What happens when your love one dies?

The funeral must be planned, bank accounts closed, pets rehomed, final bills paid. When someone you love dies, the job of handling those personal and legal details may fall to you. It's a stressful, bureaucratic task that can take a year or more to complete, all while you are grieving the loss.

aarp.org - Checklist for What to Do After Someone Dies - AARP

How do you greet a kiss?

Depending on the occasion and the culture, a greeting may take the form of a handshake, hug, bow, nod, nose rub, a kiss on the lips with the mouth...

Last updated Aug 3, 2021

Who kissed first in the world?

While the true origin of kissing remains a mystery, historians have found in India the earliest references to the practice. Four major texts in the...

Last updated May 5, 2020

Do you really know who the “One” is? Your true Soulmate?

Promotion

Two Weeks After Death

Secure certified copies of death certificates

Get 10 copies. You’re going to need death certificates to close bank and brokerage accounts, file insurance claims and register the death with government agencies, among other things. The funeral home you’re working with can get copies on your behalf, or you can order them from the vital statistics office in the state in which the person died.

Find the will and the executor

Your loved one’s survivors need to know where any money, property or belongings will go. Ideally, you talked with your relative before she died and she told you where she kept her will. If not, look for the document in a desk, a safe-deposit box or wherever she kept important papers. People usually name an executor (the person who will manage the settling of the estate) in their will. The executor needs to be involved in most of the steps going forward. If there isn’t a will, the probate court judge will name an administrator in place of an executor.

Meet with a trusts and estates attorney

While you don’t need an attorney to settle an estate, having one makes things easier. If the estate is worth more than $50,000, Harbison suggests that you hire a lawyer to help navigate the process and distribute assets. “Estates can get complicated, fast,” he says. The executor should pick the attorney. If your loved one had a CPA, contact her; if not, hire one. The estate may have to file a tax return, and a final tax return will need to be filed on the deceased’s behalf. “Getting the taxes right is an important part of this,” Harbison says.

Take the will to probate

Probate is the legal process of executing a will. You’ll need to do this at a county or city probate court office. Probate court makes sure that the person’s debts and liabilities are paid and that the remaining assets are transferred to the beneficiaries.

Make an inventory of all assets

Laws vary by state, but the probate process usually starts with an inventory of all assets (bank accounts, house, car, brokerage account, personal property, furniture, jewelry, etc.), which will need to be filed in the court. For the physical items in the household, Harbison suggests hiring an appraiser.

Track down assets

Part of the work of making that inventory of assets is finding them all. The task, called marshaling the assets, can be a big job. “For complex estates, this can take years,” Harbison says. There are search firms that will help you track down assets in exchange for a cut. Harbison recommends a DIY approach: Comb your family member’s tax returns, mail, email, brokerage and bank accounts, deeds and titles to find assets. Don’t leave any safe-deposit box or filing cabinet unopened.

Make a list of bills

Cancel services no longer needed

These include cellphone, streaming services, cable and internet.

Decide what to do with the passport

You have a couple of options on how to deal with your family member’s passport. You do not have to return it; you can keep it as a memento, with the stamps on its pages reminding you of past adventures. If you’re worried about the possibility of identity theft, mail the passport to the federal government along with a copy of the death certificate and have it officially canceled. If you want the canceled passport returned, include a letter requesting that be done. You can also request the government destroy the passport after it’s canceled.

Notify the following of your loved one's death:

Can a man love you and not tell you?

The right man will not have you wondering because whenever you think about if he loves you the answer will always undoubtedly be yes. He'll do...

Last updated Nov 6, 2022

What is a toxic partner?

A toxic relationship is one that makes you feel unsupported, misunderstood, demeaned, or attacked. A relationship is toxic when your well-being is...

Last updated Nov 29, 2020

Promotion

• The Social Security Administration: If the deceased was receiving Social Security benefits, you need to stop the checks. Some family members may be eligible for death benefits from Social Security. Generally, funeral directors report deaths to the Social Security Administration, but, ultimately, it’s the survivors’ responsibility to tell the SSA. Contact your local SSA office to do so. The agency will let Medicare know that your loved one died. • Life insurance companies: You’ll need a death certificate and policy numbers to make claims on any policies the deceased had. • Banks, financial institutions: If you share a joint account with your deceased loved one, you’ll need to notify the bank they’ve died. Most bank accounts carry automatic rights of survivorship, which means if your name is on the account, you have full access to the funds when your loved one dies. You become the sole owner on the date of your relative’s death. Most banks will require a death certificate to remove the relative from the account. If the deceased person was the sole owner of a bank account, the bank will release funds to the person named beneficiary once it learns of the account holder’s death. Many banks let their customers name a beneficiary or set the account as Payable on Death (POD) or Transferable on Death (TOD) to another person. You’ll need to show the bank a death certificate to get the funds released. If the owner of the account didn’t name a beneficiary or POD, things get more complicated. The executor will be responsible for getting the funds to repay creditors, pay bills and divide funds according to the dead person’s will. • Financial advisers, stockbrokers: Determine the beneficiary listed on accounts. Depending on the type of asset, the beneficiary may get access to the account or benefit simply by filling out appropriate forms and providing a copy of the death certificate (no executor needed). While access to the money is straightforward, there are tax consequences to keep in mind. You will be responsible for paying any taxes earned by the account once your loved one dies. Keep in mind, the tax burden could be significant on a well-funded investment account. • Credit agencies: To prevent identity theft, send copies of the death certificate to one of the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian or TransUnion. You only need to tell one of them, and it will tell the others.

Cancel driver's license

This removes the deceased’s name from the records of the department of motor vehicles and prevents identity theft. Contact the agency for specific instructions, but you’ll need a copy of the death certificate. Keep a copy of the canceled driver’s license in your records. You may need it to close or access accounts that belonged to the deceased.

Close credit card accounts

Contact customer service and tell the representative that you’re closing the account on behalf of a deceased relative who had a sole account. You’ll need a copy of the death certificate to do this, too. Keep records of accounts you close and inform the executor of any outstanding balances on the cards. Credit bureaus, as part of their regular reporting process, will also send card issuers an alert that your relative has died. But if you want credit accounts notified faster, contact them directly. Be sure to cut up your dead loved one’s credit cards so they aren’t lost or stolen. If the credit card account is shared with another person who intends to keep using it, keep the account open but notify the issuing bank your relative has died so the deceased’s name can be removed from the account. Destroy any cards with their name on them to prevent theft and identity fraud.

Is love a choice or feeling?

Love is a choice and a decision because your actions determine if it lives on or ends. You are in control of how you act in your relationships and...

Last updated Mar 30, 2019

What kind of a woman a man needs?

What Men Want In A Woman She Is Family- And Friend-Oriented. Of course, not every person is close to their family. ... She Is Charming. ... She Is...

Last updated Oct 2, 2022

Promotion

Terminate insurance policies

Delete or memorialize social media accounts

You can delete social media accounts, but some survivors choose to turn them into a memorial for their loved one instead. Twitter, Facebook and Instagram all allow a deceased person’s profile to remain online, marked as a memorial account. On Facebook, a memorialized profile stays up with the word “Remembering” in front of the deceased’s name. Friends will be able to post on the timeline. Whether you choose to delete or memorialize, you’ll need to contact the companies with copies of the death certificate. TikTok does not offer a memorial option for a deceased user’s account.

Close email accounts

To prevent identity theft and fraud, shut down the deceased’s email account. If the person set up a funeral plan or a will, she may have included log-in information so you can do this yourself. If not, you’ll need copies of the death certificate to cancel an email account. The specifics vary by email provider, but most require a death certificate and verification that you are a relative or the estate executor.

Update voter registration

Contact your state or county directly to find out how to remove your dead relative from the voting rolls. Here’s a state-by-state contact list. The rules vary by state. Some states get notifications from state and local agencies and will remove your dead relative from voter registration rolls automatically. States will also remove voters if a relative notifies them of the death. Depending on where your loved one was registered to vote, you may need to give notice of the death in writing, by affidavit or with a death certificate.

aarp.org - Checklist for What to Do After Someone Dies - AARP

Should I quit drawing?

If you're asking yourself if you should stop drawing, the first thing you should consider is whether you enjoy it or not, regardless of your...

Last updated Jul 17, 2021

What zodiac signs should date?

Here is a list of the 7 most compatible astrological signs. Taurus and Cancer. First up we have Taurus and Cancer. ... Gemini and Aquarius. ... Leo...

Last updated Jul 10, 2018

Promotion

How long should you date before you move in together?

How long should you wait before moving in with a partner? Three in ten people (29%) say couples should wait a year to move in together – the most...

Last updated Mar 11, 2019

Promotion

What King married a 12 year old?

Although the precise year of Isabella's birth is not known, she was probably around twelve years old at the time of her marriage to King John on 24...

Last updated Mar 3, 2022