A Death Documents Checklist
Why a Death Documents Checklist Can Make All the Difference.
Planning for the unexpected is never easy, but having a death documents checklist in place can ease the burden on your loved ones after you have passed. In the event of your death or disappearance, it is critical that your family has access to important information that will help them manage your affairs.
This process can seem overwhelming, but creating a checklist of documents needed after your death doesn’t have to be stressful – and we’re here to help in the process.
In this article we’ll cover why a death documents checklist is important, where you should house your death documents checklist, and the impact a checklist like this will have on your family in the long run.
What Is a Death Document Checklist?
When someone passes, there’s a host of legal documents needed by the survivors. A death documents checklist is a summary of all these necessary documents, including official documents, legal files, financial information, estate planning wishes, and personal information such as contact information for lawyers and username and passwords for accounts, devices and digital assets. A death documents checklist is a list of all the things needed by survivors to close your accounts and settle your estate.
Why is a Death Documents Checklist Important to Prepare?
Unfortunately, your death is a burden to the living and not having documents in order adds an additional layer onto their grief. From locating birth certificates and deeds to tracking down pensions and life insurance policies, the list of papers to find is overwhelming and they haven’t even started the process of getting documents signed and notarized, waiting on hold with account representatives, and meeting with lawyers about your estate.
We can’t control when we die, and you’re never too young or old to start preparing. You can help those you leave behind by letting them skip the scavenger hunt and having your affairs in order. This includes official documents such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, and military files; deeds and titles (or debts) for your mortgage, car, and other assets; life insurance policies and pensions; financial information including your bank accounts, investments, annuities, and credit card information; and an assortment of memberships, subscriptions, and social media accounts.
And since we can’t predict our deaths it’s never too early to start planning.
What Should be Included in My Death Documents Checklist?
To avoid unnecessary stress and confusion, here are five key documents everyone should prepare.
1. Your Will
A will is one of the most important legal documents you can have. It outlines how you want your assets distributed after your death and appoints an executor to ensure your wishes are carried out. Without a will, your estate may be distributed according to local laws, which may not align with your preference. A will must be signed in the presence of witnesses and follow specific guidelines in order for it to be valid, so it’s best to use an estate planning attorney. In addition to ensuring your will is properly executed, they can also provide guidance on how t manage assets, plan for inheritance, and minimize taxes.
Your estate planning attorney will work with you to determine who will inherit your assets, such as your home, savings, or personal belongings and (usually) digital assets. Check your state laws, most states have enacted RUFADAA (Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act, which gives your executor or a personal representative access to accounts with financial and sentimental value. They can also work with you to establish any trusts, which help to avoid the probate process while also giving someone the power to make financial decisions should you become unable.
Also important to note, if you have minor children, a will allows you to appoint guardians, ensuring they are cared for by someone you trust.
Breadcrumb Digital provides a secure space to help your loved ones locate your will, identify your assets, and access any digital assets such as cryptocurrency, social media, digital files, and web domains.
2. Power of Attorney
A power of attorney (POA) allows someone (or more than one individual) to make decisions on your behalf if you are incapacitated or unable to make decisions yourself. This is typically a spouse, family member, or child(ren). There are two main types of power of attorney’s: financial and medical. A financial POA grants someone the authority to manage your finances, which includes all financial, business, and real estate decisions. Your medical POA’s role is to make healthcare decisions in line with your wishes when you are unable. Your medical POA must be at least 18 years of age.
Having a POA in place ensures that your finances and medical care are managed according to your preferences if you’re unable to communicate them yourself.
3. Advance Healthcare Directive
An advanced healthcare directive (also known as a living will) outlines your preferences for medical treatment in the event that you become incapacitated and are unable to communicate your wishes. This document includes important decisions such as whether you would want life-sustaining treatments like CPR, ventilators, artificial nutrition, and hydration as well as if you wish to donate your organs.
Each state has their own requirements for witness and notarization rules for living wills and advanced directives. Get started by considering your medical preferences, determining who your healthcare power of attorney will be, and informing them of your wishes. Then look up your state laws or talk to your doctor. They can write orders to keep on file in your medical record for some of your wishes and may be able to assist in completing an advanced directive.
By preparing an advanced healthcare directive you take the pressure off your loved ones to make difficult medical decisions on your behalf, ensuring that your preferences are respected.
4. Digital Estate Plan
With so much of our lives happening online, it’s essential to include a digital estate plan in your preparations. A digital estate plan is the footprint of your life online and includes everything from bank accounts and bill pay logins to social media profiles and subscription services. Providing this information ensures your loved ones can close out your life while still protecting your memories and identity. Without these, password protections and terms of service agreements often make it difficult for others to access your documents once you are no longer here.
A digital estate plan may also outlie your wishes regarding your digital assets, such as what to do with online accounts, social media profiles, email addresses, and depending on the value of your digital assets, may have its own executor to ensure your wishes are carried out as desired. However, your estate executor can carry out these wishes as well.
Having organized digital assets is key to helping your loved ones (and executor) manage your estate. Tools like Breadcrumb Digital give you space to securely store information on your digital assets while ensuring it’s accessible only to those you trust after you’ve departed.
5. Funeral and Burial Instructions
You don’t have to plan your own funeral (though it’s becoming more popular) but having funeral and burial instructions can offer immense comfort to your loved ones during a difficult time. These instructions typically outline your preferences for funeral arrangements, ceremony location, and funeral home as well as if you wish to be buried or cremated, any pre-paid services or burial plots, any specific requests you have for your service, and sometimes they even come with a eulogy prepared for you, by you.
By providing clear instructions, you relieve your family of the burden of making these decisions during an emotional time and you ensure that your wishes are honored.
Utilizing Digital vs. Paper Resources for Your Death Documents Checklist.
These key documents prepared by you provide the foundation for how your life, body, and assets are managed postmortem, but end of life planning doesn’t stop there. There’s a pile of supporting documentation and information needed to carry these wishes out and close out all of your affairs. You can gather official and legal documents, financial information, and important passwords and hide them in your house or lock them in a safe, but they are only helpful if someone knows where you’re keeping them and how to access them. We recommend ensuring at least two people know where you’ve put them and any codes or combinations they’ll need to access them You can also use a digital estate planning tool, like Breadcrumb Digital, that guides you on what information to collect and provide to your loved ones while also giving you a secure space to store it and a painless way for them to access once you’re gone.
Don’t let your death or deterioration of your health be a burden to those you love. Death involves a lot of difficult decisions, but you can take a lot of the weight off others by preparing now, before it’s too late.
To learn more about Breadcrumb Digital and our ability to support your end of life planning, please visit breadcrumbdigital.org
