Completing this is one of the most meaningful things you can do for the people you love.
This questionnaire walks you through the same planning areas covered in your Threshold Legacy packet — at your own pace, section by section. Your answers are saved automatically as you go, so you can stop any time and pick up right where you left off.
There are no wrong answers, and nothing you enter here is shared with anyone — it's yours. When you're ready to talk through any of it with Lauren, the "Need Help?" button in the left panel will send her a note directly.
Your Roadmap
Your Planning Guide
Everything you need to complete — in one place. Sections of this questionnaire open directly when linked. Items that require outside documents or professional guidance link to Threshold Works resources. Check each area off as you finish it.
1. Complete an End-of-Life Values Worksheet
Clarify your perspective and beliefs about living and dying
Use as a guide for conversations with people who support you
2. Complete Advance Directives
Select, complete and sign a Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare
Select, complete and sign a Healthcare Directive / Living Will
Evaluate need for a medical order (POLST/MOLST/POST) and Dementia/Mental Health Directives —
Add written or video addendum sharing additional end-of-life wishes
Create Will or Trust; name Executor/Trustee; complete Durable Power of Attorney for Finance
Update insurance as health status changes
Ensure financial, legal, and digital account credentials are accessible by named individuals
Designate beneficiaries of assets and items to specific people
6. Final Disposition Arrangement & Designated Agent
Decide how your body will be cared for after death; designate an agent
Complete After-Death Disposition Forms
7. Shape Your Legacy
Document what you do and don’t want for a remembrance, gathering, eulogy, and obituary
Consider letters, gifts, and designations of items to specific people
Section 02
Values Worksheet
For each statement, rate how important this value is to you — 1 being low importance, 5 being high. Your responses are meant to guide conversations with your healthcare agent, your loved ones, and your care providers.
Value
1Low
2
3
4
5High
Section 03
Healthcare Decisions & Orders
Two documents govern your healthcare wishes. Knowing the difference is one of the most important steps in this process.
Advance Directive
Also: Living Will, Healthcare Directive, Durable POA for Healthcare
A legal document — any competent adult can create one
Names a surrogate and states your general wishes
Governs future incapacity: “if I can’t speak for myself someday”
EMS cannot act on it directly in an emergency
Generally portable across state lines
Every adult should have one
Medical Order
Called POLST, MOLST, POST, MOST, or similar — name varies by state
A medical order — equivalent authority to a prescription
Must be signed by a licensed clinician (MD, DO, PA, ARNP)
Translates wishes into immediate, actionable orders
EMS can and must act on it without waiting
Not portable across state lines
For serious illness, advanced frailty, or near end of life
Think of it this way: your Advance Directive tells the story of who you are and what you value. Your medical order is the emergency card that tells paramedics what to do right now. You may need both — but the medical order is only appropriate once your health has reached a certain threshold. This is exactly where Threshold Works can help.
Your state’s medical order form
Every state has its own form and governing body. Select yours to see what applies to you.
Does a medical order apply to you?
Check any that reflect where you are right now. If any apply, a conversation with your physician is worthwhile.
I’m living with a degenerative disease and want to die a natural death when my time comes.
I have dementia and don’t want my life extended into its late stages.
I’ve lived well past the age I expected and want a natural death.
I want to avoid the aftereffects of extreme measures — prolonged care, leaving home or community.
None of these apply right now — I want full medical intervention if needed.
If a medical order is right for you, which level fits?
If you want full medical intervention, you do not need a medical order. That said, every adult should have an Advance Directive naming a trusted healthcare agent — especially in case of temporary incapacity. Threshold Works can help with both.
Key Documents
Advance Directives
These three documents form the legal foundation of your end-of-life plan. Each serves a distinct purpose — and together they ensure that the people around you know exactly what you want. Check off any you already have. If you need help completing one, Lauren can guide you through the process.
Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare
Names the person you trust to make healthcare decisions on your behalf if you cannot speak for yourself. This is the most critical document in your plan — without it, your family may face difficult legal hurdles at the worst possible time.
Lauren offers professional guidance to help you complete your Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare — ensuring it reflects your wishes correctly and meets all requirements in your state.
States your wishes about medical treatment — what interventions you do and don’t want if you become incapacitated. Works alongside your Power of Attorney to give both your agent and your care providers clear direction.
Lauren offers professional guidance to help you complete your Healthcare Directive — ensuring it accurately captures your values and gives your healthcare agent clear direction.
A written statement of your end-of-life preferences — often incorporated into your Healthcare Directive, though some states treat it as a separate document. Clearly states your wishes about life-sustaining treatment in specific situations.
Lauren offers professional guidance to help you complete your Living Will — ensuring your specific wishes are clearly documented and legally sound for your state.
Threshold Works ensures your info is organized and accessible to everyone who needs it.
When Lauren works with you on your advance directives, she sets up a secure Google Drive folder — organized, clearly labeled, and ready to share with your healthcare agent, your family, and your care providers. No hunting through files at a difficult moment.
These are among the most personal decisions in this entire plan — and among the most important for your family and care providers to know about in advance. Take your time here.
Organ & Tissue Donation
Organ donation saves lives — up to eight organs can be transplanted from a single donor, and tissue donation can help many more. Your wishes should be registered with your state, noted in your healthcare directive, and communicated to your healthcare agent. All three matter, because families sometimes override documented wishes when they weren’t informed in advance.
Both Washington (Death with Dignity Act, RCW 70.245) and Oregon (Death with Dignity Act, ORS 127.800–127.897) allow a terminally ill adult resident with a prognosis of six months or less to request a prescription for lethal medication from their physician. The patient must be mentally competent and capable of self-administering the medication. This is not euthanasia — the physician provides the prescription; the patient chooses if and when to use it. Two verbal requests at least 15 days apart, plus one written request with two witnesses, are required.
Comfort & End-of-Life Care
Beyond medical directives and legal documents, there are deeply human questions about how and where you want to spend your final days. Your answers here help your family and care providers honor what matters most to you.
Section 04
Disposition Options & Directions
How your body is cared for after death is a deeply personal decision. Select the option that feels right to you — or indicate that you'd like to discuss it further. Your designated agent will carry out these wishes.
My preferred method of body disposition
My Designated Agent for Disposition
This person is legally authorized to carry out your wishes. It is different from your healthcare agent or executor, though it can be the same person.
Estate Planning
Financial & Estate Planning
Your financial plan determines what happens to your assets — your home, accounts, and everything you’ve built — and whether your family navigates that process with ease or with difficulty. This section helps you inventory what you have, understand how it transfers, and identify what still needs to be done.
Important Notice
This section is for planning and educational purposes only — it does not constitute legal or financial advice. Estate laws vary by state and change over time; information below reflects Washington and Oregon law as of 2025 and should be verified with a qualified attorney before acting. Threshold Works is happy to refer you to a trusted estate planning attorney.
Select your state for tailored guidance
Estate Planning in Washington
Community property state. Property acquired during marriage is owned equally by both spouses. This affects how assets are titled and how they transfer at death.
Washington estate tax. WA has its own estate tax with an exemption of $2,193,000 (2025, adjusted annually for inflation) and rates from 10–20%. This is separate from — and much lower than — the federal exemption. Estates between the WA and federal thresholds owe WA tax only, with no federal liability.
Probate. Washington’s non-intervention probate is more streamlined than most states, but it is still a public process that takes time and costs money. Most assets can be structured to avoid it entirely.
Key tools for Washington residents
Revocable Living TrustThe most comprehensive probate-avoidance tool. Assets titled in the trust pass to beneficiaries without court involvement. Must be properly “funded” — assets retitled in the trust’s name — to be effective.
Community Property with Right of Survivorship (CPWROS)Available to married couples in Washington only. Community property re-titled as CPWROS transfers automatically to the surviving spouse at the first death — with a full step-up in tax basis on both halves, a significant income tax advantage unavailable in most states.
Transfer-on-Death Deed RCW 64.80Name a beneficiary directly on real property. The property transfers at death without probate. Must be signed, notarized, and recorded with the county before death to be valid.
Beneficiary Designations (POD / TOD)Retirement accounts, life insurance, and bank (POD) and investment (TOD) accounts with named beneficiaries bypass probate entirely. These designations supersede your will — review them after every major life event.
Small Estate Affidavit RCW 11.62.010For estates with personal property only (no real estate) valued under $100,000. Heirs can collect assets by sworn affidavit 40 days after death, without formal probate.
Estate Planning in Oregon
Oregon estate tax alert. Oregon’s estate tax exemption is only $1,000,000 — one of the lowest in the country — and has not been adjusted for inflation since 2012. Rates range from 10–16%. A modest home combined with retirement savings can easily push an Oregon estate over this threshold. This makes trust planning especially important for Oregon residents.
Not a community property state. Oregon follows common law property rules. How assets are owned and titled matters significantly — particularly for married couples, who do not have automatic 50/50 community property protections.
No estate tax portability. Unlike federal law, Oregon does not allow the surviving spouse to “inherit” a deceased spouse’s unused estate tax exemption. Without proper planning, married couples can lose one entire $1M exemption — potentially exposing up to $1M in assets to Oregon estate tax unnecessarily.
Probate. Oregon probate typically takes a minimum of four months and becomes a matter of public record. Most assets can be structured to avoid it with advance planning.
Key tools for Oregon residents
Revocable Living TrustThe most effective tool for avoiding probate and maintaining privacy. For married couples with combined assets over $1M, the trust should include bypass (AB) trust provisions to preserve both spouses’ exemptions and reduce or eliminate Oregon estate tax.
AB / Bypass Trust (Credit Shelter Trust)A structure within a revocable living trust that shelters the first spouse’s $1M exemption in a separate trust at death rather than passing everything to the surviving spouse. This preserves both exemptions — shielding up to $2M from Oregon estate tax for married couples.
Transfer-on-Death Deed ORS 93.948Name a beneficiary directly on real property. Transfers at death without probate. Must be signed, notarized, and recorded with the county before death to be valid.
Beneficiary Designations (POD / TOD)Retirement accounts, life insurance, and bank (POD) and investment (TOD) accounts with named beneficiaries bypass probate entirely. These supersede your will — review them regularly, especially after major life events.
Small Estate Affidavit ORS 114.515For estates with personal property only (no real estate) valued under $75,000. Heirs can collect assets by sworn affidavit 30 days after death, without formal probate.
Outside Washington & Oregon
Threshold Works currently provides in-depth estate planning guidance for Washington and Oregon clients. The core principles — avoiding probate, keeping beneficiary designations current, and having the right documents in place — apply in every state. But the specific thresholds, tools, and tax rules vary significantly by state.
We’re happy to help you understand your options and connect you with the right resources for your state. Reach out and we’ll get you pointed in the right direction.
States how you want your property distributed and names your executor. A will alone does not avoid probate — it guides the probate process. Every adult should have one. If you also have a living trust, your will should be a “pour-over will” that captures any assets not yet titled in the trust.
Threshold Works can connect you with a trusted estate planning attorney to draft your will — and help you organize your asset and beneficiary information in advance so your attorney meeting is as efficient as possible.
The most effective tool for avoiding probate and maintaining family privacy. Assets must be retitled in the trust’s name after it is created — a process called “funding the trust.” An unfunded or partially funded trust may still require probate for assets left outside it. Oregon residents with combined assets over $1M should discuss bypass (AB) trust provisions with their attorney.
A revocable living trust requires a qualified estate planning attorney to draft. Threshold Works can connect you with the right attorney for your situation and help coordinate the process — including organizing your asset information before the first meeting.
Names someone to manage your financial affairs if you become incapacitated. Without this, your family may need a court conservatorship — a costly, time-consuming process — just to access your accounts and pay your bills. In Washington, must be notarized (RCW 11.125).In Oregon, must be notarized or signed before two adult witnesses (ORS 127.005).
Threshold Works can connect you with a trusted estate planning attorney to prepare your Durable Power of Attorney for Finances — and ensure it is properly signed, notarized, and organized alongside your other documents.
Retirement accounts, life insurance, and bank and investment accounts with named beneficiaries pass entirely outside your will and trust — directly to whoever is named. These designations supersede every other document in your estate plan. Outdated designations (a former spouse, a deceased parent, or no contingent beneficiary) are among the most common and costly estate planning mistakes.
Asset Inventory
For each category, note what you have and how it is currently set up for transfer. This information will be invaluable for your estate planning attorney — and will be organized in your Threshold Works Google Drive.
Real Property
Your home and any other real estate. How property is titled directly determines whether it goes through probate at your death.
Retirement Accounts
IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, pensions, and similar accounts pass directly to named beneficiaries — bypassing probate entirely. But only if those designations are current and correct.
Life Insurance
Life insurance passes directly to named beneficiaries, bypassing probate. Note: the death benefit is included in your taxable estate for estate tax purposes, even though it avoids probate.
Bank & Investment Accounts
Bank accounts can be set up with a Payable-on-Death (POD) designation. Investment and brokerage accounts use Transfer-on-Death (TOD). Both pass directly to named beneficiaries and bypass probate entirely.
Business Interests
LLC memberships, partnership interests, and corporate shares require specific succession planning. Without a plan, a business interest can become a major complication — or source of conflict — for your estate.
Significant Personal Property
Vehicles, jewelry, art, antiques, collectibles, and other items of value or sentimental significance. If not specifically addressed, personal property can become a source of family conflict.
Outstanding Debts
Debts become claims against your estate. Your executor needs to know what you owe and to whom. Note: federal student loans are discharged at death; private student loans vary by lender; credit card debt becomes an estate claim.
Key Contacts
Threshold Works coordinates your financial and legal planning.
Navigating estate documents, asset titling, and attorney relationships takes time and energy you may not have. Threshold Works helps you organize your asset inventory, prepare for your attorney meeting, and stores everything clearly in a shared Google Drive — so your family has exactly what they need, when they need it.
Digital assets are among the most commonly overlooked pieces of an estate plan — and among the most consequential. Cryptocurrency can be permanently inaccessible without credentials. Social media accounts need instructions. Email accounts hold a lifetime of correspondence. This section ensures none of it is lost.
Password Management
The single most important thing you can do is ensure someone you trust can access your accounts. A password manager or a securely stored document is far safer than post-it notes or memory.
Social Media Accounts
For each platform, note what you want to happen. Facebook allows you to name a Legacy Contact and/or set memorialization preferences. Instagram, LinkedIn, and others have their own processes.
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
Other
Financial & Cryptocurrency Accounts
Cryptocurrency held in a personal wallet (not an exchange) is permanently inaccessible without the private key or seed phrase. If you hold crypto, documenting access is essential. Exchange accounts (Coinbase, Kraken, etc.) can be claimed by heirs with a death certificate.
Email & Cloud Storage
Email accounts often contain financial statements, legal correspondence, and decades of personal history. Cloud storage may hold irreplaceable photos and documents.
Subscriptions & Memberships to Cancel
Ongoing charges can continue for months after death if not cancelled. Give your executor a starting list.
Websites, Domains & Online Businesses
Domain names and websites have real value and ongoing costs. Online stores, Etsy shops, or consulting businesses may need to be closed or transferred.
Threshold Works secures your digital estate.
Your digital account inventory lives in your Threshold Works Google Drive, accessible only to those you designate. Lauren can help you organize credentials securely and ensure your executor has exactly what they need.
These are your wishes for how your life is remembered and celebrated. There are no rules here — only what feels true to you. Fill in what you know; leave the rest for later.
Gathering or Service
Music & Readings
Eulogy & Tribute
Other Wishes
Section 06
Thoughts for My Obituary & Eulogy
This section helps the people writing your obituary and eulogy get it right. You don't need to write the whole thing — just leave behind the material that matters. A few sentences in each area is plenty.
Section 07
Family Notification Guide
This section is for the people who will manage your affairs — your executor, close family, or trusted friends. Review it now so you can fill in any details they'll need. When the time comes, this timeline gives them a clear roadmap.
How to use this section. Read through each timeline and check the items that apply to your situation. Add notes where helpful. You don't need to have all of this sorted now — simply knowing these tasks exist is a good start.
Immediate — Within Hours
Notify immediate family and close friends
Contact funeral home or disposition provider
Locate and review POLST and Advance Directive
Notify physician and hospice team (if applicable)
Secure the home and arrange for pets
1–3 Days
Obtain official death certificates (typically 8–12 copies needed)
Notify employer, if applicable
Begin planning the gathering or service
Notify Social Security Administration
Post obituary (newspaper, social media, community organizations)
Within 1 Week
Locate the Will and contact the executor
Contact estate attorney to begin probate if needed
Notify banks, investment accounts, and financial institutions
Cancel subscriptions, credit cards, and memberships
Forward mail; manage email accounts
Notify Medicare, Medicaid, insurance providers
Within 1 Month
File final income tax return
Transfer or distribute assets per the Will or Trust
Manage or sell property, vehicles, or other assets
Close estate and finalize with attorney
Thank those who helped with arrangements
Notifications — Government & Benefits
Social Security Administration — Report the death to stop payments (overpayments must be returned). Apply for the $255 lump-sum death benefit if eligible. Call 1-800-772-1213.
Medicare / Medicaid — Notify CMS. If the deceased received Medicaid benefits, the state may file a claim against the estate for long-term care costs.
VA / Veterans Benefits (if applicable) — Contact the Department of Veterans Affairs to report the death (1-800-827-1000). Ask about burial benefits, survivor benefits, and the Presidential Memorial Certificate. Locate the DD-214 discharge papers.
Pension / Retirement accounts — Notify plan administrators. Survivor benefits may require prompt action.
Financial & Credit
Credit reporting agencies — Send a certified copy of the death certificate to Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion to place a “deceased” alert on the credit file. This helps prevent identity theft.
Banks & financial institutions — Notify all banks, investment accounts, and credit unions. Present death certificate to begin transfer or closure process.
Credit cards — Cancel all cards in the deceased’s name only. Outstanding balances become claims against the estate. Joint cardholders should contact issuers separately.
Life insurance companies — File claims promptly; most insurers require a certified death certificate.
Practical & Administrative
DMV — Cancel the driver’s license. Transfer or sell vehicles; update titles. In WA: notify DOL. In OR: notify DMV.
USPS — Set up mail forwarding to executor’s address to catch bills, refunds, and correspondence.
Voter registration — Notify county elections office to remove from voter rolls.
Professional licenses — Notify any relevant state licensing boards (medical, legal, contractor, etc.).
Subscriptions & memberships — Cancel streaming services, magazines, gym memberships, clubs, and any recurring charges.
Digital accounts — Close or memorialize social media. Follow instructions in the Digital Assets section of this packet.
Section 08
Key People & Documents
This section gives the people you trust the information they'll need right away — who to call, who holds what authority, and where to find critical documents. Fill in as much as you can.
Key Contacts
Primary Contact / Healthcare Agent
Secondary Contact / Alternate Agent
Executor / Estate Representative
Physician & Key Medical Provider
Where to Find My Important Documents
Document
Location / Where to Find It
Will or Trust
Advance Directive / Living Will
POLST Form
Durable POA — Healthcare
Durable POA — Finances
Property Deed(s)
Financial / Investment Accounts
Life Insurance Policy
Password / Digital Account Access
Vehicle Titles
Birth Certificate / Passport
Social Security Card
Medicare / Medicaid Card
Marriage / Divorce Certificate
DD-214 (Military Discharge)
Home Safe — Location & Combination
Safety Deposit Box — Bank & Key
Digital Assets / Password Document
Pet Care
If you have pets, someone needs to know who they are and who should care for them. Fill in what you can.
Keep this information — and this entire packet — in a known, accessible place. Tell your healthcare agent and executor where it is. Consider keeping a copy with your attorney or estate planner. Threshold Works can help you organize these materials into a complete Legacy Binder.
Your Personal Letter
Letter of Instruction
This is not a legal document — it is your voice. The Letter of Instruction is the practical, personal letter that explains things your will cannot. It is often the most helpful thing you can leave behind. Write as little or as much as you need.
Named Fiduciaries — Who Speaks for You
These are the people named across your legal documents. They should be consistent, should know they’ve been named, and should know where their documents are.
Role
Person Named
Document
Do they know?
Executor / Personal Representative
Trustee
Healthcare Agent (Primary)
Healthcare Agent (Alternate)
Financial Agent (POA)
Guardian (minor children)
To My Executor
To My Healthcare Agent
To My Family
Final Wishes & Practical Details
Use this space for anything not covered elsewhere: funeral preferences in your own words, the safe combination, account credentials (reference their location — don’t record them here), property details, anything you want to make absolutely sure is known.
Grief Support Resources
Share this section with the people who will grieve you. Grief is not a problem to be solved — but support helps. These are free resources available in Washington and Oregon.
The Dougy Center — National grief support for children, teens, and adults. Portland, OR (serves PNW). dougy.org
Crisis Connections (WA) — 24/7 support line for grief and crisis. King County and statewide. 1-866-427-4747
Oregon Grief Resource Network — Statewide directory of grief support services. oregonhospice.org
National Alliance for Grieving Children — For families supporting bereaved children. childrengrieve.org
Open to Hope — Articles, podcasts, and community for people navigating loss. opentohope.com
Reach Out to Lauren
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This questionnaire is your personal end-of-life planning tool. Before we begin, please read and acknowledge the following.
Threshold Works is a planning and coordination service. Lauren Milan is not an attorney, financial advisor, or licensed medical professional.
This questionnaire is educational and informational only. Nothing in it constitutes legal, financial, or medical advice. You should seek qualified professional guidance for any legally binding documents discussed herein.
No professional relationship is created by completing this questionnaire. Completion does not create an attorney-client, financial advisor-client, or medical provider-client relationship.
Your information is confidential. Threshold Works will handle your information with care and strict confidentiality, using it solely to assist you with end-of-life planning.
Referrals are advisory. Threshold Works may refer you to qualified estate planning attorneys, healthcare professionals, or financial advisors. You are under no obligation to engage any referred professional.
This is your plan. End-of-life planning involves deeply personal decisions. Threshold Works is here to guide and support you — not to make decisions for you. You may change your answers at any time.
Please complete all fields and check the agreement box to continue.