The FIRM Guide
The companion templates for The Recoverable Family. Every Module's template adds one section to The Secure Guide and one to The Family Guide — work the Modules, and the two guides assemble as you go.
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What you're building
These are not 29 separate projects. The FIRM System has three containers, and every Module fills the same two documents:
- The VaultThe secure, family-controlled container that stores the secrets — passwords, keys, sensitive documents. Never shared wholesale.
- The Secure GuideThe private one — the critical details of how your family's information is organized and accessed. Kept inside the Vault. Every Module adds one section.
- The Family GuideThe shareable one — the orientation your loved ones need: what exists, who to call, what matters — without exposing credentials or access details. Safe to leave on the kitchen table. Every Module adds one section here too.
Vault → Secure Guide → Family Guide = Secrets → Understanding → Sharing
The four SAFE Areas of Focus — a dependency ladder
- Step 1SystemThe infrastructure that protects everything else — devices, storage, network, encryption, credentials, and backups.6 modules
- Step 2At-HomeThe family itself — identity, story and values, subscriptions, digital legacy, work history, health, and pets.8 modules
- Step 3FinancialWhat funds the family — accounts, digital assets, taxes, budget, other assets, and insurance.6 modules
- Step 4EstateContinuity and intention — the documents, authorities, and wishes that carry the family through loss.9 modules
System comes first because everything else depends on it. Estate comes last because it depends on everything before it. Start with the area that feels most urgent — but if you have no reason to start elsewhere, start with System and work forward.
How to use these templates
- See what you're building. Your Two Guides shows the finished product — then download the two guide shells to collect your work.
- Find your Module. Pick a SAFE Area, then the Module you're working on in the book. Each page shows where that Module fits — what it builds on and what builds on it.
- Download or print it. Get the blank template as a text file, or print it (Save as PDF).
- Fill it in privately, then store it in your Vault. The Secure Guide entry goes inside your Vault. The Family Guide entry can sit with household documents.
29 Module templates · each one adds a section to both guides. Working the At-Home trio? Start with The Connected Trio.
Explore the FIRM System
- The Recoverable Family (the book)The Recoverable Family — the book these templates accompany.The Recoverable Family (the book)
- The blogArticles on organizing, protecting, and future-proofing your family's information.The blog
- Recoverability Self-AssessmentA short quiz that tells you where your family stands — Emerging, Developing, or Recoverable.Recoverability Self-Assessment