# The Heir Education Module

The FIRM Guide (thefirmguide.com) — companion to The Recoverable Family.
Fill this in privately (any text editor or by hand), then store it in your Vault.


## Secure Guide Starter Template — Heir Education

> This template belongs in The Secure Guide, stored within The Vault. Update as the Family Guide is distributed and as heirs are introduced to professionals.

The Family Guide is your heir education document — not as a metaphor, but as the design. A guide that only the primary planner can find is not a guide; it is notes. This section records the step that turns the document into preparation: who holds a copy, whether the copy is current, and which of the professionals on the first-calls page the heirs have actually met.

Heir education is a practice, not an event — a regular, low-stakes rhythm of sharing, answering questions, and updating the people who need to know. The annual review is its natural container. Ten of those minutes each year go to the one habit every heir needs and most never learn until it is tested: how this family confirms an unusual request is real. The callback on a known number, the pre-agreed check, why a familiar voice is not by itself proof of identity. An heir who has rehearsed the habit once, in calm, is the one who uses it under pressure.

### Family Guide Distribution
| Recipient | Relationship / Role | Copy Format | Location Shared | Last Updated |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|   |   | Physical / Digital / Both |   |   |
|   |   | Physical / Digital / Both |   |   |
|   |   | Physical / Digital / Both |   |   |

### Key Professionals — Heir Introduction Status
| Professional | Role | Has Met Heirs | Heirs Have Contact Info | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Estate Attorney |   | Yes / No | Yes / No |   |
| Financial Advisor |   | Yes / No | Yes / No |   |
| Insurance Agent |   | Yes / No | Yes / No |   |
| Executor / Trustee |   | Yes / No | Yes / No |   |
| Accountant / CPA |   | Yes / No | Yes / No |   |
|   |   |   |   |   |

### Family Meeting Record
| Date | Participants | Topics Covered | Follow-Up Items |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|   |   |   |   |
|   |   |   |   |

### Legacy Documents
| Document | Recipient | Location | Date Written | Last Reviewed |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Legacy letter |   |   |   |   |
| Letter of instruction |   |   |   |   |
| Personal notes or memoir |   |   |   |   |
|   |   |   |   |   |

- Tags: 


## Family Guide Starter Template — Heir Education

> This template belongs in The Family Guide. It orients heirs to the estate plan and the people who can help.

> In the matching Secure Guide section: Family Guide distribution log, introductions, meeting record, legacy documents.
>
> That detail is what makes recovery possible — and it is protected in the Vault, which opens with The Vault Key. The key is never written here, by design. The people listed on this page know how it is kept, and the steward's job is to keep that path current, so this page never leads to a locked door.

### A Note to Our Family



### Our Estate Plan — Summary



### Roles and Responsibilities
| Role | Name | Contact | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Executor |   |   | Named in the will |
| Successor Trustee |   |   | Named in the trust |
| Power of Attorney |   |   | Manages financial affairs if incapacitated |
| Healthcare Proxy |   |   | Makes medical decisions if incapacitated |

### Emergency Contacts
| Name | Role | Phone |
| --- | --- | --- |
|   | Estate attorney |   |
|   | Financial advisor |   |
|   | Out-of-area family hub |   |
|   |   |   |
|   |   |   |

> Duplicated from the Communications Module on purpose — reaching The Secure Guide can take time, and this page should never be a barrier. Anything that has utility and passes the kitchen-counter test may be copied from The Secure Guide to wherever it is useful; The Family Guide is derived from The Secure Guide through exactly that filter. Refresh both at the review.

- Who Holds This Guide: 

- Professionals You Have Met (or Will): 

- Our Review Rhythm: 

### Where to Find More



> Do not make major financial or legal decisions in the first thirty days without speaking with the attorney and financial advisor.

### Additional Guidance