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Facing Mortality
None ^ | 3/18/2015 | Taxcontrol

Posted on 03/18/2015 11:59:59 AM PDT by taxcontrol

Last month my brother-in-law passed unexpectedly from a massive heart attack. He appeared to be in good shape, he worked out and even had is annual physical a week prior to his passing. He had just purchased a house that he was going to remodel and had a really good job. He was 46 years old. Far too young to be leaving us by our standards. He was loved. The good news is that I know he was a Christian. Perhaps not the ideal but he was a baptized believer in Christ. I know in my heart that he is in heaven. But man did he leave us a mess. Which brings me to the topic of this thread. Things to do that will make your passing easier on those who are left behind.

First, important papers
Have a location and tell others where they can find your important papers. If it is important to you, it will be important to your family. Passports, vehicle titles, DD 214, tax records, insurance policies, bank statements, credit card receipts, purchase receipts, CCW and weapons permits, etc. Keep it ALL in a fireproof, secure location. Please do not spread out these papers over your house and store them in different locations.

Medications
Look we all have to take medications from time to time. Some of our afflictions can be embarrassing. I get it. But when the Coroner asks for a list of all medications, we are going to go to your bathroom medicine cabinet and make a list. It would help us if you would have a list of your doctor(s) / medications taped to the back of your mirror cabinet or the cabinet door. If you are on illegal drugs, or taking steroids, or "sex performance" drugs, list them as well. We want to know the truth about how or why you died. If your drug mix was toxic, we want to know.

Funeral planning
A grieving family members will often agonize and sometimes fight over what to do with your remains, what kind of funeral do you want, even what music you want played. Make it easy on them by writing down your wishes and place it in your important papers. If you have the financial ability, pre-pay for some or all of the service.

Keys
I loved my brother-in-law but the man horded keys. We have three gallon sized bags of keys and MAYBE MAYBE can identify 12 of them. Please label your keys. Make copies of your critical keys (cars, house, gun safes, etc) and keep them with your important papers.

Accounts and Passwords
This is a real must. Have a separate sheet of all of your bills, the account name/number, contact information for the customer service, date of and amount of balances, but most importantly, instructions on how to access the account including password. This should be true for everything that you conduct business through the web or via snail mail.

Pets and kids
Leave some kind of preference with what you wont to do with them. With kids, it should be reflected in your will to give it some level of legal authority. With pets, if there are family members or ex'es or other that you DO NOT want your pets to go to, pleas write that down. Like wise, if there is someone or an order of who you would like to see the pet go to, put that down. If you have a vet that you use, leave a paper behind that says we can look at your pet's medical records. If there are medications for your pet, list them along with instructions on feeding and medicating your pets.

Last will and testament
Everyone knows we need one, very few of us actually make one. Please, make one. There are several locations on the internet that offer free generic wills in template form that you can fill out. List out your assets and write down who you want to have that asset. I know, it is time consuming and a real pain to have to think about. But it is really helpful. Remember, that at the end of the asset list, you should include a generic statement to the effect that all other assets are to be distributed as the executor sees fit or given to family members or sold to raise money for your estate.

Guns and ammunition
Make a list of them with serial numbers and where they are located. Keep that list in your personal papers. In my state, the family can inherit firearms without a transfer of ownership. But we had to search through the house to find them and the ammunition that went with those firearms. Again, if you want a firearm to go to someone, make that known as well. If you have a preppers cache stored somewhere, include that information as well.

Hidden compartments
My brother-in-law did let us know that he had a "hiddey hole". Unfortunately he did not tell us where it was. After two days of intense searching we did find it. It had a small amount of cash and more unlabeled keys. Please list your hidden compartments and "stashes" with your important papers.

Now I have to go and follow my own advice.


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Health/Medicine; Miscellaneous; Society
KEYWORDS: abortion; death; deathpanels; insurance; life; obamacare; will; zerocare
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To: strider44

It sounds like you are better prepared than most. Might I encourage you to have the same discussion with your parents or wife’s parents as well. If for no other reason than to make your life easier when they pass.


21 posted on 03/18/2015 1:25:14 PM PDT by taxcontrol
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To: taxcontrol

True story: My inlaws died in 2002. Some 3 months apart. We had a relatively easy time of clearing their estates and they had sold the home prior and died instestate with just a little cash left over. Fast forward to 2012. 10 years later. We get a letter addressed to my FIL advising the insurance company has merged to a new and different insurance company and any questions can be directed to....

Say What?

We made a call and turns out the inlaws had bought a cheapie term policy and we never knew about it. Too bad for us it was only a $1,000 benefit, but digging up the proof of death resulted in $333.33 between the three surviving children.


22 posted on 03/18/2015 2:08:16 PM PDT by Responsibility2nd (With Great Freedom comes Great Responsibility.)
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To: Hulka
My father, a retired O-6, told my mother he wished to be buried in his uniform.

Yeah.

My dad wanted to be buried in his dress blues.

We searched everywhere for them. every closet, every drawer, ever box in every known storage location. Never did find them. We *think* he may have donated them at some point.

I hope being buried in a blue dress sufficed...

23 posted on 03/18/2015 2:21:59 PM PDT by null and void (Obama has received so many Pinocchios Valerie Jarret's secret service code name is Geppetto.)
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To: Hugin

Touché.


24 posted on 03/18/2015 2:35:29 PM PDT by Misterioso
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To: null and void

Cold. .very cold. . .BUT hilarious.

Good job. Needed the laugh.

Thanks.


25 posted on 03/18/2015 2:39:23 PM PDT by Hulka
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To: taxcontrol

I work for a very large, busy cemetery and funeral home - you have given excellent advice.

Sorry for your loss.


26 posted on 03/18/2015 2:49:00 PM PDT by stylecouncilor
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For later.


27 posted on 03/18/2015 3:09:07 PM PDT by lysie
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To: taxcontrol

Thank you for thinking of all the rest of us FR readers who will ultimately pass this way. I have adopted your list and used it to improve on work I had done previously. Your method brings the idea pulling all the important information into a single document. Whenever I have done this (critical personal data in one basket) I have taken great care to only allow my hard copy to be locked in a bank safe deposit box of the family member I gave it to. In the case of soft documents I have found that my word processor permits me to “Save as PDF” with the added security of a password. Use a password the recipient will not need to write down.


28 posted on 03/18/2015 4:00:40 PM PDT by Robin292 (document password protection for important personal data)
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To: Hulka

I think he’d have gotten a kick out of the story, he was that kinda guy.


29 posted on 03/18/2015 4:49:47 PM PDT by null and void (Obama has received so many Pinocchios Valerie Jarret's secret service code name is Geppetto.)
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To: taxcontrol
Put original documents, labeled keys and lists of valuables (with pictures) in a safety deposit box.

Keep copies at home.

Make sure your family knows you have a box and with what bank.

30 posted on 03/18/2015 6:02:26 PM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear (Proud Infidel, Gun Nut, Religious Fanatic and Freedom Fiend)
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