Before the bank-login fight — find these 7 documents while your parent can still help.

Readiness before capacity slips — which seven items (POA, healthcare directive, will, accounts, insurance, property, password/email master key) you still need your parent able to point to, and why waiting until after a crisis costs months.

Where to look first — the rooms, drawers, email inbox, and safe-deposit patterns families actually use, plus the email-as-master-key shortcut I learned the hard way.

Red flags you’re already behind — a bank that refuses your POA, a password notebook nobody can read, unopened mail stacks, or a parent who can’t name their own accounts. Know the traps before they cost you time and money.

A location-and-status checklist — not blank forms to fill out cold. Walk the house once, mark what you found and where, and see exactly what’s still missing.