How to Organize End-of-Life Documents
Wondering how to organize end-of-life planning details? No matter the situation, organizing documents for any funeral will be a challenging and emotional process. While everyone has their own personal touch when it comes to organization, there are some key details that I always recommend organizing in any situation. I’ve created a set of documents that help you organize and document all the key items needed to ensure a smooth and orderly end-of-life plan for you or your loved ones. I also offer customized personal binders to store your important documents so that things are clearly labeled and easily accessed when the time comes.
Please note that when someone passes away, the funeral home does not care about your light bill, your logins, your passwords, tax returns, or financial information. They are going to ask to see the original birth certificate and the original social security card for the deceased. So being organized and having everything easily accessible is essential for a smooth process.
My goal is to help everyone get through the week of planning and preparing for a funeral by helping you to have everything organized and planned in advance. Planned with Purpose, LLC offers editable digital planning tools that gather all the crucial funeral and end-of-life planning details in an organized and easy-to-review fashion, plus a customized binder. The binder includes custom tabs and sheet protectors to store the most important documents in a way that is easily referenced, which is crucial especially when you or your loved one is grieving. The planning documents are available for you to purchase, download and store on your computer. I offer a very detailed Funeral Questionnaire, Personal Financial Asset Form and a Personal Property Asset Form. Each one of these documents has a specific location in the custom binder, so these products go hand-in-hand.
Of course, logins and passwords are important. The location of your financial information is just as important, but not as important as your birth certificate, social security card, burial policies, (not life insurance policies), and of course any pre-paid funeral service policy. Remember, my goal is to help you as best as I can while in the midst of your grieving process. Trust me, you don’t want to be left with planning a funeral and looking for necessary documents while you are in a state of shock. Instead, I recommend planning ahead so that everything is organized in one place. Finally, be sure to keep your custom binder with all your important documents in a fireproof safe or a lock box.
Ready to get organized? Visit my store to get your planning documents and customizable binder and get started today!
As I have stated in previous blog posts, always discuss your end-of-life planning with your family, your attorney, and your executor. By not discussing this critical topic with those I mention, then it's all for nothing. Always communicate. Always. For more helpful resources, explore more of my blog and Resources page.