The System
What is actually inside.
The Final Lantern is a structured system, not a blank journal. Every section exists because families have needed it and did not have it.
The Final Lantern is a structured system, not a blank journal. Every section exists because families have needed it and did not have it.
Your full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number location, citizenship documents, military service records. Where your birth certificate is. Where your marriage or divorce papers are. The basic identifying information your family will need within the first week.
Doctors. Lawyers. Accountants. Financial advisors. Employers. Insurance agents. Clergy. Close friends who should be told. A ranked list of who to call first.
Checking and savings accounts and where they are. Retirement accounts. Investment accounts. Credit cards. Loans. Recurring bills and subscriptions that will need to be canceled. Safe deposit boxes and where the key is.
Account logins and how to access them. This section includes our guidance on how to store this information safely, how to use a password manager alongside The Final Lantern, and what not to write down in any journal, ours included.
Your will. Your living will and advance directive. Your power of attorney. Your trust, if you have one. Where each document lives, who drafted it, and who has copies.
What you want and do not want if you cannot speak for yourself. Life support. Resuscitation. Pain management preferences. Where you want to be cared for. This section works alongside your legal directive, not in place of it.
A short summary section for emergencies. If the worst happened overnight, what are the five things your family would need to know by morning? This is the page you point them to first.
Burial, cremation, or something else. Location. Service type. Music. Readings. Who you want to speak. Who you do not. Whether you have prepaid anything. What you want written and what you do not want said.
Space for letters to your spouse, children, grandchildren, or friends. Stories you want remembered. The things you meant to say and kept postponing.
Practical notes for the people handling your affairs. Where the spare key is. How the garage code works. The dog's vet. The plant that needs watering every Tuesday. The small details that hold a household together.
A guide written specifically for the family. What to do in the first day. What to do in the first three days. Who to call. What paperwork will be requested and by whom. How to ask for death certificates and how many to order. This section is for them, not for you.
Your Final Lantern system is a map for your family. Some of what goes in it is informal guidance, and some of it needs legal standing to be enforced. This section explains the difference. It covers notarization, witness requirements by state, which documents need which formalities, and when to work with an attorney. We are not a law firm and we do not replace one. We tell you clearly which steps require one.
Most people start with personal information or contacts. Both take about fifteen minutes.