Free, and about ten minutes

A simple update the whole family can read.

The free kit gives you a one-page Family Update, the First 30 Days as POA checklist, and a filled-in sample month. The spreadsheet opens in Excel and in Google Sheets, in your own account. You decide if and when to share the page, and The Proof Book never sees the bank file. You keep this kit even if you refund anything else.

Get the free kit

The kit is free on Payhip, and it is yours to keep.

The Proof Book Family Update

Mom's Money This Month

October · a sample family

Money in

Social Security	1,842.00
Pension	960.40
Total in	2,802.40

Money out

Pharmacy	42.18
Power	94.22
Groceries	186.40
Care aide	640.00
Reimbursed	38.50
Total out	1,001.30

Opened at 4,280.16. Closed at 6,081.26. Nothing this month was a gift. The mileage reimbursement has receipt R-104.

Sample only. Rename the title for your parent. Not a real family.

A sample Family Update. The name and the numbers are fictional, and yours stays in your Google Sheet.

What arrives

What you'll receive, and why your family won't need a login.

The kit is three files: the Family Update, the first-month checklist, and a sample month already filled in for a fictional family.

The sheet

You copy it into your own Google account, and the categories are plain: income, housing, food, pharmacy, care, and anything you paid yourself.

The update

One month on one page, with money in, money out, the closing balance, and a sentence on anything unusual, and you send it when you want the family to see it.

Seven records

A short list of what to keep, drawn from the CFPB's guide for agents and the record-keeping duty in states that follow the Uniform Power of Attorney Act.

Keep these

Seven records worth having from the first month.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's guide, Managing Someone Else's Money, tells agents to keep good records and to keep the person's money separate. Many state laws based on the Uniform Power of Attorney Act ask for a record of receipts, disbursements, and transactions, but your document and your state control, and this list is bookkeeping, not a legal opinion.

A starting list of accounts, regular income, and bills. Last four digits are enough.
A register of money in and money out, with the reason in ordinary words.
Statements, saved month by month.
Receipts you can find, including anything you paid yourself back for.
A separate note for gifts and transfers. Ask an elder-law attorney before those happen.
A short log of questions from family, and how you answered.
A monthly check that the register matches the bank.

A longer essay is here: What records should a power of attorney keep? The free kit is plenty for your first month. When you want the complete record, the POA Ledger is $29 for the first 100 families (then $47), or the full set is $59 for the first 100 families, and both are one-time purchases. If a file does not work or is not what was described, email us within 30 days and we will fix it or refund it.

Privacy

The bank file stays with you.

The sheet runs in your own Excel file or Google account, so a CSV you paste there does not come to The Proof Book. The free kit is delivered through Payhip, our checkout partner, which asks for your email so it can send the download. We do not ask for a Social Security number, a full account number, or a date of birth.

Read the privacy notes. If the real question is about a gift, a transfer, or paying yourself, please take it to an elder-law attorney, because a spreadsheet can't answer it.

A look at the kit.

Example one-page Family Update for a fictional October — The one-page Family Update, with example data. Every name and number is invented.

First page of the filled-in sample month — The filled-in sample month that comes in the kit. The family in it is fictional.

First page of the First 30 Days as POA checklist — The first page of the First 30 Days as POA checklist, which is part of the free kit.

Before you ask for the update.

What do I need before I start the Family Update?

You need your first name, an email address, and either Excel or a Google account. A CSV from your parent's bank helps for one month. If you cannot get a CSV, you can type the lines in by hand. The kit also includes the First 30 Days checklist and a sample month.

Can The Proof Book see my parent's bank transactions?

No. The sheet lives in your own files, so the numbers you enter stay with you. The free kit is delivered through Payhip, our checkout partner, which asks for your email so it can send the download.

How long does my first Family Update take?

About ten minutes if you already have the lines for one month. It is meant to be one clear page for one month, not a full history. The First 30 Days checklist is a separate two-page list for the start.