Money

Is it safe to write account numbers down?

Mostly yes, with a few sensible limits.

Writing your account numbers on paper sounds risky, but those numbers already travel a lot. Your account number is printed on every check you've ever written. What matters more is what's written next to them.

Lower risk

• Bank name and account type
• The last four digits of each account
• Routing numbers, which are public anyway

Higher risk

• Online banking passwords written on the same page
• Full card numbers along with the expiration date and security code
• Your Social Security number on the same page

What many families do

A common middle ground is to write the bank name and last four digits in the binder, and keep full numbers and passwords somewhere more secure, like a password manager or a locked drawer. After a death, banks usually identify accounts by the customer's full name and Social Security number, along with a death certificate and paperwork showing who's in charge of the estate. The full account number usually isn't needed. Requirements vary by bank.

Where the binder lives matters more than what's in it. A binder in a locked or out-of-sight place is a very different risk from one on the kitchen counter.