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i wrote about this at some length in "sylvia porter's your finances in the 1990s," which you might want to take a look at, if one of the seven copies that sold happens to be in your local library. rule number one: put nothing crucial in a safe-deposit box, because it will take a court order to get that box opened, which will take a longer time than the bereaved would want, particularly if it's the will and, say, life insurance policies.

dep

I do have some good suggestions:

-Elderly folks should have a trusted younger person with Power of Attorney, and Power of Attorney for Healthcare.

-Heirlooms should be listed by description, value and intended recipient (and maybe a second if the intended cannot accept or refuses a bequest).

-Elderly folks with anything more than simple investments should execute a document explaining how such assets are held, valued and a strategy for disbursing them. My father died two years ago and my mother is still dealing with liquidating a complicated investment he had made

- Younger people with children should revisit their choices as to placement of surviving minor children at least yearly

-Life insurance should be reviewed annually to account for changes in family situation

-People of all ages should be encouraged to have disability and at least a million-dollar liability umbrella policy

As others have said here, personal information that might not be known to surviving heirs (family history, especially about health histories- cancer, heart, liver problems- of immediate relatives can be invaluable).

Tell them to forward their assets to me via FReepMail. I'll take care of everything...

Your idea does bring a suggestion to mind. It is a good idea to add an alternative beneficiary at the end of your gifts....if all your family members predecease you or die with you in a common accident, then what? You don't want to have an estate and no named beneficiary...or the state may claim the assets. So name someone or something, a church, a school, Free Republic.