Thanks Archie for the tip!

I too have a tip but for another occasion, the event of your death and maybe your spouse’s death together. ARE you positive that someone else could come in on a moment’s notice and handle your affairs? Would some one else know where are all the life insurance policies are, or that some even exist, what stocks and with what brokers, banks and bank accounts, hiding places for your chips? Why you kept that what-ya-call-it thing for all these years (special items that have a long undisclosed history that heirs would value greatly)?

After having to ferret out all of this information for someone else, I realized why large sums of money sometimes go unclaimed. The people didn’t forget about it, they died or had Alzheimer’s and couldn’t or didn’t tell anyone.

I asked myself, “What would someone have to do if I, or Gail & I died right now?” I started out by making a ‘to do’ list.
To Whom ever is reading this:
#1 Call ‘Joe Blow’s House of Embalming’ & get me all boxed up for the trip ‘down under’ (not Australia!).
#2 Explain that I have a paid for burial plan already (& special wants I may have, blue suit etc..)
#3 Who should be contacted and why, in the event of my death.
#4 How to get the combination for my home safe and what to expect to find there.
#5 Where the will is.
#6 Who I’m insured with; where the policies are; who to contact.
#7 Where lists of all my accounts are; bank; stock; credit cards; etc are.
#8 How to get access to other safes, safe deposit boxes, etc.
#9 Employment information: Retirement, savings, death benefits, etc…
#10 What money is coming in and from who and why (Oil checks, rents, dividends, loans, etc.)
#10 Where the home inventory is (Did this originally for fire & for estate)
#12 Any special thoughts, requests, information, I would want friends or family to know after my death and any special ‘last mail’ (and last chip trades… LOL) to go out.

I keep a ‘live’ copy of this on my computer and from time to time update and print a hard copy to replace the old one. I don’t put account numbers and information like that ON the list, just where to get a list. An envelope with “in the event of my death’ is in my desk for anyone looking to find, and it’s no secret it’s there. AND KEEP IT UP TO DATE (once a year at least)

I WISH someone had left me with instructions! Sorting through an estate (any size) can really be tough.