
When Someone Dies
Description
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Scott Taylor Smith, a venture capitalist and lawyer, had plentiful resources, and yet after his mother died, he made a series of agonizing and costly mistakes in squaring away her affairs. He could find countless books that dealt with caring for the dying and the emotional fallout of death, but very few that dealt with the logistics.
In the aftermath of his mother's death, Smith decided to write the book he wished he'd had. When Someone Dies provides readers with a crucial framework for making good, informed, money-saving decisions in the chaotic thirty days after a loved one dies and beyond. It provides essential, concrete guidance on:
• Making funeral and memorial service arrangements
• Writing an obituary
• Estate planning
• Contacting family and friends
• Handling your loved one's online footprint
• Navigating probate
• Dealing with finances, including trusts and taxation
• And much, much more
Featuring concise checklists in each chapter, this guide offers answers to practical questions, enabling loved ones to save time and money and focus on healing.
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Person
Michael Castleman has written more than 2,000 magazine and Web articles, four mystery novels, and thirteen nonfiction books in the fields of health and sexuality. During his thirty-five-year career as an award-winning journalist and novelist, his books have sold more than 2.5 million copies worldwide.
Content
- Intro
- Dedication
- Legal Disclaimer
- Acknowledgments
- Quick Reference Guide
- The Funeral
- Obtaining Money for the Funeral
- Paying the Person's Bills
- No Probate? Or Probate? And If So, Which Type?
- Distributing the Estate's Assets
- Introduction
- My Mother's Death
- Who Should Read This Book
- Answers to Key Questions
- How to Use This Book
- Chapter 1: As Death Approaches
- Who's in Charge before the Death?
- Does the Person Have an Advance Health Care Directive (Living Will)?
- Does the Person Have a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care?
- If the Person Prepared an Advance Directive and a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care, Find Those Documents
- Attend to Your Own Well-Being
- Attend to the Person's Comfort
- Start Contacting Family and Friends
- Who's in Charge after the Death?
- Has the Person Specified an Executor?
- The Executor Must Register with the Internal Revenue Service
- Avoid Theft
- Start Thinking about the Funeral
- Shop for a Mortuary
- Will an Autopsy Be Necessary?
- Start Thinking about Body Preparation: Embalming? No Embalming? Or "Green"?
- Consider Thanking End-of-Life Caregivers
- Chapter 2: Immediately after the Death
- Contact Family and Friends
- Identify Important Advisors-Lawyers, Accountants, and Financial Advisors
- Welcome Small Gestures of Support and Comfort
- Be Prepared for Insensitivity
- Begin Certifying the Death
- If the Person Is an Organ Donor or Arranged for Whole-Body Donation, Follow through with Those Arrangements
- Ask about an Autopsy
- Murder, Accidents, and Suicide
- If the Remains Must Be Shipped Elsewhere, Arrange for Shipping
- Arrange Care for the Person's Children, Pets, and Yard
- File a Change-of-Address Form with the Post Office
- Obtain Two to Three Dozen Original Copies of the Death Certificate
- Pay the Mortuary
- Burial or Cremation?
- For Burials, Purchase a Grave Site
- To Avoid Theft during the Funeral, Arrange for Someone to House-Sit the Person's Home
- Chapter 3: The Days after the Death: Nonfinancial Issues
- What Kind of Funeral Did the Person Want?
- Decide Religious Issues
- For Religious Funerals, Arrange the Appropriate Officiant
- Arrange Postfuneral Activities
- Write Several Obituaries
- Close the Person's Facebook Page
- Consider Inviting Family and Close Friends to Take Keepsakes
- After the Funeral, Expect a Wave of Intense Grief
- If You Want a Memorial, Organize It
- Consider Grief Counseling
- Chapter 4: The Days and Weeks after the Death: Financial Issues
- Hire an Accountant
- Pay Funeral Expenses
- If the Person Was Employed, Collect Final Wages and Other Payments
- If the Person Received Social Security Checks, Stop Them
- Collect the Social Security Death Benefit
- Investigate Social Security Survivor Benefits
- Notify Life Insurers, the Military, and Other Institutions That Pay Death Benefits
- Investigate Pension Benefits
- Investigate Veterans Administration and Other Federal Government Benefits
- Apply for an Employer Identification Number
- Notify the Internal Revenue Service That You're the Executor
- Cancel the Person's Insurance Policies
- Open a Checking Account for the Estate
- Find the Most Recent Will
- Find the Person's Assets
- A Quick Introduction to Probate
- Find the Person's Debts
- Determine the Estate's Value and Net Worth
- Wrongful Death Lawsuit?
- Contested Will?
- Dividing the Property
- Understand the Three Types of Assets
- Understand the Different Types of Ownership
- Avoid Probate If Possible
- Distribute Assets Exempt from Probate as Specified in the Will
- If Possible, Claim Assets Using Simple Probate Affidavits
- If Regular Probate Is Necessary, Consult an Attorney
- Transfer Title to Property, Vehicles, Retirement Plans, and Securities
- Chapter 5: The Year after the Death
- Take Your Executor's Fee
- Prepare to Pay Any Taxes Owed
- Trusts and Taxation
- When Are Taxes Due?
- Where Does the Tax Money Come From?
- Surviving Spouses: Special Rules
- It's Best to Work with a Tax Expert
- If You Want a Grave Marker, Purchase and Place It
- Officially Terminate Your Role as Executor
- Chapter 6: You're Done
- Now Make Things Easy for Your Survivors
- Name an Executor
- Label Your Documents "My Estate Plan"
- Rent a Safe-Deposit Box
- If You Have Children under Eighteen, Arrange for Their Guardianship
- If You Have Pets, Arrange for Their Guardianship
- Decide about Organ Donation
- Write an Advance Directive for Medical Care (Living Will)
- Write a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care
- Write Your Will
- Consider Legacy Gifts
- Ideally, Reveal the Terms of Your Will to Your Family and Close Friends
- Add Your Executor as a Cosigner on All Your Bank and Investment Accounts
- Provide Your Executor with Easy Access to around $10,000 for Funeral-Related Expenses
- Consider Joining a Burial Society
- If You Have Requests for Your Funeral, State Them
- If You Want to Be Buried, Buy a Grave Site
- If You Want a Grave Marker or Plaque, Tell Your Executor and Family
- Place as Many of Your Assets as Possible into a Living Trust
- Organize All Documents Relating to Your Assets and Debts
- Update Your Estate Plan and Asset and Debt Files Regularly
- If a Professional Prepares Your Income Taxes, Provide Your Executor's Contact Information
- Consider Giving Gifts to Your Heirs and Beneficiaries While You're Still Alive
- Further Resources
- Appendix: Sample Legal Forms and a Model Obituary
- Advance Health Care Directive
- Uniform Statutory Form Power of Attorney
- California Statutory Will
- Letter to Social Security Certifying Death
- Model Obituary
- Affidavit of Surviving Spouse for Change of Title to Real Estate
- Affidavit to Transfer Stock Certificates
- Affidavit for Payment of Life Insurance Proceeds
- Instructions for Writing a Holographic Will
- About Scott Taylor Smith and Michael Castleman
- Bibliography
- Index
- Copyright
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