Helping a Parent Fill In Left In Peace

A guide for adult children who want to help — without it being awkward

How to Bring It Up

This is the hardest part. Here are approaches that work:

"Mom, I got you something that I hope we never need — but it would really help us if something ever happened. Can we sit down for 30 minutes and I'll help you get started?"

"Dad, I was thinking about how when we lost Uncle Jim, nobody knew where anything was. I found this thing that helps organize all that. Would you be willing to try it with me?"

"I'm filling one out for myself, and I thought we could both do it. Want to work on ours together?"

Skip the blunt, heavy words. Say "if something happens" or "for your family" or "so we're not guessing." The product is designed with this same sensitivity.

Before You Sit Down Together

Set up the USB drive first. Plug it in, open the file, create their PIN, and print the key cards — the print comes out as four cut-apart cards (two copies of each key, labeled Copy 1 of 2 and Copy 2 of 2). Do this technical part yourself so they don't have to.
Run "Check for Updates." Click it at the bottom of the screen while you're connected to the internet, so the app is current before you sit down together. Updates happen entirely inside the app — Left In Peace never asks anyone to download or run a program.
Adjust the font size. Use the A+ button in the top right to make the text larger. It remembers their preference.
Plan for two or three short sessions, not one marathon. 30 minutes is plenty for the first sitting. And if a coffee break runs long, don't worry — after 15 minutes with no activity, Left In Peace saves everything and locks itself. Nothing is lost; just enter the PIN to continue. (If the USB drive got unplugged, it still locks and says the changes are saved on this computer but not on the drive yet — plug the drive back in, enter the PIN, and click Save.)
Have their wallet nearby. Driver's license, insurance cards, bank cards — most of the numbers they need are right there.
Don't push. If they want to skip something, skip it. They can come back anytime.

Suggested Sessions

Session 1 — 30 minutes

The Essentials

Start in the Access & IDs tab. Help them enter:

Phone PIN (they know this one)
Email address and password
Personal IDs — have them get their driver's license and read the numbers to you while you type
Passports — click "+ Add Passport" for each one (one entry per country if they hold dual citizenship)
If they don't have one of the IDs — no passport, no Veteran's ID — check the "don't have one" box, so the family later sees "none" instead of wondering what's missing

Then go to Who to Call:

Attorney (they'll know the name, look up the phone number together)
Primary doctor and pharmacy

Save and stop. That's a great first session.

Session 2 — 30 minutes

Money & Insurance

Go to the Financial tab:

Bank accounts — they probably have 1-3
Any investment or retirement accounts
Social Security — and while you're there, the day the check arrives, whether it's direct deposit, and which account it lands in
Properties — add each one, with the parcel number, county, and the property-tax details (how often it's billed and when it's due). If there's a mortgage, there's also a spot for the loan number — it's on the mortgage statement
Vehicles — note the license plate, the month the plate renews, and the VIN (Vehicle ID Number) — you'll find it on the title, the insurance card, or the driver's-side dashboard by the windshield

Tip: on bills, cards, loans, and utilities, fill in the little "auto-pay & timing" box — what day it's due, whether it pays itself, and which account or card it comes from. Then tap "Money Map & Bill Calendar" at the top of the tab to see everything in one place. It's the easiest way to catch a bill that auto-pays from a card no one else knows about.

Then Insurance:

Life insurance — company and policy number (check their files or cards)
Health insurance — the card is usually in their wallet

If they don't know a number, check the "need to find" checkbox next to that field. When they save, it shows a list you can print of things to look up.

Session 3 — 30 minutes

Legal & Records, Home & Messages

Go to Legal & Records:

Where is the will? (filing cabinet? attorney's office?) Then the three questions that keep estates out of limbo: who prepared it, what year was it signed, and is there an older one anywhere that it replaces? One sentence each.
Birth and marriage certificate locations
The "Other Important Papers" checklist: deed, car titles, military discharge papers, safe deposit box (and where the key is), beneficiary forms. Tick what they have, write where it is; leave the rest unticked so nobody goes hunting later
If they apply, there are also spots for adoption papers and a prenuptial or marital agreement — just note where each is kept
Organ donor status

Then Home & Daily Life:

WiFi password (check the sticker on the router)
Service people they use regularly
Pets — who should take care of them
Funeral preferences (handle this gently — it's the most sensitive part). If they've already made arrangements, there's a spot for the contract number — it's printed right on the contract, and it's how the provider looks up the arrangement

Finally, Messages:

Help them write a general message. Even one sentence matters: "I love you all and I'm proud of every one of you."

Sections You Can Skip

Not everyone needs every section. Mark these as "not applicable" if they don't apply:

Business — skip if they have no business interests
Memberships — skip if no storage units, clubs, or commitments. If there is a storage unit, ask for the gate or access code as well as the address — it's the one detail nobody else can look up later.
Employer/HR — skip if retired (there's a toggle for this)

Sections That Are Private

Some sections your parent may want to fill in alone:

Messages — individual messages to specific people
Valuable Items — who gets what (this can be sensitive)
Financial details — some parents don't want children knowing account balances

That's OK. Show them how to log in with their PIN, navigate the tabs, and save. Then let them add private details on their own time. The "need to find" checkboxes help them remember what to come back to.

After You're Done

Hand out the four key cards — the print gives two copies of each key. Master Key Copy 1 stays in their wallet or safe; Copy 2 goes to a backup person. Keylock Key Copy 1 goes to their attorney or trustee; Copy 2 goes to that key's backup person. Four cards, four people (or two people plus two backups) — one lost card can never lock the family out. Record who holds each copy in the Key Holders tab, where you can also reprint all four cards anytime
Print the Heir Information Packet — give copies to everyone who needs one
Print the wallet card — they keep this in their wallet so someone finds it if something happens
Save a backup copy — on the dashboard, open "More options..." and click "Download a Backup Copy." The file opens only with their PIN or both word cards, and if the drive is ever lost it can be put onto a new, empty drive (the new drive's first screen has a link: "Replacing a lost or damaged drive? Put a backup file onto this drive"). Keep it somewhere as safe as the drive — not emailed around, not on a shared computer's desktop. If their drive was updated to version 1.9.6, make a fresh backup: older ones can only be partly recovered
Make a spare drive (optional) — "More options..." → "Copy to a New Drive" shows how to copy everything onto a second USB drive. The spare opens with the same PIN and word cards. Keep it somewhere as safe as the original, and copy again after big changes so it stays current
Remind them annually — "Hey Mom, want to spend 10 minutes updating your Left In Peace?" The review starts with a quick key-holder check: can they still reach both key holders and their backups, and does everyone still have their card? If anything changed, the app jumps straight to Key Holders to reprint and re-hand-out

The most important thing: Don't let perfect be the enemy of done. A Left In Peace with 5 things filled in is infinitely better than an empty one sitting in a drawer. Start small. Add more later.

Left In Peace — Everything they’ll need, right where you left it.