 of 32 Open page 1
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    THE FAMILY BINDER

    Judy Miller

    Prepared with love. Updated July 1, 2026.

    2 pages may be worth a fresh look. They carry a small ◦ mark.

  2. “How to use this binder”. It says the first section is a short list of what needs doing in the first two weeks and the rest is reference, and that none of it has to be dealt with today. Then the policy: no passwords, PINs or combinations are ever written down, an account or policy number appears only as its last four characters such as ••••9855, and a cryptocurrency receiving address is the one exception because it’s public by design.
    Page 2 of 32 Open page 2
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    How to use this binder

    Everything in here was written down ahead of time so you wouldn't have to go looking for it. Start with the first section. It's a short list of what needs doing in the first two weeks, and who can help with it. The rest is reference: where the papers are, who to call, what exists. None of it has to be dealt with today.

    You won't find passwords, PINs, or the combination to anything on these pages. Those are never written down here, on purpose. Where an account or policy number appears at all, it's only the last four characters (••••9855), which is enough to tell one account from another. A cryptocurrency receiving address is the one exception and prints in full, because it's public by design and four characters of one would help nobody. Anything copied into the back of the binder is reproduced exactly as it was, so treat those pages as carefully as the originals.

  3. Section divider, “The first two weeks”, with the standfirst “Who to tell, where the first weeks’ money comes from, and what the household needs. Written for you, in advance, so the practical side does not all land at once.” and a count reading “4 entries”.
    Page 3 of 32 Open page 3
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    The first two weeks

    Who to tell, where the first weeks' money comes from, and what the household needs. Written for you, in advance, so the practical side does not all land at once.

    4 entries

  4. The first two weeks. A note that most places ask for the same two things, certified copies of the death certificate and a document showing authority to act, and that accounts can be traced from a name alone through state unclaimed-property searches and insurance policy locators. Then a checklist headed “In roughly this order”, a list of who to tell first including the tenant in the garage apartment and a cousin who would be hurt to hear it late, which account the first weeks’ money comes from, what the house needs, and a line in Judy’s own words: “Do not rush to empty the house.”
    Page 4 of 32 Open page 4
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    Before you call anyone, it helps to know that most places ask for the same two things.

    First, certified copies of the death certificate. Ask for more than you think you need, because many of them keep the one you send. Second, a document showing you have the authority to act. That one goes by different names depending on where you are, and the attorney or accountant under “People to call” can tell you which applies.

    If something isn't where these pages say it is, it's rarely gone for good. The people under

    “People to call” usually know. Accounts and policies can also be traced from a name alone: every US state runs a free unclaimed-property search, the state insurance regulators run a central policy locator, and in Germany the banking association will search its member banks for an heir. Start with a name, not a number.

    IN ROUGHLY THIS ORDER

    Ask the funeral director for ten certified copies of the death certificate

    Tell Willamette Mutual about both policies

    ◦ last reviewed April 2, 2024

    First steps

    Tell first: John Carter, before anything is signed or closed.

    Others to tell: Ana in the garage apartment, first and in person.

    Margaret Boyle, who I taught with — she will tell the rest of them.

    The choir at St Stephen's, through Father Dolan.

    My cousin Ray in Bend, who will be hurt to hear it late.

    The Tuesday book group, whenever somebody gets to it.

    Money for the first weeks

    The Cascade savings account — Susan is a joint holder, so it does not freeze.

    Practical things

    The house: Cancel the newspaper. Water the plants in the front room. The heat comes on at six — the switch is in the hall closet.

    In their own words: Do not rush to empty the house. There is no hurry and you will regret it.

  5. Section divider, “Personal & family”, standfirst “The official basics, names exactly as documents know them.” and a count reading “2 entries”.
    Page 5 of 32 Open page 5
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    Personal & family

    The official basics — names exactly as documents know them.

    2 entries

  6. A typed record for Judith Ann Miller: other names, date and place of birth, citizenship, marital status, both parents with their dates, and her working life as an elementary school teacher. Below it, military service: three years in the Women’s Army Corps, and a note that the discharge papers are in the gray document box in an envelope marked ARMY, which her daughter has never seen and wouldn’t know to look for.
    Page 6 of 32 Open page 6
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    Judith Ann Miller

    Other names: Judith Clark before 1972

    Date of birth: November 2, 1948

    Place of birth: Portland, Oregon

    Citizenship: United States

    Marital status: Widowed

    Parents: Father: Thomas Edward Clark, born 1919 in Astoria, died 1987.

    Mother: Eileen Clark — Halloran before she married — born 1922 in Portland, died 1994.

    Work: Elementary school teacher, Portland Public Schools, 1974 to

    2008. Three years in the Army before that.

    Military service

    Served: Yes

    Discharge paperwork: Discharge papers — the DD-214 — are in the gray document box, in the envelope marked ARMY. Susan has never seen them and would not know to look.

    Notes: Women's Army Corps, 1970 to 1973. Fort Lewis, then Germany.

  7. Section divider, “People to call”, standfirst “The short list of people who can help, and how to reach them.” and a count reading “5 entries”.
    Page 7 of 32 Open page 7
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    People to call

    The short list of people who can help, and how to reach them.

    5 entries

  8. A typed contacts page. Five people, each a name as a heading with label-and-value rows beneath: Susan Miller, role “Executor / steady hand”, with a phone number, an email and the note “My daughter. She has agreed and knows where this binder is kept.”; John Carter, attorney at Carter & Hayes LLP, who holds the signed original of the will; Michael Brooks, accountant at Brooks & Associates CPA; Dr. Helen Vasquez at Riverside Family Practice; and Dave and Carol Byrne, “Neighbor with a key”.
    Page 8 of 32 Open page 8
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    Susan Miller

    Role: Executor / steady hand

    Phone: +1 503 555 0148

    Email: susan@example.com

    Notes: My daughter. She has agreed and knows where this binder is kept.

    John Carter

    Role: Attorney

    Phone: +1 503 555 0192

    Firm: Carter & Hayes LLP, Portland

    Notes: Drew up the will in 2021. Holds the signed original.

    Michael Brooks

    Role: Accountant

    Phone: +1 503 555 0110

    Firm: Brooks & Associates CPA

    Notes: Does the tax return every March. Knows about the brokerage account.

    Dr. Helen Vasquez

    Role: Doctor

    Phone: +1 503 555 0166

    Firm: Riverside Family Practice

    Dave and Carol Byrne

    Role: Neighbor with a key

    Phone: +1 503 555 0127

    Notes: Next door at number 41. They have a key and they feed Biscuit when I travel.

  9. Section divider, “Papers & where they live”, standfirst “Nothing is filed in this binder itself; these pages say where each paper lives.” and a count reading “5 entries”.
    Page 9 of 32 Open page 9
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    Papers & where they live

    Nothing is filed in this binder itself; these pages say where each paper lives.

    5 entries

  10. Where the papers are. The will, with the signed original held by the attorney and a copy in the gray document box. A living trust from 2021, with a note that the house is titled in it, which is why the deed reads “Judith A. Miller, Trustee”. The house deed, birth and marriage certificates, and seven years of tax returns in the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet.
    Page 10 of 32 Open page 10
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    Will

    Where it lives

    Signed original with John Carter. My own copy is in the gray document box on the shelf in the study.

    Notes: Signed 4 March 2021, the same day as the trust. Susan is named executor. John says this one mostly exists to catch anything the trust does not already hold.

    Living trust

    Present: Yes

    Where it lives

    Signed original with John Carter. My copy is in the gray document box, in the envelope marked TRUST.

    Notes: The Judith A. Miller Revocable Living Trust, 2021. The house is titled in it, which is why the deed reads that way. Susan is the successor trustee.

    House deed

    Where it lives

    Gray document box, study shelf, in the envelope marked

    HOUSE.

    Notes: The house is titled to the trust, not to me personally — the deed says "Judith A. Miller, Trustee". John has the recorded copy.

    Birth and marriage certificates

    Where it lives

    Gray document box, study shelf, front pocket.

    Notes: Certified copies. The originals were reissued in 1998 after the flood.

    Tax returns

    ◦ last reviewed April 2, 2024

    Where it lives

    Bottom drawer of the filing cabinet, one folder per year, going back seven years.

  11. Section divider, “Accounts at a glance”, standfirst “Institution names, with the last four of an account only where it helps tell them apart. A bank finds the account from the name and its own records; what it asks you for is proof.” a count reading “8 entries”, and a line noting one attached page in the appendix.
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    Accounts at a glance

    Institution names, with the last four of an account only where it helps tell them apart. A bank finds the account from the name and its own records; what it asks you for is proof.

    8 entries

    1 attached page in the appendix

  12. Accounts, by institution. A checking account and a savings account at Cascade Community Bank, each showing only the last four characters, ••••4417 and ••••8820, with a note that the savings account is the one to use for the first few weeks because her daughter is a joint holder. Then a Traditional IRA at Northfield Securities with a named beneficiary, and a Social Security retirement benefit.
    Page 12 of 32 Open page 12
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    Cascade Community Bank

    Account type: Checking

    Ownership: Mine alone

    Statements & tax returns

    Paper statements arrive monthly; they live in the filing cabinet, top drawer.

    Notes: Everything is paid out of this one — the utilities, the insurance, the property tax.

    Account (last four): ••••4417

    Cascade Community Bank

    Account type: Savings

    Ownership: Mine alone

    Notes: This is the one to use for the first few weeks. Susan is on it as a joint holder.

    Account (last four): ••••8820

    Northfield Securities

    Account type: Traditional IRA

    Statements & tax returns

    Statements come in the mail twice a year — filing cabinet, top drawer, blue folder.

    Advisor: Michael Brooks (see People to call)

    Named beneficiary: Susan Miller

    Social Security Administration

    Account type: Retirement benefit

    Ownership: Mine alone

  13. What comes in every month, and from where. Social Security into the checking account on the second Wednesday, a teacher’s pension from Portland Public Schools on the first, and a small yearly withdrawal from the IRA. A note that two of the three stop or change, because the pension’s survivor option wasn’t taken. Then work history, and the garage apartment rented to a tenant of four years, with the line “Ana should be told early and told kindly.”
    Page 13 of 32 Open page 13
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    Statements & tax returns

    The card is in the gray document box, envelope marked

    PAPERS. The annual letter is in the filing cabinet with the tax returns.

    Notes: Paid into the Cascade checking account on the second

    Wednesday. Susan will need to call them — the payment for the month has to go back, and there is a small one-off payment for a widow or widower.

    Money coming in

    What comes in: Social Security, into the Cascade checking account on the second

    Wednesday.

    The PERS teacher's pension, first of the month, same account.

    A small withdrawal from the IRA each December, which Michael arranges.

    Notes: This is what the house runs on. Two of the three stop or change — the pension has a survivor option that Jim and I did not take, so it ends with me.

    Work history

    Employers: Portland Public Schools, 1974 to 2008 — the PERS pension comes from them.

    US Army, 1970 to 1973.

    Meier & Frank, summers in the sixties, which will not be owed anything.

    Business and rentals

    What there is: The garage apartment is rented to Ana Reyes, who has been there four years. Rent comes to the checking account on the first. Her lease and the deposit receipt are in the filing cabinet, second drawer.

    Notes: Ana should be told early and told kindly. She has nowhere else arranged and she has been very good to me.

    Cryptocurrency

    Present: Yes

    Apps & exchanges: A small amount of Bitcoin, bought in 2017. Not on any exchange any more.

  14. Cryptocurrency. A note that the recovery words are on a card in the fireproof box in the bedroom closet, that the key to that box is with her daughter, and that the words are NOT in this binder and never should be. The receiving address prints in full, because it’s public by design.
    Page 14 of 32 Open page 14
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    Recovery instructions

    The recovery words are written on the card in the small fireproof box in the bedroom closet. The key to that box is with Susan. The words are NOT in this binder and never should be.

    Held outside an exchange: Yes

    Receiving address: bc1qar0srrr7xfkvy5l643lydnw9re59gtzzwf5mdq

  15. Section divider, “Insurance”, standfirst “Policies only help when someone knows they exist.” a count reading “4 entries”, and a line noting two attached pages in the appendix.
    Page 15 of 32 Open page 15
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    Insurance

    Policies only help when someone knows they exist.

    4 entries

    2 attached pages in the appendix

  16. Insurance, by carrier. A life policy and a homeowner’s policy at Willamette Mutual, both with the same agent and both filed in the envelope marked INSURANCE. Then Medicare Parts A and B, the card kept in her purse behind the driver’s license, and a Medicare supplement at Blue Ridge Health showing only the last four characters, ••••0561.
    Page 16 of 32 Open page 16
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    Willamette Mutual

    Policy type: Life

    Agent: Nancy Foster, +1 503 555 0175

    Policy papers

    Policy booklet in the gray document box, envelope marked

    INSURANCE.

    Named beneficiary: Susan Miller

    Willamette Mutual

    Policy type: Homeowner's

    Agent: Nancy Foster

    Policy papers

    Same envelope as the life policy.

    Medicare

    Policy type: Parts A and B

    Policy papers

    Red, white and blue card in my purse, behind the driver's license.

    Notes: Enrolled since 2013. The supplement below is separate and both cards get shown together.

    Blue Ridge Health

    Policy type: Medicare supplement, Plan G

    Policy papers

    Card in my purse; a photocopy is in the kitchen drawer with the takeout menus.

    Member number (last four): ••••0561

  17. Section divider, “Home, vehicles & keys”, standfirst “What there is, and how a trusted person gets in.” a count reading “3 entries”, and a line noting one attached page in the appendix.
    Page 17 of 32 Open page 17
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    Home, vehicles & keys

    What there is, and how a trusted person gets in.

    3 entries

    1 attached page in the appendix

  18. The house at 39 Alder Row, paid off in 2019, with the deed in the gray document box and spare keys next door and on the hook inside the pantry door. A 2014 Subaru with its title in the same box. And a small fireproof box on the bedroom closet shelf, whose key is with her daughter, with the line “Nothing in it is written down here on purpose.”
    Page 18 of 32 Open page 18
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    39 Alder Row, Portland, Oregon

    Kind of property: House

    Spare keys

    Dave and Carol next door have one. There is a second on the hook inside the pantry door.

    Notes: Paid off in 2019. The deed is in the gray document box.

    Vehicles

    Vehicles: 2014 Subaru Outback, silver. Title is in the gray document box.

    Spare key is on the pantry hook.

    Safe

    Present: Yes

    How to get in

    Small fireproof box on the closet shelf in my bedroom.

    Susan has the key. Nothing in it is written down here on purpose.

  19. Section divider, “Digital life”, standfirst “Where the digital life lives, never the passwords themselves.” and a count reading “3 entries”.
    Page 19 of 32 Open page 19
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    Digital life

    Where the digital life lives — never the passwords themselves.

    3 entries

  20. The digital life, without any of the passwords. Where the password manager’s printed emergency kit is filed, that a legacy contact is set, which services and subscriptions are on the same card, and where the laptop passcode is kept, which isn’t in the binder. Then a request: don’t cancel the phone number for at least six months, because the bank and the email both send their codes to it.
    Page 20 of 32 Open page 20
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    Password manager

    Emergency kit

    The printed emergency kit is in the gray document box, in the envelope marked COMPUTER.

    Password manager: Yes

    Online accounts

    Legacy contact: Yes

    Services: Email, the bank, the electricity company, the pharmacy, and the library.

    Subscriptions: A newspaper, a streaming service, and the gardening magazine.

    All on the same card.

    Phones and computers

    How to get in

    The laptop passcode is with the password manager kit, not in this binder.

    The phone number: The cell phone is in my name with Cascade Mobile. Please do not cancel the number for at least six months — the bank and the email both send their codes to it, and once it is gone they cannot be got back into.

  21. Section divider, “Health at a glance”, standfirst “The one-pager a helper would want.” and a count reading “3 entries”.
    Page 21 of 32 Open page 21
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    Health at a glance

    The one-pager a helper would want.

    3 entries

  22. Health on one page. Two medications with their doses, two conditions, one allergy. Where the advance directive and healthcare power of attorney are held. Then organ donation: registered, recorded on the driver’s license and in the state registry, with the line “I made up my mind about this a long time ago and I do not want anyone agonizing over it.”
    Page 22 of 32 Open page 22
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    Health basics

    Medications: Metformin 500mg twice daily. Lisinopril 10mg in the morning.

    Conditions: Type 2 diabetes since 2016. High blood pressure.

    Allergies: Penicillin

    Advance directives

    Where it lives

    Advance directive and healthcare power of attorney are with John Carter, and a copy is in the gray document box.

    Organ and tissue donation

    Decision: Registered as a donor

    Where it is recorded: On my driver's license, and in the Oregon donor registry. Dr.

    Vasquez knows.

    Notes: I made up my mind about this a long time ago and I do not want anyone agonizing over it.

  23. Section divider, “The animals”, standfirst “Who they are and how they like to be looked after.” and a count reading “1 entry”.
    Page 23 of 32 Open page 23
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    The animals

    Who they are and how they like to be looked after.

    1 entry

  24. A page for Biscuit, a terrier of some description. The vet and their phone number, the routine of two walks and half a can morning and evening with a tablet crushed into the evening one, the line “He is frightened of the vacuum cleaner”, and who has already agreed to take him.
    Page 24 of 32 Open page 24
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    Biscuit

    Species: Dog — a terrier of some description

    Vet: Alder Row Veterinary, +1 503 555 0181

    Care routine: Two walks. Half a can morning and evening, and the tablet crushed into the evening one. He is frightened of the vacuum cleaner.

    Who takes them in: Susan has said she will take him. Dave and Carol next door are the fallback.

  25. Section divider, “Wishes”, standfirst “A few decisions made in advance, so nobody has to guess.” and a count reading “1 entry”.
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    Wishes

    A few decisions made in advance, so nobody has to guess.

    1 entry

  26. Wishes, in her own words. How it should feel: “Something small. I would rather people ate together afterwards than sat through anything long.” What music, and nothing read out that she didn’t write. Where the plot paperwork is filed, and that the plot is already paid for.
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    Preferences

    How it should feel: Something small. I would rather people ate together afterwards than sat through anything long.

    Music & readings: The Dvořák, if someone can manage it. Nothing read out that I did not write.

    Paperwork

    The plot paperwork is in the gray document box, envelope marked ROSE CITY.

    Resting place: With Jim, at Rose City. The plot is already paid for.

  27. Section divider, “Letters”, standfirst “Where the personal words live. Sealed stays sealed.” and a count reading “2 entries”.
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    Letters

    Where the personal words live. Sealed stays sealed.

    2 entries

  28. Letters. A sealed envelope with her daughter’s name on it in the top drawer of the bedside table, marked “Not to be opened before it is needed.” Then one still to write, for her grandson when he is grown, recorded as “Not started yet.”
    Page 28 of 32 Open page 28
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    Susan

    Where it lives

    Sealed envelope with her name on it, in the top drawer of my bedside table.

    Notes: Not to be opened before it is needed.

    Sam, when he is older

    Still to write: A letter for when he is grown. Not started yet.

  29. A divider reading “Attached documents”, which introduces the photographs of paperwork reproduced at the back of the binder.
    Page 29 of 32 Open page 29
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    Attached documents

  30. Two attached documents reproduced at full size, each captioned with the entry it belongs to: the first page of a bank statement from Cascade Community Bank, and the front of a Medicare card showing both parts and the dates.
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    First page of a bank statement — from “Cascade Community Bank” in Accounts at a glance

    Medicare card, front — both parts and the dates — from “Medicare” in Insurance

  31. Two more attached documents: the front of a Medicare supplement card from Blue Ridge Health, and an electricity bill showing the account is in Judy’s name, captioned with the entry each belongs to.
    Page 31 of 32 Open page 31
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    Medicare supplement card, front — from “Blue Ridge Health” in Insurance

    Electricity bill — the account is in Judy's name — from “39 Alder Row, Portland, Oregon” in Home, vehicles & keys

  32. “About this binder”, the last page. It explains that the pages were printed from one ordinary Nestbound file that holds everything including the attached documents, that the full description of the format is published on this site and ships in the app, and that if the paper and the file disagree the file is the one that gets updated. Then where the live file is kept, and a line saying that Judy and everyone in this binder are invented.
    Page 32 of 32 Open page 32
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    About this binder

    These pages were printed from a Nestbound file: one ordinary file that holds everything in this binder, including the attached documents. It's a standard zip archive, so any computer can open it with or without Nestbound. Inside are a manifest, one JSON file of the records, and a folder of the scans. The full description is published at nestbound.app and ships inside the app, under Help. If this paper copy and the file ever disagree, trust the file. It's the one that gets updated.

    Where the live file is kept:

    On the iMac in the study, in the Documents folder, and on the blue USB stick in the top desk drawer. Susan has a copy too. This is Nestbound's example binder, so Judy, Susan and everyone in it are invented — and so is every address, number and policy.

Yours would look similar to this

Print your own file and you get this book, with your family in it instead of Judy’s.

Judy’s binder is inside the app as well. The first screen offers to open it, so you can walk around a finished one before you write a word of your own.

Download the whole binder A PDF of the example binder.

If the harder part isn’t the binder but bringing it up at all, there’s a page for that: ways to start the conversation.