Over the years I have often known clients who have not planned anything for after they are gone. They didn’t have a will or even know who they were leaving things to.  If you care about your family and friends, this is only going to cause a lot of trouble.  

Preparing a will for you (and your spouse if there is one) is very important so that they will know exactly what will happen when you are gone.  Having life insurance is also necessary if you have young children and debts such as a mortgage or car payments etc.. Once your home has been paid for and your children are grown, life insurance is not as important but if you have remarried or cohabitated with someone who you rely on to help pay the monthly expenses, then it is good to have some insurance as protection for the other.  

I encourage you to have a signed will in place and that the person you have chosen to be your executor knows where it is kept or has a copy of it themselves. Also, having a Power of Attorney for Health and Property (can be different people) will help make it easier if your health declines and you can no longer do your own banking or need medical help that you might not think you do.  

Another thing I encourage my clients to do is to preplan their funerals. They do not have to prepay (though it does make it easier for those left behind) but they need to explain to their executor/children/spouse their wishes. There are people that say, I don’t care what happens to me, I’m dead. Others want to pick out their coffin and their gravestone and the music that will be played. Some people these days decide to have a simple cremation which is less costly and then a Celebration of Life where their loved ones can have a chance to talk about the good times.  There are so many options these days but make sure your loved ones know what your wishes are ahead of time so there is no guessing involved.  

Determine Location of Key Items 

Ask your loved one for the location of key items and documents (you don’t need to discuss the details of these items if one or both of you don’t want to; the main thing is to be able to find the relevant information when the time comes): 

• Family, friend, and other acquaintance contact information 

• Banking information -investments, mortgage, loans, bank accounts from various institutions  

• Copy or location of your will and life insurance information 

• Safe deposit box locations and keys (if there was any)  

• Social insurance number 

• Location of keys and combinations for safes or vehicles or home/cottage/office 

• Property deeds and vehicle ownership certificates 

• Cemetery plots or funeral arrangements that may have been prepaid 

• Tax submission situation (has the estate owner submitted income tax forms for this year or have they fallen behind)  

• List of items in their home that they want to go to specific people 

It is good to keep these items in a small fireproof safe or in a filing cabinet (box) in one spot 

Some of this information is from www.estateexec.com 

By doing these things now (and not procrastinating) it will give you peace of mind as well as your loved ones as it won’t be a guessing game after you are gone.  

Another important factor to consider is everything you own. For some people, they don’t only have the contents of a house. They might have a business or a cottage or home out of the country which will need to be dispersed as well. All of these things come with items inside which will need decisions made.  

Decluttering now can save so much headache later for everyone involved. Even if you have not passed away but instead have had to go to a nursing home, it is good to get your stuff in order now. So many people are holding onto things from decades ago that have no meaning to them anymore. Yet, if you have to leave your home, the people left to go through these things will have so much overwhelm as most of these people have lives of their own that they still need to lead.   

By having only items in your home that you use and love this will make life so much easier for both yourself and your loved ones.  If you don’t have time to finish this task make sure that someone knows about services like ours that can help ease the overwhelm.   

Making sure everything is in good order will help make everyone’s lives easier in the long run and help you enjoy the rest of your life now.  

Do you have questions or need help organizing your end of life items so they are all together? Do you need help getting started on your decluttering journey?  

Email me at [email protected]