Estate Horror Stories
In honor of Halloween, I wanted to share some of the scariest estate horror stories I have encountered – and how to avoid them.
1. “GHOST” Beneficiaries: One of the most common mistakes I see is not keeping their beneficiaries up to date. Beneficiary designations on life insurance, retirement plans, etc. trump any last wills and testaments in court so it is essential that these are regularly reviewed and updated. If you don’t want your assets to go to the wrong person or persons, make sure to review your beneficiaries every year. I make it a habit to do this at the same time I am filing my taxes each year. This can be as easy as going online to check and change them or worse case, requesting the necessary paperwork from the custodian of the account or your employer’s HR department.
2. “PHANTOM” Customer Service Reps: We’ve all been there – stuck on hold or in a never-ending phone tree menu, trying to reach the right customer service representative to help us with an account problem. Now just try to imagine that while you are grieving the loss of a loved one. Absolutely unbearable. I recently clocked my hold time with Social Security as over an hour and a half! Unfortunately wait times and customer service bureaucracy are unavoidable, but that’s why, as part of our services at Good Death Matters, we can take on this terrifying time-sink of a task for your and your loved ones, because we believe that especially when you’re grieving, you should never be forced to endure hold music!
3. “MONSTERS” in the Closets: Unless you want to torture your loved ones, do not leave your mess for them to clean up. As part of our end-0f-life services, Good Death Matters provides “Swedish Death Cleaning” services – this is the practice of cleaning out one’s belongings before death. For those who have been left with a loved one’s belongings, we can help you, when you are ready, figure out what and where for these items to go. Whether it’s donations, estate sales, or gifting to loved ones, we can help you get this done in a thoughtful, and thorough way.
4. The PAPERWORK “CORN” MAZE: Trying to file the paperwork needed to close accounts or claim benefits after the death of a loved one can be overwhelming. You fill out one form, only to be told you need to send in another form. They have those two forms, but now you need to send in a copy of the death certificate… it’s easy to get lost on the best of days but navigating this maze when you are grieving can be much too much. As another part of our services, Good Death Matters takes care of all the paperwork, so you have room to grieve.
5. Getting LOCKED OUT of the “HOUSE”: After a death, loved ones will often need access to your phone, computer, email, and social media accounts. To make sure they have legal access to these devices, you will need to assign your legacy contacts. It only takes a few minutes to set this up for your phones and computers, but without this critical step, it is too easy for your loved ones to get locked out of these devices and face huge challenges in settling your estate. Follow these quick steps for your Apple products, for Android devices, or for Facebook/ Instagram to take care of this today:
These are just a few of the TERRIFYING challenges I have seen loved ones face after a death. If you would like to make sure you avoid them, contact me today to see how Good Death Matters can help you and your loved ones PUT A STAKE IN THE HEART OF THESE GHOULS.
