Facing Mortality

None ^ | 3/18/2015 | Taxcontrol

[taxcontrol]

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.

[Responsibility2nd]

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.

[null and void]

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...

[Misterioso]

Touché.

[Hulka]

Cold. .very cold. . .BUT hilarious.

Good job. Needed the laugh.

Thanks.

[stylecouncilor]

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

Sorry for your loss.

[lysie]

For later.

[Robin292]

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.

[null and void]

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

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

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.