Here’s how to get started:

• 1.  Register for an account and click the link in the confirmation email you receive to set it up
• 2.  Click on the orange “Start” button next to “Funeral wishes” on your home page to start the process of outlining what your preferences for your funeral arrangements are.
• 3.  You decide what information you’d like to store in your vault. Simply follow the process and provide information when prompted, and feel free to skip anything you’d prefer not to answer at this time by clicking the orange “Next” button – you can always go back later to make changes or add more information.

• 4.  Provide the details of a trusted friend or family member who will be able to carry out your wishes for you – we call this “assigning a contact”.
• 5.  If you know what type of funeral you’d like, please indicate this by selecting one of the three options. When you select one, a box will appear where you can write down any plans, preferences or suggestions for your funeral proceedings.
• 6.  If you’ve already made any arrangements with a funeral director, please include details so that it’ll be easier for your loved ones to liaise with the funeral director.
• 7.  You can also indicate whether you’d like to opt out of organ donation.
• 8.  If you’re planning to have a headstone at your grave, please supply the text you’d like to have written on it.
• 9.  Please share anything you’d like to be included in your obituary.
• 10.   Upload any files that you’d like to store in your vault, such as important documents, receipts for any payments you’ve already made related to your funeral, or anything else you’d like to share. Here, you can also record a video message if you’d like to leave behind a personal message for your loved ones.
• 11.   Create your preferred settings for your security controls – these determine how frequently you are alerted when a contact wants to be granted access to your stored information. These controls also determine how long you’d like your contact(s) to wait before they get access to the information you’ve elected to share with them.

After you’ve set up your Funeral Vault and saved all the relevant documents and information, you can always go back and update anything you’ve changed your mind or add more files.

You can also create several other digital vaults where you can store any other relevant information, such as financials, insurance documents, log-in details and passwords, letters to loved ones and anything else you’d like to leave for your family and friends after you’ve passed on.

With SharedAffairs, saving your funeral wishes and other critical information is both safe and easy.