"It Can Happen to You" by: Joyce Moseley Pierce
You see it every day on the news. You get up and turn the tv on
in the morning and learn that while you were sleeping, others
were involved in accidents that caused their death. As one
friend put it, "You watch the news and think that somehow your
family is protected from these tragedies. After all, these
people don't live in your neighborhood. They come from a
different social class. They were in the wrong place at the
wrong time." It wasn't until his 21 year-old sister was killed
in a skiing accident that he realized that all of his
justifications were wrong. Your family most certainly can be
affected.
Donna had asked her husband to write some things down for her
before his flight to the Middle East several years ago. He
scratched some things out on the back of an envelope and told
her she was being silly. He returned from that trip, but a few
short months later was killed by a drunk driver.
At least Donna had something to start with, but she wasn't
prepared for all of the questions the funeral home fired at her.
She knew what bank accounts they had, and had helped with paying
the bills over the years, but what about funeral arrangements?
Did he want to be buried in Louisiana with his parents, or here
in Texas where she and her family lived? cremation or burial?
What about the obituary for the newspaper? Did she have all of
the accurate information they needed to write it?
Her emotions were raw as she tried to deal with the reality of
it all. Was this all just a bad dream that would soon end? She
just wanted to go home and grieve, but there were too many
things to think about.
* How long will it take to settle the estate? * Will I have
enough cash to live on until then? * Will the insurance come
before they foreclose on the house? * Where is the real copy of
the will? * How can I prove stock ownership? * Do I know about
all bank accounts and insurance policies? * How do I collect
social security? * Whose advice can I trust?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions, now is a good
time for you to start thinking about them. What are some things
you can do to be better prepared for these situations?
1. Talk to your spouse (and don’t forget your parents) and
explain the importance of working together to put this
information together now. Accidents aren’t something we schedule!
2. Gather important papers. Include birth certificates, pre-paid
funeral arrangements, military records, current bank and credit
card statements, wills, safe deposit information (bank, box
number, authorized signers, contents), employment information -
insurance, savings plans, retirement accounts, etc., savings
account statements, stock certificates, loan agreements,
automobile titles, health and life insurance.
3. Discuss the disposition of personal items. This will help
avoid family feuds when it comes time to decide who should get
grandfather's watch or mother's pearls.
4. Make copies of these documents and file the originals in a
safe place. A fireproof safe at home is recommended so you'll
have access to them on the weekend. You might even consider
scanning them and saving them to a CD.
5. Keep the information up to date. Decide to go through these
records at least annually to make sure the information hasn't
changed. Take this opportunity to discard outdated information.
6. Make sure someone in your family, and a trusted family
friend, knows where this information is stored so it can be
retrieved at a moment's notice. The fireproof box is a good
place to keep it along with your original documents, but be sure
to put it back each time you update the information.
You are doing your family a disservice if you don't prepare this
information for them while you're able. It doesn’t make sense to
provide for them throughout your life, only to leave them
struggling when they need your guidance more than ever.
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