When a loved one dies, along with grieving, we are left with a long list of tasks. This list can get confusing and add more stress to an already stress filled time.
Bills, belongings, money, homes, vehicles, burial, contacting family and friends, etc… There is a lot to process in a short amount of time.
So where does this leave you when prepping for your own passing. What information do you need to help out the ones left behind to deal with your legacy?
Why you need to prepare for your passing
No one wants to do this stuff, but it still needs to be done nonetheless. Whether you go peacefully in your sleep at 90 or get sucked into a black hole at 32, all of your important info goes with you in the end.
Short personal story: On the night my grandfather died, there was a thunderstorm. The resulting flooding waters and heavy wind caused the cable, phone and internet to all go out. Since he was the only person on the accounts, my grandma could not set up for technicians to come out and fix it for her. She had no way to distract herself on the hardest week of her life because steps weren’t taken to prevent this situation.
Now I imagine this situation is fairly common. Maybe not the exact scenario, but the inability to access accounts.
If you were to pass away today, would there be some way to access your important documents and information?
If your answer is No, grab the checklist below.
Checklist of needed info
Grab the Free Printable PDF here
Banking: account numbers, online login, safety deposit boxes, stock and bond paperwork/info (especially you day traders out there), credit cards
Medical: insurance, living will/medical power of attorney
Last/Final will
Life insurance: any and all types of policies
Copies of important documents: birth certificate, military records, titles, deeds, marriage license, driver’s license, passport, any other IDs
Bills: names of businesses with accounts numbers
Email addresses and passwords: we keep a ton of info in our email accounts, our families may need to access some of it to get business done.
Any burial or funeral arrangements you might have already made
List of assets and insurance documents on them (like jewelry or work equipment)
Hold on- It isn’t enough to just make a list of your information
Like in the example above, there are company policies in place that prevent access. If you have a loved one or close friend you trust, add them as an account user. This way, not only will they be able to make payments, access account info and set up services in case of your death, they’ll also be able to do these things if you become too infirmed to do them yourself. (If you get into a car wreck today and are in the hospital for a month or a coma, you’ll be happy you had someone to help with you out.)
The older we get, the likelihood that we’ll need some sort of assistance increases. Working in skilled nursing homes, I hear about this all the time. Sometimes you don’t get to go back home for a while. Make sure you have a home and basic amenities like water and power when you do, by allowing access in times of need. Some companies may place a hold on services for you when you’re in an extended stay at a medical facility. It can be nice to let someone help you out and make all of those phone calls and requests until you get back home.
Where to store your information
In today’s world there are a lot of ways to keep information. You don’t have to choose just one.
- Bank vault
- Safety deposit box
- Fire/water proof safe
- Online storage (it’s relatively easy to scan your paperwork and save it to any number of cloud based websites)
- Buried in a time capsule (just kidding)
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