My Vault: Planning for my best life

Learn about each of My Vault's three Best Life paths and the activities in them:

About Me — How do I get started?

This path helps you think about yourself and what others should know about you. There are three activities in this path.

Activities in this path include:

1. My Profile: Best Life (Individual & Family)
In this activity you'll answer three questions to make a one-page profile. This profile can be used to give people an at-a-glance way to know what really matters to you. You can also upload a photo to show who you are, if you’d like. Use the profile to list your strengths and interests, what's important to you, and the best ways to offer support. Your family or people who are important in your life can also complete their own one-page profile about you so they can share what they think matters to you and how others can help.

Do this activity when you want a quick way for people to get to know you and understand what’s important to you.

• Share your results: Share the results from this activity with people who support you to show them what matters to you and how they can help. Ask your family member(s) to share their profile with you so you can see what they think matters to you and how others can support you.
• Update and edit: If what’s important to you changes, come back to this activity and update it.

2. My Core Team
In this activity you can identify people who support you in your life — your “Best Life team.” Your team can include family, friends and other people you trust most to help you with planning and making important decisions.

• Share your results: Share the results from this activity with all the people you trust most so they know everyone who is helping and they can work together to support you.
• Update and edit: If your team changes, come back to this activity and update their contact information.

3. My Resources and Supports: About Me
This activity lets you list what you have that can help you reach your best life. Answer the questions in five key areas. When you’re done, your answers will be shown in a visual called the Integrated Supports Star.

Do this activity when you need to see what resources and supports you have and come up with ideas about what you need to help you move toward your goal.

• Share your results: Share the results from this activity with people who support you so they can see what resources you already have to help you get to your best life and they can help you think about what you need.
• Update and edit: If your resources, supports, or vision for your best life change, come back to this activity and update it.

My Life: Needs and Wants — What do I want for my life?

This path helps you think what you want for your life and the steps needed to get there. There are five activities in this path—three for individuals and two for family members.

Activities in this path include:

1. My Life Goals
This activity lets you set a vision for your future. You can list what you want in different areas of your life then rate what you want to work on first. When you’re done, your answers will be show in a visual called a Life Domain Vision. There’s also an activity for your family or people who are important in your life to complete so they can share what they’d like to see for your future.

Do this activity when you want to think about your future and keep track of the things you want in areas like healthy living, employment, safety, community living, and others. Writing down what you want and sharing it with others can help you move toward your goals.

• Share your results: Share the results from this activity with people who support you so they can see what you want for your future.
• Edit and update: If your vision for your future changes, come back to this activity and update it.

2. Life Goals: Family view
This activity lets your family share their vision for what they’d like to see in your future. They can list what they want for you in different areas of your life then rate what they’d like to see you work on first. When they’re done their answers will be show in a visual called a Life Domain Vision. This should be done along with your own “My Life Goals” so you can see both perspectives.

Ask your family or others who are important to you to do this activity when you want help thinking about your future and keeping track of the things you want in areas like healthy living, employment, safety, community living, and others. Having people who are important to you write down what they’d like for your future and sharing it with you and others can help you move toward your goals.

• Share results: Have your family or others who are important to you share the results from this activity with you and compare it to your own My Life Goals activity.
• Edit and update: If your family's vision for your future changes, have them come back to this activity and update it.

3. My Vision: Best Life
This activity lets you list specific things you want and don’t want in your life and identify steps to get to what you want and avoid things you don’t want. When you’re done, the results will be shown in a visual called a Life Trajectory.

• Share your results: Share the results from this activity with people who support you so they can see you want and don’t want so they can help you get to your best life.
• Edit and update: If you have a new goal or problem you want to work on come back to this activity and update it.

4. Vision: Family view
This activity lets your family list specific things they want and don’t want for you and identify steps to help you get there.

Ask your family or others who are important to you to do this activity when you have a goal you want to reach or a problem you want to solve and need help thinking it through and getting to next steps.

• Share results: Have your family or others who are important to you share the results from this activity with you and compare it to your own My Vision: Best Life activity.
• Edit and update: If you have a new goal or problem you want to work on have them come back to this activity and update it.

5. My Resources and Supports: Best Life
This activity lets you identify a specific goal and list the resources and supports you HAVE and those you NEED to reach that goal. When you’re done, the results will be shown in visuals called the Integrated Supports Star — you will have one Integrated Support Star showing the things you have and another showing the things you need.

Do this activity when you have a goal you want to reach or a problem you want to solve and need to see what people or things you have that could help, and the people or things you need to help you solve the problem or reach the goal.

• Share results: Share the results from this activity with people who support you so they can and help you think about what resources and supports you already have and the things you need to help you reach your goal or solve your problem.
• Edit and update: If your goal changes, you have a new issue to work on, or your resources or supports change, come back to this activity and update it.

Best Life Budget — Does the money add up?

This path helps you know what benefits you’re getting now and know how much money you might need to live your best life. There are two activities in this path.

Activities in this path include:

1. Get a Benefits Lookup
This activity lets you ask the Minnesota Department of Human Services for a list of the benefits you’re on. The report you get back is called a Benefits Lookup which will tell you the type and amount of each benefit you have, based on what is in the system as of the date of your request. Having a list of the benefits you have can help you understand your options, use other Hub planning tools, and plan for your best life.

Do this activity when you need to know what benefits you have, like when you’re talking with professionals who support you, or when you’re thinking of getting a new job, making a budget, considering moving to a different home, or making other plans for your future.

• Share your results: If you want other people who help you to know what benefits you’re getting, you can click on “Send a copy of my results to someone else”. Then enter their email address and your Benefit Lookup report will be shared with that person. (No private information, like address or Social Security number is shared, but be sure you want the person you’re sharing with to know what benefits you’re on.)
• Edit and update: Benefits can change. If you know your benefits have changed, or if you need to plan for something new and it’s been more than a month since you got your Benefit Lookup report, come back to this activity and request a new one.

2. My Budget: Best Life
This activity lets you answer questions to see how much money you have now, and how much you might need to live the life you want. It helps you see your current income and expenses, think about how you want to live over the next few years, explore what things you want might cost, get ideas on how to pay for them, and set a goal for how much you need.

Do this activity when you want to see how much money it’s going to take to live your best life. It’s a good idea to do the Get a Benefits Lookup activity first to be sure of the benefits you’re getting.

• Share your results: Share the results from this activity with people who support you so they can see what you want for your future, how much it will cost and can help you make a plan to reach your goals.
• Edit and update: If your goal, income or expenses change, come back to this activity and update it.