Frequently asked
29 questions families ask before they trust us with the folder.
Straight answers, grouped by topic. Members also get an AI help assistant inside the vault that answers from these same articles.
Getting started
- Upload a handful of papers (a bill, an insurance policy, your will if you have one) from the Vault page. AI files each one and pulls out dates, amounts and names. Then open Security (shield icon) to add a recovery email and invite a partner or executor. The Guide page shows six journeys with your progress.
- Owners have an Admin page (⌘K → Admin, or Security sheet → Open the Admin page) that gathers everything in one place: security & 2FA, members and invites, plan & billing, storage, email provider and inbound DNS check, Gmail import keys, bank linking, AI status, the advisor network and recent activity. Each card links to where the setting lives.
- Every upload is read by Gemini, which picks a category (receipts, taxes, manuals, wills, passwords, medical, legal, insurance…), a title, key fields and important dates, with a confidence score. Open any document and use 'Re-file' in the inspector to change the category; your override is remembered.
- Press ⌘K / Ctrl-K anywhere to search features, pages and documents. The Vault search box also searches inside PDF text (full-text) and shows a snippet of where it matched. Ask Your Vault (sparkle button, bottom right) answers questions like 'when does the car insurance renew?' with sources.
Adding documents
- Upload files, scan with this device's camera (auto-straightened), scan from your phone via QR code, email documents to your vault address (Forward → Email it in), connect Gmail for automatic import of statements and receipts, import passwords from a password manager, or generate documents with the Library builder.
- Vault → Add documents → Gmail auto-import → Connect Gmail. We request read-only access, import PDF and photo attachments from the last 90 days (skipping promotions), then check hourly. You can restrict to certain senders, change the look-back window and disconnect anytime. Imported files show an inbox icon.
- Open Forward → 'Email it in' to see your vault's inbound address. Forward any bill, statement or receipt; attachments are filed and the email body is filed when there is no attachment. Only mail addressed to your vault address is accepted.
- Open the document → Replace file. The previous file is kept as a version (last 10) and can be downloaded from Version history in the inspector. Nothing is silently overwritten.
Family & access
- Owner: everything, including members, billing, two-factor and erase. Partner: add, edit and delete documents and the estate plan, but no members or billing. Executor: read-only — can browse documents and the estate plan but cannot reveal passwords, upload, delete or edit. Each member has a personal PIN.
- Security → Invite: enter their name, role and optional email/phone. They receive a link (valid 7 days) to pick their own PIN. We remind them after 3 and 7 days. You can revoke pending invites anytime.
- Planning → Emergency access: create a time-limited link and a 6-digit code. Share the link and code through different channels. When used, you are emailed, and access is logged. A partner or executor can also request access; you get a veto window (default 7 days) before it is released automatically.
- Advisor-managed vaults show the firm's branding with 'Powered by HearthVault'. You own the vault and your PIN; the advisor has read-only access (like an executor) and every view is logged. Turn it off in Security → Your advisor → toggle.
Estate planning
- The Library lists 16 core documents (will, trust, powers of attorney, healthcare directive, HIPAA release, beneficiary designations…) with plain-English explanations. Missing ones show as gaps; the guided Builder drafts letters of intent, funeral wishes, digital-asset authorizations and more. The Planning page holds trusted contacts, final wishes and your checklist.
- Planning → Export PDF creates a one-document summary: trusted contacts, wishes, digital legacy, where things live, and an index of documents by category — everything a family needs on day one.
- For each linked account and insurance policy it flags: no beneficiary recorded, stale (not confirmed in 2 years), someone you marked to remove, names not among your contacts, shares that don't total 100%, and no primary. Attach the confirmation letter from the institution to prove it.
- A 19-step guide across the first days, first weeks, settling the estate and wrapping up — each step linked to the documents and contacts it needs. Download as a bundle or share with a code-protected link.
Accounts & money
- Accounts → Link a bank uses Stripe Financial Connections. We store the institution, account name, last-4, encrypted balances and encrypted holder names — never your bank login. Balances refresh weekly. Executors see accounts without balances.
- Tax pack builds a 12-item checklist for the year (W-2s, 1099s, deductions…) auto-linked from your documents. Mark items ready or n/a, download the bundle (PDF summary + files) or share it with your accountant using a code-protected link.
Security & privacy
- On the lock screen tap 'Forgot the PIN?'. If a recovery email is set, we email a 30-minute reset link. Otherwise the owner can use the recovery code from the deployment settings. Five wrong PINs lock the profile for 5 minutes.
- Security → Two-factor unlock. After the owner's PIN, a 6-digit code is emailed (10-minute expiry). Codes go to the recovery email unless you set a different one.
- Passwords, balances, holder names, legacy letters and Gmail tokens are encrypted at rest and revealed only inside an unlocked vault to owners and partners. Files are stored in encrypted object storage. Full details are on the Trust page.
- Security → Storage & backup → download an AES-256 encrypted ZIP with every file and a JSON of every record; you choose the passphrase. 'Erase vault' at the bottom of Security wipes everything permanently.
- Import: 1Password (.1pux/CSV), Bitwarden (JSON/CSV), LastPass, Dashlane, KeePass/KeePassXC, Chrome/Edge, Firefox, Apple Passwords and generic CSV. Export: 'Send to Bitwarden' produces a Bitwarden import JSON so your vault's logins land in a folder there. Record your manager's emergency kit with the Emergency kit card.
Plans & billing
- Free: 25 documents, 1 GB. Plus ($8/mo or $79/yr): unlimited documents, 20 GB, reminders by email, reports and tax pack. Family ($18/mo or $179/yr): everything plus bank linking, beneficiary checker, 100 GB and up to 8 members. Advisor plan for professionals: $49/mo for 10 client vaults.
- Plans → Manage billing opens the Stripe portal to switch between monthly/yearly or Plus/Family, update your card, see invoices or cancel at period end. Your data stays; the free limit applies again after cancellation.
Glossary
- A will names an executor and says who gets what, but goes through probate (public, slow). A revocable living trust holds assets during life and passes them privately without probate; a pour-over will catches anything left outside the trust. Many families need both. Ask an attorney for your state.
- A durable financial power of attorney lets someone handle money and property if you can't. A healthcare power of attorney (proxy) lets someone make medical decisions. A living will / advance directive states your own treatment wishes. A HIPAA authorization lets them see medical records.
- Executor (personal representative): settles the estate under the will. Trustee: manages trust assets for beneficiaries. Beneficiary: receives assets — named in a will/trust or directly on an account (TOD/POD, life insurance, retirement), where the designation overrides the will.
- The court process that validates a will, pays debts and distributes what's left. Assets with beneficiary designations, joint ownership or held in trust usually skip it. Timelines run months to over a year; good records shorten it — which is what the Bereavement pack and Executor PDF are for.
Still wondering? Try it with 25 documents, free.
No card, no trackers, one PIN. Your first bundle for the family in an afternoon.