“What-if” End-of-Life Planning Blog
What He Didn’t Say Before Dying is Breaking our Hearts: Talking about dating and remarriage before one of you dies
Of all the conversations to have with your spouse as you prepare your end-of-life plans and wishes, the topic of remarriage may be the trickiest. And the unfortunate challenge is that you may not know the difficulty of that conversation until one of you faces life without the other.
Caskets or Cauldrons? Unveiling the Quirky World of Final Resting Places
What to do with a body when you or your loved one crosses over to the great beyond? We dive into the age-old debate of burial vs. cremation and explore a few other intriguing options that have popped up in recent years.
Cemetery Selection Guide for Families
If your end-of-life plans involve a burial, cemetery selection can be one of the hardest decision-making processes you go through. There are many factors to consider when choosing the right cemetery for you and/or your loved ones and it can be a stressful process.
Duties of an Executor of a Will
One of the tasks of creating a will is that the creator needs to name an executor and a backup executor. When the subject of the will dies, the executor is charged with making sure that all the wishes of the deceased are carried out properly. Depending on the complexity of the estate and/or how organized the deceased was, the job of an executor can be quick and easy or time-consuming and difficult. This should be a factor when considering whom you ask to play that role.
How Hurricanes Answer the Question, “Should I Have an End-of-Life Plan?”
Tropical storm Hilary hitting California is a reminder that disasters can strike anywhere at any time. It should also serve as motivation to have our affairs in order through end-of-life planning to protect family members from unnecessary hardships when an accident or illness impacts your family.
What is the Difference Between Palliative Care and Hospice?
What is the difference between palliative care and hospice? These two terms are often misunderstood and used interchangeably. In this week’s blog we describe the difference as they may come up when you complete your advanced directive and living will.
How Do You Explain Death to Children?
Explaining death to children is a difficult, but important, task. In this week’s blog post we’ve included links to articles written by professionals who offer great advice and counsel about how to talk to kids about death and prepare them for loss, as well as how to support children who are grieving now.
The Great Family Council
One of the most important steps in end-of-life planning is to communicate your wishes with the family. Sharing your plans helps ensure that they are conducted according to your desires and helps eliminate family squabbles over post-mortem activities.
The Gift That Keeps on Giving: Life Insurance for Young Couples and Individuals
While you may not find life insurance on many wedding or baby shower registries, gifting a new policy to a young couple or individual is a terrific way to protect their family’s future.
Living Trusts versus Wills
Wills and trusts are two legal documents that are used in end-of-life planning. In some cases, both may be needed to properly get your affairs in order. In other situations, one or the other may suffice and/or be advantageous over the other. While the goals of each are similar, how the goals are accomplished through each of these legal instruments is different.
Comforting the Grieving
Whether intentional or not, hurtful and offensive comments are a part of life. Widows and widowers are especially vulnerable to well-meaning, but painful comments of others.
Including Pets in End-of-Life Planning
While our main goal is to prepare “the survivors” for the death of a family member, sometimes beloved survivors are also pets. These furry, loyal friends deserve to be accounted for in our end-of-life planning.
"I've Got the Power"...of Attorney
It is important to understand the concept of “power of attorney.” Various versions of this legal document are recommended as part of your end-of-life planning.
The Love Letters Kept
One of the things we hear most often about loss is that when a parent/spouse/loved one passed away, survivors immediately look for something written that had their name on it. Whether it was a letter, a journal entry, a calendar, ANYTHING in their loved one’s handwriting that mentioned the survivor by name. I this week’s blog, we discuss one of our HIGHLY RECOMMENDED things to add to your end-of-life planning to do list. Write letters to your people. A journal is for you. A letter is for them.
Childcare for the Suddenly Single Parent
When planning for what-if moments, it’s important to consider childcare from the perspective of both parents suddenly finding themselves single to make sure resources will be available for either parent to succeed.
Preparation for Peace
Preparing emotionally and spiritually for the death of a spouse is a challenge, but doable. Conversation is the key.
Estate and Game Plan
Many people often use the term “estate plan” and “will” or “living trust” interchangeably, but they are, in fact, different concepts.
Don’t Poke the Care BEAR!
Don't poke the care bear! Being a caregiver to a loved one during a long-term illness was a life-changing, difficult, yet very meaningful experience. Turns out caregiving brings its own set of challenges while your person is also having life-changing, difficult and hopefully meaningful experiences.
Term versus Permanent
For most people, life insurance should be a key component of your end-of-life plans. It can play a huge role in easing the burden of death by allowing the surviving spouse to hire others to help with day-to-day tasks and/or replace lost income and keep paying the bills. The two main types of life insurance are described in this blog.
The Estate Planning Time
Just because we don’t have large and expensive kinds of assets, doesn’t mean we don’t have an estate and a need for estate planning. In this week’s blog, find out what an estate plan is and how you can get started.