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Build Your Own

A working order for turning this template into your actual plan. None of this needs to happen in one sitting.

  • [ ] Choose your custodians. Three independent people who don't need to know each other. Confirm each is willing before you rely on them.
  • [ ] Decide your thresholds. Defaults: 2-of-3 for recovery, 3-of-3 for destruction. Adjust if you have more or fewer custodians.
  • [ ] Generate your secrets with a threshold secret-sharing tool. Two separate secrets, one for recovery, one for destruction, each split into shares. Do this offline on a device you trust; don't generate real secrets on a shared or cloud-connected machine.
  • [ ] Build the Family Recovery Package. Fill in 01_FAMILY_RECOVERY with real account references, asset locations, and recovery instructions: pointers, not plaintext passwords.
  • [ ] Build the Destruction Package. Sort everything into the three categories in Destruction Package before writing a single "destroy" instruction. When in doubt, leave it out of the destroy list.
  • [ ] Write 00_README_AFTER_DEATH. This is the map: what the system is, who the custodians are, what counts as proof of death, who can declare the triggering event, and the exact sequence to follow.
  • [ ] Write the custodian letters. Use the sample letter as a starting point. Distribute one share of each secret to each custodian.
  • [ ] Loop in your estate attorney (recommended). They don't need every detail, but they should know this system exists, know who your executor is, and ideally hold a copy of the system instructions (not the shares themselves).
  • [ ] Decide your triggering-event process. Read Verifying the Triggering Event and write down explicitly what counts as proof and who can declare it.
  • [ ] Test the recovery path without using real secrets. Walk through the reconstruction process conceptually with a trusted person or on paper; find the gaps before you need it to work.
  • [ ] Set a review cadence. Accounts change, custodians move, thresholds may need adjusting. Revisit yearly or after any major life change.

Tip

You can absolutely use this same template for yourself. Fork the repo, fill in the real details in a private copy, and keep this public one as the clean, generic reference.