“Mom, what are we going to do when you’re too old to do your own paperwork?” asked my superorganized daughter recently. “We hardly cope with it now!”

It’s true that paperwork ranks somewhat below debilitating leg cramps in my list of fun things to do, but my daughter will be surprised, when the time comes, at how easily she and her sister will be able to take over. These principles have guided my organization of documents and preparation for a transfer of responsibility.

• Accept that a time will come when you’re not up to taking care of financial responsibilities, and plan for it. If you have children, talk with them ahead of time and devise a plan. If you don’t, identify who will do it and make explicit arrangements with them.
• Work with trusted advisers who can help you identify what’s really important. When my will had to be changed 10 years ago, my attorney insisted that I write advance directives and choose a durable power of attorney for medical matters. This required a lot of discussions among my two daughters and me, just when such a discussion should take place :quot; way ahead of time, before any crisis or emergency. Both daughters understand the documents and are satisfied with them. Of course, I also have a will and revocable living trust.
• My CPA advised me on what other documents are most important. All those pertaining to holdings and income streams (bank accounts, pensions, 401k, brokerage accounts, stocks, bonds, jewelry appraisals, etc.), insurances and expenditure streams (mortgage, taxes, car financing arrangement, credit card accounts, house improvement documentation.)
• Related to paperwork but more global, change your advisers :quot; attorney, CPA, brokers, financial planner, even doctors and dentists :quot; when you reach 65. Select people at least 20 years younger than yourself and preferably 25 years younger. This feels wrenching to me, but it makes perfect sense: At 65, I will be far better equipped to adapt to new people than when I am older. And if you don’t make this change, your advisers will be retiring and turning your accounts to people whom you may not want to work with.
• Keep all financial documents together, preferably in a fire safe. You may choose to keep some of them in a safe deposit box. In this case, make a photocopy of those and note on the photocopy where the originals are. Make photocopies of your credit cards and keep them in the respective files. When you choose a fire safe, look at the inside, not the outside, to determine the size you need.

l Keep contact information for each account in the same file as the account, so it’s easy for your children to contact people systematically.

l Discuss the contents of all of these documents with your children. If you’d rather keep your privacy about your holdings, have your attorney keep your master list in his or her office safe, with instructions on when to release it.

With these preparations, you will be creating a kindness for your children and more peace of mind for yourself.