The short answer: An end of life planner asks the same core questions no matter which template you use: who makes your medical decisions, who can see your health records, who receives your money and accounts, and how your funeral and memory should be handled. Each box wants a specific, legally usable answer, not a vague note. Once you know what a field is asking, filling in the grid takes an afternoon, not a weekend.
An end of life planner is a document, on paper or online, that collects your medical wishes, beneficiary information, digital account instructions, and funeral preferences in one place your family can find. It is not a will, and it does not replace one.
Most end of life planners break down into the same handful of sections, whatever the format:
- Medical decisions and advance care wishes
- Who can see your medical records
- Beneficiaries for money, insurance, and accounts
- Digital accounts and online logins
- Funeral wishes
- Personal messages to the people you love
What goes in the medical decisions box?
The medical decisions box names who can speak for you if you cannot speak for yourself, and it is also where a completed POLST form belongs if your doctor has recommended one. A POLST form is a medical order, not a planning note. It is filled in together with a doctor, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant, never alone, and it is meant for someone with a serious illness or advanced frailty, not a healthy adult completing a first plan.
Because a POLST form is an order, paramedics honor it immediately in an emergency, while a standalone advance directive can take longer for a hospital to act on. If a serious diagnosis is already part of your situation, Myend’s guide to end-of-life care and terminal illness covers how a POLST fits alongside hospice and palliative decisions.
What goes in the medical records access box?
The medical records box asks who can see your health information, and a note like “let my daughter see my records” will not meet the federal rule for HIPAA authorizations. A valid HIPAA authorization must name the specific information, the specific people, and an end date. It must state exactly what may be shared, who can disclose it, who can receive it, its purpose, and an expiration date or event.
You can change your mind. A HIPAA authorization can be revoked in writing at any time, except for anything a provider already relied on, so treat this box as something to update yearly, not fill in once.
What goes in the beneficiaries box?
The beneficiaries box asks who receives your money, insurance, and accounts directly, and the beneficiary form on file, not your will, decides the answer. Under FEGLI, the Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance program, OPM’s order of precedence rule takes over if no valid beneficiary form is on file when a federal employee dies, paying out in a fixed legal order instead of following the will. A blank beneficiary form can override what your will says.
That is a federal-employee-specific rule, but it shows what this box is for: naming, in writing, who gets what. If you are weighing a will against something broader, choosing between a will and a trust is worth reading next.
What goes in the digital accounts box?
The digital accounts box asks what happens to your email, photos, and online accounts, and the answer depends on your state and on which tools you have turned on, not only on who you trust. The Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act is a model law from the Uniform Law Commission, not a federal law, so what an executor can do with your accounts depends on whether, and how, your own state has adopted it.
List the tool you turned on, not just a password. Google’s Inactive Account Manager lets you name up to 10 trusted contacts and choose exactly which data, Gmail, Photos, Drive, YouTube, each one receives after a set period of inactivity you choose in advance.
What goes in the funeral wishes box?
The funeral wishes box asks what kind of service you want and what you are willing to pay, and the FTC’s Funeral Rule gives you more control over price than most people realize. Funeral homes must give you a General Price List that is yours to keep, and must let you buy only the individual goods and services you want instead of a bundled package.
You can require itemized pricing, in writing. Funeral homes must also accept a casket or urn bought elsewhere without a handling fee, so this box can say “itemized costs only, no package” instead of “something simple.” If flowers matter to you, Myend’s guide to funeral flowers and their meanings can help you name an actual choice.
What goes in the personal messages box?
The personal messages box is the one people put off longest, because “write something for the people you love” is a wide, blank prompt. A specific question is easier to answer than a big blank page. Try a narrower one: what do you want your grandchildren to know about you that they cannot learn any other way. Myend’s piece on three things to be remembered for is a shorter way in.
You do not have to fill in every box today. Myend’s online end-of-life planner walks through each section one at a time, and filling it in and saving it is free. A PDF export is part of Myend’s $19 Starter plan; the planner itself costs nothing to use.
Frequently asked questions
Is an end of life planner the same as a will?
No. A will is a legal document a court recognizes for distributing property. An end of life planner is a working document, often unsigned by any court, that holds medical wishes, beneficiary notes, and account details your executor needs. A beneficiary form or a POLST can matter as much as the will.
Do I need a lawyer to fill in an end of life planner?
No, filling in an end of life planner does not require a lawyer, since most of it is information gathering: your wishes, your accounts, your contacts. A lawyer becomes useful for documents the planner points toward, like a will, a power of attorney, or a trust, especially where your state’s digital-asset rules are unclear.
What happens if I leave a field blank?
A blank field does not disappear, it gets decided by default rules instead of by you. A blank beneficiary form can trigger a fixed legal order of precedence, a blank HIPAA field can block a family member from your records, and a blank funeral box leaves the choice, and the cost, to whoever is left behind.
Can I update my end of life planner later?
Yes, and you should. A HIPAA authorization can be revoked and rewritten at any time in writing, and beneficiary forms, digital account settings, and funeral wishes can all change as your life does. Treat the planner as a document to revisit yearly, not one you complete once and file away.
This article is general information, not legal, medical, or financial advice. Laws on beneficiary designations, digital assets, and medical directives vary by state and by program, so consult a licensed attorney or financial advisor in your jurisdiction before relying on any single answer here.
Last reviewed: September 2026
