Frequently Asked Questions

What is FamiliaLista?

A private place to write down, once, where everything is and what your family should do if one day you can't tell them yourself. You check in every so often with one tap. If you stop answering, we try to reach you, then your emergency contact, and only then send your plan to the people you chose.

Is it only for after I die?

No. It works for any day you can't respond: an accident, a hospital stay, an illness, a long trip. Your family gets the practical map so they can keep the home and the business running. For legal decisions while you're alive, a power of attorney is still the tool; FamiliaLista goes alongside it.

Does it replace my will, my lawyer, my accountant or my insurance?

No. A will says who gets what. FamiliaLista tells your family where things are, who to call and what you wanted. Keep working with your professionals, and keep your life insurance — your family will know where the policy is and who to call.

Does it work outside the United States?

Yes. The website works anywhere, in English or Spanish, and you and your family can have a phone number in any country. Outside the US, our messages arrive by WhatsApp plus email. The phone apps are on the App Store and Google Play in the United States and Mexico.

How does the check-in work?

You choose how often: weekly, every two weeks, monthly or every three months. We send you a message and you tap once to say you're okay. You can change the schedule or pause it anytime.

How do you reach me?

By email on every step. A US phone number also gets a text message, or WhatsApp if you prefer. A number outside the US gets WhatsApp. If you use our iPhone or Android app, you also get a notification on your phone. Your emergency contact and your family always get email plus WhatsApp; a US number can also get text messages once that person agrees.

What happens if I don't answer?

Nothing reaches your family right away. You choose a waiting period between 3 and 30 days (14 is the default). With 14 days it looks like this:

1. 1.Day 0: your check-in arrives.
2. 2.Around day 3: a reminder, by phone and email.
3. 3.Day 4 (or the day you chose): we tell your emergency contact, so they can check on you.
4. 4.Days 7 and 10: more reminders, on every channel.
5. 5.Day 13: a final warning to you, and your emergency contact hears from us again.
6. 6.Day 14: your family receives your plan.

One tap at any point stops everything and resets the clock. With a shorter or longer waiting period, the same steps move closer together or further apart.

Do I need an emergency contact?

Yes, it's required. Pick someone who is not one of the people receiving your plan — a sibling, a close friend. We need their email and phone. They're the safety net against a false alarm: they hear from us before your family does.

What if I miss a check-in by accident?

That's what the waiting period, the reminders and your emergency contact are for. The system is built so that a late answer never sends anything by mistake. One tap and you're back on schedule.

Can I see what my family would receive?

Yes. Run a test from your check-in page: we send you exactly what your family would get. Nobody else receives anything.

Can you guarantee delivery?

No one can, and we won't pretend to. Messages travel over phone, WhatsApp, email and app-notification networks run by other companies, and a message can arrive late, be filtered or go unread. That's why we use several channels, remind you several times and require an emergency contact. Keep a printed backup too (see below).

What do I write?

Where each thing is and what your family should do, in your own words, across 11 guided sections. Don't write passwords or full account numbers. Write, for example, "checking account ending in 4421, the debit card is in the top drawer".

Can I upload documents?

Yes. Add PDFs or photos (JPG, PNG, HEIC) of policies, deeds, contracts and other papers, up to 25 MB each. Each plan has its own storage space.

What is the Tribal & Trust Land section?

An optional checklist of the 13 papers tribal probate asks for: enrollment card, CDIB, birth certificate, family tree, marriage licenses, divorce decrees, adoption papers, death certificates, court orders and debts, allotment and tract numbers, IIM account statement, your BIA agency and trust officer, and your will. For each one, add a photo or note where it is and who has it. It prints in the order probate asks for, and the same file goes to the family members you chose.

Do I have to finish it all at once?

No. It saves as you go. Start with one section — a little is far better than nothing.

What does my family receive?

Each person you chose gets your manual as a PDF, any personal message you wrote for them, and a private link to the Cuarto Familiar.

What is the Cuarto Familiar?

A private room for your family, open for 12 months. They find the tasks you left, upload shared papers (death certificate, insurance and probate documents), see who did what, and get an email when someone adds or changes something. You prepare it today; they open it only when they need it.

How do they get in?

One click on their private link plus a one-time code by email. No passwords to remember.

What happens after the 12 months?

The Cuarto moves to a 30-day archive: read-only, with downloads. We email your family 30 days before, 7 days before and on the day it archives. After those 30 days the files are permanently deleted. Your original manual can be re-sent on request at [email protected].

Who can see my information?

No one, until your plan is delivered. Then only the people you chose, and only what you left for them. Our team doesn't read manuals. We never sell your data, never use your manual to train AI, and never give what you write or your contact details to advertisers or partners. Read more on our Security page →

How is it protected?

Your account has its own encryption key. Your manual, your personal messages and your loved ones' phone numbers and emails are encrypted (AES-256) before they're stored. Uploaded files sit in private storage that is encrypted at rest. Every connection uses TLS. Each of our providers is independently audited (SOC 2). Read more on our Security page →

Where is my data stored?

On servers in the United States.

Can I delete my account?

Yes, anytime, from the Delete account page in your profile. Your manual and your files are erased.

How much does it cost?

Building your manual is free for 7 days, with no card. To turn on the check-in and delivery, you choose a plan: Familia (up to 5 trusted people) or Legado (up to 20, a personal message for each, more space for documents). Lifetime options are available too. You see every price inside the app before you pay.

Is there a phone app?

Yes, on the App Store (iPhone) and Google Play (Android), in the United States and Mexico. Anywhere else, use the website from your phone's browser — it's the same account.

My employer or my Nation gave me FamiliaLista. What if I leave?

Your manual is always yours. If you leave, you can continue on your own at the family rate. We never ask your employer who still works there — we ask you.

What if my plan ends?

Your manual stays saved and stays yours. Only the check-ins and the automatic delivery stop until you renew.

Why do I see a local business in my manual?

In some areas, one trusted local business per category — for example, an insurance agency — is a Founding Partner of FamiliaLista. You may see one quiet line about them in the matching section of your manual. They pay FamiliaLista a flat yearly fee, not per call or per client. We never give them your name, your contact details or anything in your manual; they only see how many times their page was opened. Calling them is entirely up to you.