The FIRM Guide

The Devices Module

Every physical or virtual device — phones, computers, drives, routers, security keys — with the metadata that lets the system survive loss, replacement, or inheritance.

Download template Nothing is entered on this page — you fill the template in privately.

Text file — the flexible one. Use it as-is, open it in any editor, or paste it into an AI tool to reshape the blank form to fit your family: rename a field, add a row, drop one you don't need.

Print / PDF — the ready-to-use one. Print it and fill it in by hand, or choose Save as PDF and complete it in your own offline PDF app. Either way it stays with you — the finished Secure Guide template goes inside your Vault.

One rule: only ever give an AI tool the blank template. Never paste your real information — passwords, account numbers, anything you'd keep secret — into an AI tool, an online service, or anywhere outside your own Vault. Customizing an empty form is fine; filling it in happens privately, offline. That's the same rule this site follows: nothing sensitive ever leaves your hands.

Secure Guide Starter Template

Store this inside your Vault. Update whenever a device is added, changed, or retired. Repeat for each device.

e.g., "Pixel 6a", "MacBook Pro", "NAS01", "USB Backup Drive".
Where the device usually lives.
Devices; family-guide; System
e.g., encrypted cloud, external SSD, OS backup target.
e.g., Laptop, Smartphone, NAS, USB Drive, Hardware Wallet.
Wipe procedure + recycling or transfer steps.
Yes / No. Recovery key is high-friction — store it in the Vault, not in this entry.
Maintenance check or password-rotation date.
e.g., the operating system and version, or NAS firmware.
Yes / No — synced to cloud or local. Backup recovery codes go in the Vault.
Family members who use this device.

Family Guide Starter Template

This template contains no sensitive information. It can be stored with household documents.

High-level summary — count and types, no serial numbers or credentials.
Pointer to the Secure Guide entry and how to find it.
Primary owner / steward and the review cadence.
Contact for lost / stolen device support; pointer to the Estate Plan for incapacity.