After a loved one passes away, the family is often left to deal with not only the grief of the loss, but also the confusion over what the person wanted as their final arrangements. You can help to ease the burden for your loved ones by leaving specific instructions and information to make the whole process smoother and easier.
First of all, make sure that you leave written final arrangements so that your family understands what you want done. For instance, do you want to be buried or cremated? Do you have a specific budget in mind that you want your family to spend on a funeral? You may want to set a limit on your funeral expenses or even arrange for how the service will be carried out through a local funeral home while you’re still alive. Let your family know who you want to speak and any other important information about the funeral itself. You can even get a prepaid funeral plan so that the charges are covered in advance.
Do not keep your final arrangements stored with your will since it won’t be read until after your funeral. Don’t keep them in a safe deposit box either since it may not be opened until after the will is read. Instead give a copy to your lawyer and any other close family members or friends that you trust.
Another way that you can help your family deal with your loss is by making sure that they know where all of your important papers are. This might be in a safe at your home or safety deposit box at the bank. Let them know how to access the paperwork so they can get information about your will, insurance papers, real estate deeds and any other pertinent documents that they will need.
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