Four steps. Less than 30 minutes. Everything your family needs to find when they need it most — and the peace of mind that comes from knowing it's there.
You've done something most people never do — you've taken the first step toward making things easier for the people you love. Most families leave nothing behind. No instructions, no passwords, no documents. Just silence, at exactly the wrong moment.
Cedar Vault changes that. Not through hours of work and legal complexity — through four simple acts that take less than a workday combined, spread across your first week. Follow this guide and your vault will be genuinely useful to your family from day one.
These four steps take less than 30 minutes total. You don't have to do them all at once. Start with step one today — it's the most important — and come back for the rest when you have a quiet moment this week.
Your family will need these in the first 48 hours — before anything else. Phone PIN, computer password, bank accounts. Not for snooping — for survival. When someone is gone, the family needs to get into their phone immediately. Record these today.
Phone PIN or passcode · Computer login password · Primary bank account · Investment accounts · Insurance policy numbers
Every family that has been through this moment says the same thing: "We couldn't get into the phone." Record it now, while it's easy.
House keys. Car keys. The checkbook. The safe combination. The spare key hidden outside. Where you keep the will. Who to call first. Write it down, seal it as a Legacy Letter, and it will save your family hours of panicked searching at the worst possible moment.
Location of keys, important documents, safe, financial records, and any instructions your family will immediately need — in plain, clear language.
A sealed Legacy Letter stays private until your family needs to open it. You control who can read it and when — or you can leave it open for any vault member.
You don't need to scan everything you own this week. Start with the single document your family would need most. Usually that's your will — or if you don't have one yet, a life insurance policy or a birth certificate. One document, uploaded today, is infinitely better than zero.
Will or trust · Life insurance policy · Health insurance card · Birth certificate · Power of attorney · Vehicle title
That's okay — Cedar Vault isn't a replacement for an attorney and it doesn't require one. Upload what you have now and fill in the rest over time.
A vault that only you know about isn't really protecting your family. Invite your spouse, an adult child, or a close trusted friend. The moment someone else has access, your vault goes from a private project to a genuine family safety net — which is what it was always meant to be.
Spouse or partner (full Spouse access) · Adult child · Trusted sibling · Close friend who you'd want handling things — as a Witness with read access.
Witnesses have read-only access. Sealed Legacy Letters remain private until opened. Sensitive account details — numbers and credentials — are also protected by default. Witnesses know the accounts exist, but can't see the details unless your family votes to grant access. You stay in control.
Everything above takes less than 30 minutes. Open your vault now and your Getting Started checklist will walk you through each step — right inside the app.
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