Map your exposure without creating a target list

Create a private map of dependencies, then keep it restricted. This guide can be shared; your completed security plan should not circulate with it.

Make three separate records

Everyday card: emergency contacts, local address and critical medical needs. Carry it. A helper should be able to use it without gaining access to your assets.

Restricted household plan: responsibilities, check in times, provider contacts, meeting points and what to do if you are unreachable. Give each person only the portions they need.

Restricted custody and recovery record: asset inventory, recovery procedures, professional contacts and legal authority. Use an appropriately protected location designed with your custody adviser. Never place recovery words or private keys in this handbook, a shared document, a chat with an AI assistant or an adviser intake form.

Trace the connections

Write down categories, not secrets: public name and aliases; public wallets; personal email; recovery email; phone carrier; cloud account; exchange accounts; home address; family links; household access; corporate records; event attendance; data breaches you know about.

For each connection, ask: who can see it, why do they need it, can you reduce access, and what happens if it is compromised? A separate wallet does not create privacy if its funding transaction plainly links it to your public reserve wallet.

Identify common failures

• Two signers in one home can be exposed by one intrusion.
• Several accounts recovered through one email can fail together.
• Two devices in the same bag can disappear together.
• A spouse who knows every recovery step may become a second target.
• A cloud backup can restore sensitive data to a supposedly minimal travel phone.
• An assistant with your itinerary, identity documents and reset access may hold more authority than intended.

Success condition: a person with your phone, your house keys or your public identity alone should not automatically gain everything. Check recovery and administration paths as carefully as ordinary transfers.

Agree who owns each improvement and when it will be checked. Do not gather family members' private information covertly. Explain the purpose, obtain their cooperation and account for their independence and safety.

Expert review prompt: identify the single incident that could defeat the largest number of controls at once, and propose the smallest practical change that breaks that connection.